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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.

Framing is key. Empathy is not.
In local government, success is defined by what you leave behind.
The way we talk about the issue makes it more difficult to do what needs to be done.
It's important to get the money in order before the next disaster strikes. A few places already are.
Institutionalized racism can result in misdirected resources that do little to solve serious crimes.
The management paradigm could help rebuild our sense of community.
It's time to abandon corporate tax breaks. Just look at their history.
The default strategy for many government officials isn’t working. Better policies could accomplish a lot.
Guarding against evil poses a dilemma for government managers, but it can be done.
Cities and universities may finally be learning to work together.