Second Wyandotte County resignation comes after mayor criticized economic development
Wyandotte County’s economic development director said Tuesday she will resign from the Unified Government, becoming the second top official this month to announce they are leaving their job.
Katherine Carttar submitted her resignation letter Tuesday morning. She has been Wyandotte County’s economic development director since October 2018, according to her Linkedin page. Before that she was an urban development manager with the Unified Government. Her last day will be Friday, Oct. 7, according to a copy of her resignation letter.
“I have been proud to lead efforts that have brought $2.8 billion in new projects and over 8,500 new jobs to the people of Wyandotte County,” her letter said. “Of the many projects that attracted new investment to our community, I am proudest to have contributed to the building of the first new grocery store in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, in over fifty years, providing services to communities that for too long have been overlooked.”
Carttar said in her letter that she will become the Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute of Kansas City.
A statement from interim Assistant County Administrator Brett Deichler thanked Carttar for her time at the Unified Government.
“Economic development is critical to our fiscal sustainability and quality of life,” Deichler said. “The more than ($2 billion) in new projects and 8,500 new jobs created from Ms. Carttar’s work has been an important step to opening up more opportunities across our community. As we look ahead to our economic development strategic plan, we will build on these successes while preparing for equitable growth in our neighborhoods.”
Carttar declined to comment further.
Earlier this month, Kathleen VonAchen, the chief financial officer, also announced her resignation, citing concerns about the restructuring of the financial department.
VonAchen said that recent recommendations, including moving the budget office away from the CFO’s oversight, influenced her decision. She said the recommendations did not fit with her “professional construct.”
Mayor criticized Carttar
Carttar did not give a reason for her resignation. But last month, Garner publicly criticized Carttar and the economic development staff at a commission meeting that included a four-hour economic development presentation.
The presentation was led by the first-year mayor and his economic development advisor LaVert Murray — who is not a part of the economic development department.
Garner did not ask Carttar or any staff member with the economic development department to attend the presentation. He also did not ask Carttar to go with him and Murray on a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, earlier this year to look at urban development in that city.
That did not stop Garner, however, from criticizing her or the staff for not being present at the meeting and saying economic development was “broken” at the UG.
“I do have some concerns myself that nobody from the economic development apparatus from the Unified Government, that I can see, is in this room,” Garner said at the Aug. 11 commission meeting. “That should be a problem for this commission, for this community, and more importantly, our administration.”
His criticism confused and angered some commissioners.
“I’m frustrated that staff in our economic development department was purposely excluded from the preparation of this presentation and then derided in public for not being present at the meeting tonight,” said District 6 Commissioner Angela Markley. “It’s rude. It’s disrespectful and it’s offensive.”
Development in Wyandotte County
Throughout his mayoral campaign, Garner ran on bringing more development to downtown Kansas City, Kansas, and other areas east of Interstate 635.
But sluggish development in Wyandotte County is not a new issue. Generally, the county has not enjoyed the sort of investments that neighbors in Johnson County or Kansas City, Missouri, have seen in recent years.
The development projects Carttar helped bring in to Wyandotte County during her tenure include an eight-story residential high-rise near the Strawberry Hill neighborhood from the Sunflower Development Group and the Merc Co-Op grocery story on Minnesota Avenue in downtown Kansas City, Kansas.
Unified Government commissioners have approved the $41 million, 129-unit high-rise development every step of the way and they are likely to vote on the final development agreement at a commission meeting in October. The Merc Co-Op opened in 2020.
Carttar also worked with developer Willie Lanier Jr., who’s proposed project would have demolished the now-unused Reardon Convention Center and built an apartment complex at the location. Garner, however, axed the project weeks into his term.
This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 10:57 AM.
