Mayor Funkhouser Releases Third "In His Own Words" Video On Public Safety

For Immediate Release:  18 February 2011     Mayor Funkhouser Releases Third "In His Own Words" Video On Public Safety The Mayor is proud to receive the endorsement of the Public Safety Concern committee.  Since the Mayor's goal in his second term is to continue to keep a watchful eye on the city's finances, and, to make Kansas City THE safest city in America, this is a high honor. “We make it safe. Clean so that it feels safe, safe in terms of actual crime and people will flock there” - Mayor Mark Funkhouser Kansas City is not the safest city in America – yet. The city has come a long way in reducing its crime problems. Property crime in Kansas City is down about 30 percent in the last four years. Violent crime is down about 19 percent. “But it's still way too high,” says Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser. “We intend to make our city the safest city in the United States. And that is a doable thing.” Citing successful programs that have reduced crime and homicide in other cities, Mayor Funkhouser says the crime problem here is “a much more fixable problem than we ever knew.” In a new video, Mayor Funkhouser talks about crime and public safety in Kansas City. "Now that we have righted the finances, we see a clear path, with a lot of community involvement, to make this the safest city in America." The short video is the third in a series by Kansas City photographer/filmmaker Stephen Locke. In His Own Words offers Kansas City residents an unprecedented opportunity to hear the Mayor's thoughts on everything from making mistakes to his vision for the future of Kansas City. In the video, the Mayor notes that energy costs for suburban commuters will continue to rise. The key to bringing those middle-class families back to Kansas City is to take away the barriers that drove them out of central city neighborhoods in the first place. “Imagine you could live at 39th and Prospect, and be close to Downtown to work, to the Nelson-Atkins to all these kind of regional amenities,” Mayor Funkhouser says. “And wonderful old houses.” By expanding his plans for more community-based police, neighborhood improvements near schools and community involvement, the Mayor says Kansas City will be well on its way to offering residents those kinds of neighborhoods. “We make it safe. Clean so that it feels safe, safe in terms of actual crime and people will flock there,” Mayor Funkhouser said.           For More Information, Gloria Squitiro, Campaign Manager, 816-820-9751