KCK mayor says search for new county administrator to be a ‘community-driven process’
The Unified Government will hire a search firm to conduct a nationwide search for a new county administrator and will select the firm by July, Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Tyrone Garner said Thursday night.
Last month, Cheryl Harrison-Lee, who has been the interim county administrator since January, informed Garner that she does not want to be considered for the permanent position.
During a commission meeting Thursday, Garner said “This is going to be a community-driven process and it’s going to be one that’s going to involve a variety of stakeholders.”
The stakeholders in the process, Garner said, include the commissioners, the Unified Government’s employees and the residents of Wyandotte County. Garner said the process would be open and thorough, and that he would provide updates throughout the search.
“We just want to make sure that we have the best candidates brought forward,” Garner said. “I don’t want there to be any questions into how we’re doing things.”
The person selected will be the third county administrator the Unified Government has had during Garner’s term as mayor. Doug Bach was administrator when Garner was sworn in but announced his retirement in December.
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 tenure, commissioners began hearing concerns from Unified Government staff that she was unavailable and could be hard to reach.
In April, 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.
Commissioners called for a national 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.
During a special session May 3, commissioners tried to convince Garner to begin the search and said Harrison-Lee could apply to be included.
Garner rejected the idea — the second time he’d done so in two months — and abruptly adjourned the meeting before angrily walking out.
On Thursday, Garner said he is committed to working with the commission.
“I can tell you that this community wants us to come together, set aside whatever differences we may have and do what is right for Wyandotte County because that’s what’s important,” he said. “I, too, share in the belief that we can create a great Wyandotte County together.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 12:00 PM.
