KC mayoral aid who says she was called 'mammy' leaves office

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A city employee who accused the mayor's wife of calling her a racist name has turned down reassignment to a different department and her job status is uncertain.

Ruth Bates says she was asked to move from the mayor's office to the Water Services Department because Mayor Mark Funkhouser felt like she had lost faith in him.

He said in a statement that all positions in the mayor's office are political assignments.

Bates filed a complaint last fall accusing Funkhouser's wife of calling her "Mammy" two times. She also alleges discrimination in pay and an unprofessional office environment.

Funkhouser says his wife, Gloria Squitiro -- a full-time volunteer in the mayor's office -- adds an "e" to words as a term of endearment.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com