KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Things haven't been the same around here since the City Council banished the mayor's wife from City Hall.

The September decision infuriated Democratic Mayor Mark Funkhouser, who insists he works best with his wife at his side. So lately, he has been conducting city business several days a week in his three-bedroom house seven miles away. On Nov. 7, he filed a suit against the city to overturn the ban.

"It's not up to the city council to dictate who can come into my office," he said from his living room, where he held court accompanied by his wife and chief adviser, Gloria Squitiro, a former birthing coach. Pictures of nursing mothers adorn the walls.

"Other mayors' spouses are deeply involved, but they choose to keep it hidden," chimed in Ms. Squitiro, who masterminded her husband's campaign and then was sued for allegedly creating a hostile work environment when she set up shop outside his office. "I'm just not going to be quiet about it."

Politicians have run into trouble when their marital indiscretions came to light. But in this city of 450,000, the question is different: Does the mayor love his wife too much?