In deposition, Funkhouser’ office described as tense, unprofessional under Squitiro
Mayor Mark Funkhouser’s first office manager has testified that the mayor’s wife, Gloria Squitiro, in essence managed the office.
In a legal deposition, Burnetta Burtin said she quit as office manager in February over frustration with the mayor and Squitiro. Burtin was Funkhouser’s initial office manager when he became mayor in May 2007.
Squitiro gave directives to every staff member in the mayor’s office, and Burtin said her first interview for a job in the mayor’s office was alone with Squitiro.
And Burtin, then the highest-ranking African-American in Funkhouser’s office, said she was excluded from staff meetings after she had run-ins with Squitiro, which Burtin considered racial harassment.
Burtin testified last week, but the court reporter had to complete a transcription, which was not finished until Tuesday afternoon. Burtin gave her deposition as part of a former mayoral aide’s lawsuit. Ruth Bates alleged she faced racial and sexual discrimination and harassment, and retaliation.
The city, Funkhouser and Squitiro have denied the allegations.
Burtin testified that when she didn’t follow an order from Squitiro, Funkhouser told her, “You know when you’re talking to Gloria it’s like talking to me.”
Burtin said that exchange prompted her to look for another job outside the mayor’s office.
She said other staff members were given the same order from Funkhouser and that they refered to it as “the talk.” She testified that she and Squitiro attempted to work out their differences, but Squitiro told her there could only be “one queen” in the office.
Burtin also said she heard Squitiro express concern that Hispanics would fling “hot tamales” at the couple while attending a West Side forum.
Eric Kendall Banks, an attorney for Squitiro, said the mayor’s wife unequivocally denied making the “queen” or “hot tamales” comments during her deposition taken Tuesday.
Also, Banks and Funkhouser’s attorney, Jim Wirken, said there was no issue about Funkhouser violating the Missouri constitution’s ban on nepotism because Squitiro was not issuing orders. They said she was only conveying to the staff the wishes of the mayor, who didn’t have the time to do it himself.
“Gloria Squitiro did not have discretion in terms of making directives for that office,” Banks said Tuesday. “Everything she did was at the direct instruction of her husband.”
In her deposition, Burtin described a tense and unprofessional office environment in which Squitiro would make raunchy comments and staff members were frustrated by Squitiro’s involvement in the office doings. She said she was taken aback that Squitiro would go around the office barefoot, and was disgusted to see the couple go into the mayor’s office bathroom together or kiss in the office.
When asked to characterize how difficult Squitiro’s racially and sexually explicit comments made the workplace on a scale of one to 10, Burtin said the environment was a 9.
Burtin also testified that she overheard Squitiro call Bates “Mammy,” and that Squitiro called Burtin “Bernie Mac” several times.
Bates also is African-American.
Wirken and Banks noted that Squitiro had a habit of bestowing nicknames on every staff member, which she considered terms of endearment and not offensive. They said the “Mammy” was adding an “e” sound to the word of respect, “Ma’am,” and that Squitiro stopped using the nicknames for Burtin and Bates once she learned that they were offended.
While Wirken said Squitiro used sexual innuendo in the workplace, she never made any comments that were inappropriate for the workplace. He considered Burtin’s testimony helpful to his client.
“If that’s all they’ve got from the woman who was the office manager, then this is a tempest in a teapot,” he said.
But Bates’ attorney, Lynne Bratcher, said Burtin showed courage, particularly since she was still employed by the city in the parks department.
Squitiro was present for Burtin’s deposition.
“It is not easy to testify adversely to one’s current employer and Ms. Burtin displayed true character,” she said in an e-mail.
City Attorney Galen Beaufort did not respond to an interview request.
In a deposition previously completed, Funkhouser’s former chief of staff said the mayor’s wife clashed with staff members and caused tension in his office
Ed Wolf testified that he resigned this fall, in part, because of Funkhouser’s strong convictions that Squitiro needed to be at City Hall even after his 12 City Council colleagues thought it was best that she not be in his office.
Funkhouser’s 12 council colleagues united to pass an ordinance in September that in effect removed Squitiro from her full-time volunteer role in the mayor’s office. The mayor cast the sole vote against the measure and vetoed it, which was later overridden.
The mayor, his wife and daughter earlier this month sued the city, seeking to overturn the ordinance.
Funkhouser was deposed last week in the Bates case, and Squitiro on Tuesday was under oath for seven hours, Banks and Wirken said.
The city is paying for Wirken to defend Funkhouser, but contends that Squitiro is not a city employee and thus is not paying for her defense. Squitiro used her homeowner’s insurance policy, and the insurance company and Bates agreed last week in principle to settle Squitiro’s portion of the case for $45,000, Banks said.
Banks said the insurance company was ready to settle over Squitiro’s objections.
He said the workplace may have become unpleasant and unfriendly, but nothing inappropriate occurred.
“Today she finally got her chance to talk and under oath. Gloria is incredibly relieved now that her side of the story is going to come out in something other than very general court papers,” Banks said. “It is apparent that Gloria Squitiro did not commit race discrimination, sexual discrimination, harassment or retaliation.”
That's a good boy, Funky.......such a good boy......
