Report: Kansas City’s new city manager is this candidate from New Jersey
Two updates:
▪ Why Lucas and other officials are thrilled with this city manager choice: Click here.
▪ What ever happened with that deleted article in New Jersey: Click here.
A high-ranking Jersey City, New Jersey, official may become Kansas City’s next city manager, according to an article posted Tuesday and later deleted.
The article, written by the Jersey City Times, said Brian Platt, business administrator for Jersey City, which lies just across the Hudson River from New York, had been offered the job, upsetting several City Council members who said on Twitter that they were surprised to learn the news that way.
But the Times later took down the post, though it could still be accessed later Tuesday evening through the site’s archives.
One council member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Star that Mayor Quinton Lucas’ office called Tuesday after the article published and confirmed Lucas would introduce legislation to recommend Platt.
In a statement, the mayor’s communications director, Morgan Said, said Lucas and council had gone through an “exhaustive process” to find a new city manager, and Lucas met with each City Council member after the four city manager finalists interviewed in Kansas City this fall.
Under the city’s charter, the mayor submits a recommendation to the City Council, which must approve a new city manager.
“No formal job offer is extended and presumably no candidate is separated from their place of employment until a contract has been signed,” Said said. “The Mayor has not formally extended a city manager recommendation to the City Council. The Mayor continues to do outreach to Council members and stakeholders alike.”
The article upset Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, 3rd District, who said on Twitter that several council members felt “blindsided.”
“People have to be able to trust the process (and) depend on elected officials to follow the rules,” Robinson said. “Every council member has the right to vote before an offer of employment is made.”
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. Before that, Platt was Jersey City’s first chief innovation officer. Prior to his public service, he worked for McKinsey & Co., a management consulting firm. Jersey City has a population of over 265,000.
Platt would replace Earnest Rouse, who has been serving as acting city manager since Troy Schulte stepped down late last year.
The other finalists for the job were Milton Dohoney of Phoenix; Kevin Jackson, of Long Beach, California; and Janice Allen Jackson of Augusta, Georgia.
Platt did not return a voicemail or email seeking comment Tuesday.
Aaron Morrill, who is listed as the publisher and acting editor-in-chief of the Jersey City Times, did not immediately return an email seeking clarification on the story and its removal.
The Star’s Steve Vockrodt contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 10:48 PM.
