Confession: Undecided

I have voted in every presidential election and just about every local election since I was of legal age to vote. I have been a long standing advocate for voting, saying things like, "people die for this right! Don't take it for granted! And if you don't vote, don't complain later."

I have a confession to make - this year I am completely unmotivated to vote. This has never happened to me before, but I just don't feel there is anyone running who represents things that matter to me. I am not excited about any candidate. For the first time ever I am in the undecided category. It is a difficult place for me to be. I don't know if I'll have an answer until the end.

Confession: I am an undecided voter!

Win some, lose some

Well, my Jayhawks were taken out of the competition and didn't make it to the final four. It was a good game and the loss hasn't diminished my interest in college basketball. I'll keep watching and I'll be cheering them on again next year.

Funkhouser, however, was the winner of a very close Mayoral election. This is now Funkytown (one of the songs he used in his campaign, the other was "We want the Funk, gotta have that Funk.") I do believe KC elected a man of integrity and commitment. He ran a clean campaign, never once bashing his opponent and his wife was his campaign manager (though she had no prior political experience). When asked about his choice of campaign manager, he said, "I chose the person who knows me best." He was also quoted as saying, "we ran a campaign based on authenticity." I can tell you that at campaign headquarters that word was posted on the walls and each person involved tried to live out that motto. I like a world where authenticity wins, I wish it happened more often.

Funk moves forward...

Tuesday was the primary election. The mayoral race went from 12 to 2 in one day. Funkhouser was one of the two. I still think he can go all the way, and hope he does. He has received a glowing endorsement from the largest newpaper in this area. They actually acted as his largest source of public relations in the primary. He doesn't have the financing of the other candidates. He has some yard signs, some mailings, some volunteers like me willing to make phone calls to likely voters, and a website. He didn't have a TV commercial until the week before the primary, produced by a friend and featuring volunteers. It had it's debut Sunday night, prior to Tuesday's elections. He attends community events and debates and wins because he is genuine and offers solutions. There isn't anyone in his inner circle that would be called a political guru, many have never worked on a campaign before. I say all of this because he was not expected to get this far. His critics didn't think he could do it because it defies political logic; well, I think the political gurus should take a hint from the voters. Voters like this breath of fresh air, they like that he is a bit eccentric and unconventional, they like that he is real, transparent and authentic. There is an energy around his campaign that is exciting. His wife Gloria recently sent out an email to the volunteers that captured that. She and Funk had visited with a small church in the inner-city many attendees were mothers, she said this about the meeting:

Driving home, I had a sense that something big was happening, much bigger than Funk & I, and in the face of it, I felt very small. But, as corny as this seems, I really felt like we were being given a chance to do some good for a lot of people – that we were being given a chance to do some good on a much bigger scale. It was almost a scary feeling, but very uplifting as well. I tell you this to say that if Funk & I prove worthy and are chosen for this task, all I can say is that we’ll do everything in our power to make this a better slice of the world for regular folks to live in.

If, given the chance, wouldn't you want to vote for someone like that? I find their humility, commitment, vision, passion, and drive inspiring. Win or lose, this campaign is something special.

I can't resist politics...

I know my schedule is busy. I know I'm already trying to juggle an insane amount of things with limited time and energy. I know all of this, but when I'm asked by one of my former professors who is running for KCMO mayor if I can help on his campaign - what do I say? Sure! Mark Funkhouser, affectionately known as "the Funk", is running for mayor. The biggest hurdle he has in winning the position is that he is honest and not at all like a politician. In fact, he's not a politician. He's a regular guy who believes to the core of his being that he can make a difference. I admire that kind of dogged determination! He has been the cities auditor for 18 years and in that time did hundreds of audits of city services, surveys of citizen satisfaction and ultimately crafted his very clever plan to make the city better. What is that crafty plan? Simply, "a city that works, with cleaner streets, safer neighborhoods and more responsive government." This morning I'm studying, then I'm headed to my career services job, then I'll be calling voters until late into the evening.

If you want to know more about the Funk, visit his website: http://www.markfunkhouser.com/index.html

He also has a blog at: http://funkhouserformayor.blogspot.com/

There are some creative TV ads and informative videos on his blog. Check it out. I have no ambitions to run for political office myself, but I do enjoy the atmosphere. I think college was the first political campaign I volunteered for. It was fun (yes, I said fun), and a great democratic learning experience.