A pothole crew, a dump truck, a radio system, a streetlight on every corner. Behind each visible service sits an army that buys, maintains, measures, and pays for it. In this conversation, Hugh Plappert speaks with Mark Funkhouser, who connects the nuts and bolts of procurement, budgeting, and performance auditing to parks, safety, clean water, and trash pickup. He shares a Kansas City story where resident surveys, an audit, and a voter-approved bond transformed an outdated streetlight system. He talks about mistakes like a public safety radio purchase that failed frontline users, why the second question in government is how to pay for it, and why democracy is difficult and messy. He encourages internships, finance skills, service on boards, and even running for office. He calls the current moment “fend for yourself federalism” and argues that governance precedes finance.

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👤 Guest Bio

Mark Funkhouser is a former Mayor of Kansas City and longtime government performance auditor. He served as publisher at Governing magazine. He teaches budgeting and financial management in the John Lewis MPA program at Tulane. He leads Funkhouser & Associates, focusing on strategic planning and comprehensive plans through a finance and governance lens. He highlights Eleanor Ostrom’s principles for governing a common pool resource and emphasizes that governance precedes finance.

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📌 What We Cover

• The “army behind” visible services and why every street name has an invoice and a receipt
• How procurement really works for a $150,000 dump truck, from specs to lifecycle costs to appropriations
• A Kansas City audit that led to a voter-approved bond and doubled resident satisfaction with street lighting
• Lessons from a failed public safety radio system and how auditors diagnose what went wrong
• Careers that start with internships and grow into leadership, plus the value of finance training
• Why the second question is how to pay for it and why democracy is difficult and messy
• “Fend for yourself federalism” and responsibilities devolving to state and local governments
• Governance precedes finance, with examples from Flint, Michigan and Eleanor Ostrom’s principles

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🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Funkhouser & Associates
• Governing magazine
• John Lewis MPA program at Tulane
• Eleanor Ostrom
• Teddy Roosevelt’s “the man in the arena”
• Flint, Michigan
• Kansas City streetlight bond and public safety radio system references