Parkville mayor, city manager under investigation for allegedly destroying records
A criminal investigation based on allegations made against the mayor of Parkville and its city manager of destroying and tampering with public records has been opened by the Platte County Sheriff’s Office.
The allegations, outlined in an incident report obtained by The Star, say Mayor Nan Johnston took steps to permanently delete emails that were kept on personal accounts but concerned city business, among other accusations. The offenses listed as under investigation in the report are misdemeanors.
During an interview with The Star, the mayor said the claims are false and baseless, adding they likely originated from residents upset about a development agreement finalized roughly three years ago.
“It’s just a smear campaign. Nothing to it,” Johnston said. “I am a good person, and most people that know me know that I’ve worked tirelessly on behalf of Parkville.”
For City Administrator Joe Parente, the report only vaguely mentions he may have destroyed or tampered with public records without offering specific detail. Parente did not reply to a voicemail left on his office line or an email seeking comment. He has been the city manager since 2017 and earlier this month announced he intends to retire in 2022.
The investigation was opened in late July after a senior detective believed an area resident may have documents proving that city officials “committed perjury, tampered with public records and concealed other offenses,” the incident report says. Police met with the resident, whose name is redacted from the report, and were provided information related to a series of public records requests made under the Missouri Sunshine Law.
Police detectives also consulted with the Platte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to determine whether the documents received would be “sufficient to start an investigation on the City of Parkville,” a detective wrote in the report.
Maj. Erik Holland, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, told The Star recently the investigation is in its early stages and remains ongoing, saying few details could be shared. He also said the city has begun to provide documents requested by law enforcement.
Parkville became the center of a public records dispute around 2019 after area residents began raising questions about a major development project that included a baseball complex, apartments and restaurants. Leading that charge was area resident Jason Maki, who later sued the city over alleged violations of the public records law.
That civil lawsuit was settled by the city in July. Maki was awarded $195,000 under the settlement agreement. The agreement contained clauses under which Parkville could say the city clerk did not violate the Sunshine Law and the city admitted no wrongdoing.
Other ethics complaints
Separately, Johnston, the mayor, has been the subject of another complaint filed with the city’s ethics board. That complaint accuses Johnston specifically of preventing inspection of public records, overstepping her authority as mayor and destroying public records. It also references other already-investigated complaints made against her political campaign committee. It calls for her to be removed from office.
Johnston has been fined on two occasions by the Missouri Ethics Commission for violations of campaign finance laws. Both were resolved through consent orders and concerned flaws on her campaign reports related to timely filing.
In a consent order filed in September, the state commission found probable cause to believe Johnston and the Committee to Elect Nan Johnston failed to report an incurred expenditure in a timely manner. That sanction followed an earlier issue raised in March 2020 that found Johnston’s campaign reports contained inaccuracies and belatedly disclosed expenditures and contributions, including a $5,000 check from a developer.
Johnston and her campaign finance committee were fined a fee of $5,242 or $524 if paid within 45 days.
For her part, Johnston has blamed issues with her political campaign sanctions on errors made by legal specialists she hired to handle those finances.
The Star’s Anna Spoerre contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 7:23 AM.
