Mike Sanders says he’s accomplished what he promised voters when he was elected to his third term as Jackson County Executive.
He’s leaving after one year of that four year term to pursue a job in the private sector.
READ| Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders announces resignation
Citing family and money considerations, Sanders is resigning as Jackson County Executive at the end of the year.
“My ego is not big enough to think that the world can’t move on without me,” Sanders said.
Sanders said conversations with his now late father Bruce convinced him it was time to move back to the private sector.
“That was the defining moment, the crossing of the Rubicon, is this what I want to be,” he said.
Sanders said he thought about leaving office earlier after his dad died.
But he wanted to make sure he completed some unfinished county business first.
Specifically he wanted the two courthouse renovations completed, the new medical examiner’s office opened and the commuter rail deal with Union Pacific in place.
The county also has a roughly $300 million budget in place.
“We leave really nothing for the next county executive to have to struggle with and that’s the way we wanted to leave it,” Sanders said.
Sanders also said since taking over as county executive in 2009, the budget has been balanced, taxes have been lowered three times, raises have been given to county employees in nine of the last 10 budget cycles and the county’s bond rating has improved twice.
“I don’t know any other government that’s done that, not just in the state of Missouri or Kansas, but anywhere,” he said.
Sanders says part of his decision to leave the executive’s office is money driven.
He says he wants to send his nine and 12 year old sons to the college of their choice.
“And you can’t do that from the chair of the county executive’s job, you can only do that in the private sector,” Sanders said.
He says he’s considering multiple offers but isn’t interested in leading the Kansas City Area Transit Authority where the director’s job is currently filled by an interim.
“I’m not stepping away from running a large institution to want to run another large institution,” Sanders said.
Sanders says one possibility for his successor to pursue is a merger of county government with Kansas City government.
He says he already has done it to some extent by pooling resources with city governments on public projects.
“I think that has great promise going forward, I think it absolutely has to be explored,” Sanders said.
Sanders tenure has been marked by some recent controversy.
It includes an FBI investigation of inmate abuse at the Jackson County Jail Sanders says was limited to officers on one shift.
Another FBI investigation focused on a county contract with a consultant with ties to former Missouri House Speaker John Diehl.
Sanders said it’s a Jefferson City issue and said he “absolutely had nothing to do with it.”
Jackson County legislator Dennis Waits will take over as interim executive at the beginning of the year.
Waits has indicated he doesn’t want to run for the job.
Sanders says his decision to leave now means candidates who want to seek the office have several months to make that decision.
Voters will choose a new county executive next November to finish the remainder of Sanders’ term.
Watch 41 Action News reporter Andy Alcock's full interview with Mike Sanders here:
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Andy Alcock can be reached at anderson.alcock@kshb.com.
