KCK mayor reverses position and announces national search for new county administrator
Mayor Tyrone Garner called for a nationwide search for a new county administrator Thursday, reversing his position a week after abruptly ending a special session where Unified Government commissioners had requested a search be launched.
During a full commission meeting, Garner informed commissioners that Cheryl Harrison-Lee — who has been the interim county administrator since January — told him she does not want to be included in a national search and to begin the process.
“The hope is that we can have a thorough, transparent and inclusive process that will start as soon as we can get things in order,” Garner said. “Working with our commissioners in this regard is really important, as well as getting feedback from the community.”
On May 3, commissioners called a special session where they tried to convince Garner to begin a nationwide search. Several commissioners said Harrison-Lee could apply to be included in the search.
Garner rejected the idea — the second time he’d done so in two months — and abruptly adjourned the meeting before angrily storming out, leaving several commissioners looking stunned.
Harrison-Lee’s term as interim administrator is scheduled to run through April 1, 2023, according to her contract. She was unanimously approved by the commissioners in January, becoming the first woman and Black person to hold the position.
Garner championed Harrison-Lee’s appointment and had expressed hope that she would become the full-time administrator.
A few months into her term, commissioners began hearing concerns from Unified Government staff that she was unavailable and could be hard to reach.
Last month, The Star published a story in which four commissioners raised concerns about Harrison-Lee’s time commitment as county administrator after it was revealed her consulting firm, Harrison-Lee Development and Consulting, has been under contract with Kansas City, Missouri, for several years and is seeking a new multi-year contract with the city.
Several commissioners called for a search, saying the process for finding a permanent administrator could take as long as six months. They feared when it came close to Harrison-Lee’s contract expiring, they would not have enough time to find a new administrator.
