KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.
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Members of the Kansas City, Missouri, city council will spend the next two weeks evaluating the future of City Manager Brian Platt.
Mayor Quinton Lucas sent Platt a memo Thursday night placing him on paid suspension.
The city council will meet on March 20 to take further action.
Mayor Lucas said Friday the council is evaluating all options available in the city charter to determine Platt’s future, which could include termination.
“We certainly want to make sure the momentum and success we have in Kansas City can continue,” Lucas said. “We also want to make sure we have the confidence of all of our employees. We’ll do that work and take those steps to build the best and strongest Kansas City going forward.”
Platt’s suspension came the day after a jury awarded a former city employee more than $900,000 in a whistleblower lawsuit.
The former employee, Chris Hernandez, served as the city's communications director. Hernandez also once worked at KSHB 41 News.
Hernandez said in his lawsuit Platt told him to lie to the media in 2022.
Lucas confirmed the ruling in the lawsuit Wednesday contributed to the reason for suspending Platt. Hernandez’s attorneys said they were surprised by the immediacy of the move.
“It really did to some extent restore my faith the council is listening and maybe they’re ready to hear the truth,” Erin Vernon of Bratcher Gockel Law said.
Councilwoman Melissa Robinson pointed to a presentation at Tuesday’s Finance, Governance, and Public Safety Committee meeting. The finance director showed the city’s paid judgements or settlements in lawsuits between $9 and $23 million each year under Platt.
“I think that is of major importance to the taxpayers because those are taxpayer dollars we’re using,” she said. “It’s not just a line on the budget, there are real stories behind those settlements and costs.”
Leaders said the city will continue to fulfill all its duties under interim manager Kimiko Gilmore.
