KC lawyer who pushed for Frank White to resign is new interim Jackson County exec
The votes are in – Phil LeVota is the next interim Jackson County executive.
The Jackson County Legislature voted 5-4 to appoint LeVota, a Kansas City-based attorney and former chair of the Jackson County Democratic Party, as interim county executive Monday afternoon after interviewing nine candidates in a public hearing.
Legislators reached a consensus on LeVota’s appointment after a single round of votes.
While he has been named as executive, Levota hasn’t officially been sworn in yet and cannot yet sign executive orders.
Legislators Sean Smith, DaRon McGee, Donna Peyton, Venessa Huskey and Manny Abarca IV formed the majority of five votes for LeVota. Legislators Megan Smith, Jalen Anderson, Jeanie Lauer and Charlie Franklin unsuccessfully voted for Dan Tarwater III, a former Jackson County legislator of 28 years.
“It’s a historic time in Jackson County and we are at a crossroads,” LeVota said during his interview with the legislature Monday. “The people have spoken and they want accountability back.”
The hearing was the last step in replacing former County Executive Frank White, who was recalled on Sept. 30 in a historic landslide election precipitated by more than 43,000 signatures calling for his removal. White, a Democrat and a former Hall of Fame honoree on the Kansas City Royals, had served as county executive since 2016 after joining the legislature in 2012.
LeVota said Monday that he plans to bring in a “bipartisan cabinet” to staff the executive office and that he has already identified a potential chief of staff. He said that his “career of community service in diverse areas” and “familiarity with county operations” will serve him well in stepping into the role on a condensed timeline.
“Now is the right time for me to serve, and I am the right person for the job,” LeVota said.
Temporary County Executive Kay Barnes, who was sworn in last week, was cheerful about the end of her short tenure.
“Good to be with you all,” Barnes said as the nearly three-hour interview process began. “Best wishes.”
First steps
LeVota said that he was “deeply honored” to have been selected by the legislature but called the 5-4 split “unfortunate,” pledging to reach out directly to the legislators who did not vote to appoint him. He said his pre-existing relationships with various state, city and county leaders will ease his transition in the weeks to come.
“Today is about collaboration, not celebration,” LeVota said. “We have important work ahead restoring trust, improving services and ensuring our government works transparently and effectively for every person.”
McGee said he’s thankful to LeVota for taking an interest in county leadership and that he anticipates the interim county executive will be sworn in as early as Thursday.
“I am grateful to Phil for applying and wanting to step up and help lead here in Jackson County,” McGee said. “This is an important time for the county. We have a lot of meaty issues - we’ve talked about taxes and stadiums — that we will be dealing with.”
Temporary county executive Kay Barnes described the selection process as “a very thoughtful process.”
“I’m very impressed with the members of the legislature and know that they are looking forward to moving forward,” Barnes said.
Unlike Barnes, LeVota said he does not necessarily plan to leave any ongoing county issues untouched for his successor. Residents could see action from the executive office in regards to the 2025 county property tax assessment cycle as early as next week, LeVota said.
LeVota also said that he feels the Chiefs and Royals were somewhat alienated from county leadership during White’s term, and that he hopes to reestablish a dialogue with the teams regarding the county as a potential funding source.
“I want the Chiefs and Royals to stay in Jackson County,” LeVota said. “I will do everything I can…but they also have to stay for a good reason. It has to be something that has a community benefit. We’re not just writing a blank check to the Royals and Chiefs, and I’m confident they understand that too.”
LeVota will be interim county executive for about 14 months and has committed to staying out of the November 2026 race for the seat’s next four year term. Former legislator Theresa Garza, currently a Raytown alderperson, will be LeVota’s chief of staff.
Who were the candidates?
Thirteen candidates applied for interim county executive by the Monday filing deadline. Several had dropped out of the process by the time the hearing began Monday afternoon.
The legislature interviewed a final slate of nine candidates:
- Christine Taylor-Butler, a children’ s book author
- Curtis Dougherty, a former Missouri state representative
- Kevon Graves, a teacher at Kansas City Public Schools
- Jennifer Halverson, a former realtor and recent law school graduate
- Justice Horn Jr., a University of Missouri-Kansas City graduate student and current student body president
- Nicholas Kusnir, an e-commerce reseller
- Phil LeVota, an attorney and former chair of the Jackson County Democratic Party
- Jeremy Raines, a detention officer at the proposed U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement detention center at CoreCivic Leavenworth
- Dan Tarwater III, a former Jackson County legislator of 28 years
LeVota, along with Horn and Tarwater, attended an informal candidate forum last Friday hosted by the Urban Summit, a nonprofit organization focused on grassroots political organizing in east Kansas City. In response to calls for accountability from the organization, all three stated publicly that if chosen as interim county executive, they would not run on the upcoming November 2026 ballot for a full four-year term.
Legislative chair DaRon McGee previously said he would run for interim county executive, but withdrew himself from consideration late Friday afternoon. Legislator Charlie Franklin also applied to be interim county executive but withdrew his name at the start of Monday’s hearing.
Lorenzo Johnson and James Witteman Jr. also filed as candidates but dropped out before Monday’s hearing.
What legislators asked
Though the candidates’ experience varied widely, many legislators had the same issues on their mind the whole afternoon and asked similar or repeat questions.
Jalen Anderson asked each candidate to clarify if they were a “declared Democrat.” Since White is a Democrat, his replacement must be from the same political party according to the county charter.
Anderson also asked the candidates about whether they would prioritize union labor when approving or awarding contracts for municipal projects around Jackson County. He referenced a 2024 “responsible bidding ordinance” that would hold potential contractors for projects over $75,000 to standards set by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).
Jeanie Lauer, along with legislator Megan Smith, focused on assessing candidates’ leadership style in the face of what she described as a dysfunctional dynamic among legislators.
Megan Smith asked most candidates unique questions about how their previous experiences in leadership would help them as county executive. Smith identified three major issues that the interim county executive would face: property tax assessments, potential funding for stadium moves and the retention of “quality employees.”
Donna Peyton’s questions primarily focused on leadership style. She also used her time to ask questions submitted by residents, some of which asked candidates for their specific approaches to reforming the property tax assessment system in the county.
Manny Abarca primarily asked candidates whether they owned any property in Jackson County. He asked some candidates more detailed questions about their qualifications in relation to the daily tasks of the county executive or their plans for the first several weeks in office.
Sean Smith asked candidates to explain a time that they implemented significant change in a large organization, which he described as a primary function of the county executive office.
Sean Smith also asked some candidates what they did to either advance the Frank White recall effort or participate in solutions to ongoing issues with the last few property valuation cycles in Jackson County.
Several legislators questioned candidates who had signed a document pledging not to run again for full-time county executive if appointed. The candidates were asked to explain and reaffirm their commitments to stay out of the 2026 race.
Legislators Charlie Franklin and Venessa Huskey declined to question the candidates. Legislative chair DaRon McGee led the hearing but did not ask questions.
This story was originally published October 13, 2025 at 5:29 PM.
