Here’s why Kansas City officials are thrilled with this choice for next city manager
Mayor Quinton Lucas will recommend Brian Platt, currently a local government official in New Jersey, as Kansas City’s next city manager, he told the City Council on Wednesday.
Platt, who is currently Jersey City’s business administrator, would replace Earnest Rouse, who has been serving as acting city manager since Troy Schulte stepped down last year.
Lucas announced his recommendation in a letter to colleagues on the City Council, citing Platt’s leadership through budget challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said a vast majority of the council told him Platt was their first choice — or tied for their first choice — among four finalists who all came to Kansas City to interview this fall.
“I am inclined to agree with a super majority of the Council — not only because of the agreement among this super majority of the Council — but because of this individual’s strong record on budget management, incentive reform and affordable housing,” Lucas said in the letter.
When Schulte stepped down last year, Lucas said Kansas City needed to “be a city that walks and chews gum,” saying it doesn’t matter “how many nice, gleaming towers we build” if people are being shot and basic services and housing aren’t addressed.
Lucas said in an interview Thursday that Platt lives up to that vision and understood that Kansas City government needed to work for every part of the community.
“I think he is, without a doubt, one of the most talented city management professionals in the United States, and I think he will have a strong impact on Kansas City, hopefully long after people are done having to deal with Mayor Quinton Lucas,” he said.
The announcement came a day after a New Jersey media outlet reported — erroneously — in a now-deleted article that Platt had already been offered and accepted the job, prompting some City Council members to criticize the process Tuesday.
On Wednesday, council members interviewed about the choice were full of praise for Platt.
Platt was the newest to local government of the four finalists the City Council interviewed. He was Jersey City’s first director of innovation before becoming business administrator.
He acknowledged having less experience than other candidates in his interview with the City Council earlier this month, but said he had success in his short time in government by pushing Jersey City to be “on the forefront of a lot of really interesting and innovative initiatives.”
“Part of the challenge that comes with a long time in government is the complacency and the sort of allowing the status quo to continue,” Platt told the council. “That’s something that we’re not doing. We have the energy, we have the excitement, we have the drive to make changes.”
Platt did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.
In his time, he worked on outfitting Jersey City police with body cameras and on development projects.
He spoke in an interview with The Star earlier this year about Jersey City’s efforts to manage its budget during the economic downturn brought on by the pandemic. He said the challenges in Jersey City — aging infrastructure, unequal investment in different areas of town, limited affordable housing — are like those in Kansas City.
Several members of the City Council lauded the recommendation on Wednesday. Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McManus said Platt “hit it out of the park” during his interview in Kansas City, giving specific, concrete examples of how Kansas City could improve.
“I think this appointment has got to be a change appointment,” McManus said. “I think we need somebody who’s going to come in, shake things up and force the council to think about things differently.”
Councilwoman Katheryn Shields, 4th District at-large, who chairs the council’s finance committeem said she thought Platt was knowledgeable on labor negotiations, management of different departments and how to address budget issues brought on by the pandemic.
Councilman Eric Bunch, 4th District, also noted Jersey City’s budget management through the pandemic.
According to the mayor’s announcement, Jersey City cut $70 million from its budget by “making creative, targeted reductions without imposing mass furloughs, layoffs or disrupting the delivery of vital city services.”
“I think that says a lot about the fiscal management of that city under (Platt’s) leadership, so I think that that’s the kind of thinking that we’re going to need to bring here,” Bunch said.
According to Lucas’ announcement, the council is expected to vote on Platt Thursday. If approved, Platt would likely assume the role Jan. 4.
Lucas’ announcement comes a day after the Jersey City Times reported that Platt had gotten the job.
The article was removed from the Times’ website. First, it sparked frustration among some City Council members, including Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, who said council members needed to vote before an offer was made.
Under the city’s charter, the mayor submits a recommended manager to the council, which must approve it.
Lucas said in his letter he would introduce legislation Thursday to do just that.
He said the assertion he made an offer was untrue.
Robinson did not immediately return a request for comment after the formal announcement Wednesday.
As business administrator, Platt serves in a role similar to city manager, but instead of reporting directly to the city council he reports to the mayor. Prior to his public service, he worked for McKinsey & Co., a management consulting firm. Jersey City has a population of over 265,000.
The other finalists for the job were Milton Dohoney of Phoenix; Kevin Jackson of Long Beach, California; and Janice Allen Jackson of Augusta, Georgia.
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 3:30 PM.
