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mark-funkhouser1

Mark Funkhouser

Former Publisher

Mark Funkhouser, a former publisher of Governing magazine, is president of Funkhouser & Associates, LLC, an independent consulting firm focused on helping public officials and their private-sector partners create better, more fiscally sustainable communities. He served as mayor of Kansas City, Mo., from 2007 to 2011. Prior to being elected mayor, Funkhouser was the city's auditor for 18 years and was honored in 2003 as a Governing Public Official of the Year. Before becoming publisher of Governing, he served as director of the Governing Institute.

Funkhouser is an internationally recognized auditing expert, author and teacher in public administration and its fiscal disciplines. He holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in public administration and sociology from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, an M.B.A. in accounting and finance from Tennessee State University, and a master's degree in social work from West Virginia University.

Cities compete for residents and tax base. Nothing defines urban livability more than a city that's kid-friendly.
Countries that rely heavily on midwives and home births have lower infant and maternal death rates than we do, and our numbers are getting worse. Isn't it time to rethink our reliance on hospitals and surgical interventions?
We're going to see more cities like Stockton. We need better ways to deal with the downward fiscal spiral.
There are lots of problems with pay for performance, but one of the most salient is that it implies that employees are slackers.
Certainly spending must be cut and services must be restored, but it's essential that the voices of the loyal Detroiters who have stayed be heard.
The winners of this year's National Public Policy Challenge had a guiding principle: Think big, start small.
Stephen Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia, S.C., has ambitious goals for his city. He's off to a strong start.
The Community Reinvestment Act doesn't always get at underlying economic issues. It's time to redesign it.
Clarence Anthony, the National League of Cities' new executive director, wants the NLC to be a strike force for cities at a time when our federal system is undergoing profound changes.
States are moving into the void left by Washington’s paralysis.