COMMENTARY
Mayor finds inspiration in NBA great
By STEVE PENN
The Kansas City Star
Prominently displayed just outside Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser’s office at City Hall is a glass-encased Boston Celtics jersey.
The jersey — a replica of one worn by center Bill Russell — and what it stands for say plenty about Funkhouser’s city government playbook and philosophy.
Tonight, the Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers square off in the first game of the NBA finals. Funkhouser was once a major Celtics fan.
He’s read books on Russell and long ago adopted what he calls the “Bill Russell criterion.”
Russell won 11 NBA championships in his 13 years with the Celtics. And he cared more about winning than scoring or individual accolades.
“When I talk about the Bill Russell criterion in auditing and government,” Funkhouser said, “what that means is that your government is doing well in the eyes of your citizens. In the eyes of your citizens, you’re winning.”
Although he no longer has much time to follow the NBA, he once followed the Celtics’ every move. That was back in the day when Russell played with the likes of John Havlicek and Bob Cousy.
“Yeah, I was a Celtics guy,” the mayor said earlier this week. “I’m a big Bill Russell fan.”
Funkhouser has read three of Russell’s books: Go Up for Glory, Second Wind and Russell Rules: 11 Lessons on Leadership from the 20th Century’s Greatest Winner.
“I read all those,” he said. “I admire him for what he did even after he retired. He’s an interesting personality.”
The Celtics jersey that hangs outside his office is the result of a debate he had with his son and his friends over who was the greatest NBA player of all time. While his son and his friends touted the virtues of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, Funkhouser begged to differ.
“I told them that the greatest basketball player of all time was Bill Russell,” he said. “They said, ‘Bill Russell? Who’s he?’ ”
Funkhouser told them to conduct their own research. One of the guys did. In appreciation, the young man purchased the jersey and gave it to Funkhouser as a gift.
Indeed, Russell’s career was outstanding by any measure. “He’s the most winning player of all time,” Funkhouser said. “And to me, that’s the criteria. Some people set records. Some people are innovators who changed the game. Bill Russell was the first to make defense into something special. He was the first to really start blocking shots.
“You can have statistics. And you can be an innovator. But does your team win? If your team wins, you’re good. And his teams won more than any other team.”
Funkhouser thinks that same approach applies to city government.
“It doesn’t matter whether you get favorable articles in the press or people say you’re a great guy,” he said. “The question is, does your team win? If my city isn’t doing well, then I’m not a good mayor. If my city’s not doing well, I’m not a good city auditor. The citizens are the scorekeepers.”
To reach Steve Penn, call 816-234-4417 or send e-mail to spenn@kcstar.com.
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