Another Wyandotte County official resigns — the 3rd department head to leave this month
A third Wyandotte County official has resigned, marking the third department head this month — and second in two days — to announce they are leaving.
Rob Richardson, who is the director of development coordination and customer service success, resigned Tuesday. His last day is Oct. 3, said Ashley Hand, a spokeswoman for the Unified Government.
Richardson has worked for the Unified Government for almost 20 years, according to his Linkedin page. He was hired in Aug. 2003 as the director of planning. He has served in his current role since March 2020.
On Tuesday, Katherine Carttar, Wyandotte County’s economic development director, also announced her resignation after almost five years. Her last day is Oct. 7.
Both Carttar and Richardson’s resignations come after Kathleen VonAchen, the chief financial officer, said she would be leaving, citing concerns about the restructuring of the financial department.
Carttar did not cite a reason for leaving but last month, Garner publicly criticized Carttar and the economic development staff at a commission meeting that included a four-hour economic development presentation.
So far this year, five top officials in Wyandotte County have left.
In January, longtime County Administrator Doug Bach retired. Bach had served as the county administrator since 2014 but his departure was announced just a few weeks into Mayor Tyrone Garner’s term. Cheryl Harrison-Lee was appointed as the interim county administrator Jan. 6 — Bach’s last day.
In April, Melissa Sieben, who was hired as an assistant county administrator in 2015, left her position.
This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 5:29 PM.
