City manager Brian Platt needs to convince KC he’s not just waiting for a better offer | Opinion

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and his City Council colleagues must proceed carefully before extending City Manager Brian Platt’s employment contract.

On balance, Platt’s service over the past three years has been a positive for the city — streets have been resurfaced, parks and pools are being repaired, streetlights have been upgraded. Platt has brought an interesting, younger, outsider’s approach to a City Hall too often hidebound by tradition and habit.

In an interview, Lucas said that among Platt’s “unlimited number of accomplishments” were delivering the new KCI Airport terminal on time and on budget, which was not a given when he took the job, overseeing a pay increase for every city employee and quadrupling since 2019 the number of street lane miles resurfaced each year

The city also did a good job of keeping the streets cleared of snow this winter, although it didn’t snow very much.

Platt’s record is not without flaws, however. In a lawsuit, a former city communications worker claimed Platt wanted to lie to the public about city projects. A focus on public relations, ahead of policy, is always a disservice to the community.

Just as seriously, Platt remains a divisive figure in Kansas City’s Black community, which has accused him of insensitivity to racial concerns. Nearly a year ago, a handful of Black advocacy groups called for Platt’s removal after the resignation of the city’s director of civil rights and equal opportunity because she allegedly violated a residency requirement.

The groups claimed Platt could and should have more aggressively promoted minority and women business hiring requirements for a big Northland construction project.

Four council members, all Black, voted against hiring Platt in 2020. This year, four Black council members voted against a plan to negotiate a new deal with the city manager.

The mayor said what that tells him is that Platt “has more one-on-one work to do” with those members.

Last week, word surfaced that Platt was a finalist for the city manager’s job in Austin, Texas. Naturally, that set off alarm bells for some at Kansas City’s City Hall.

Lucas said he spoke to Austin’s mayor, who told him they used a search firm. He didn’t blame Platt, he said, for entertaining other offers for a lot more money. “He’s human,” the mayor said.

But was Platt looking for a new job? If so, why? Did he pursue the Austin job to obtain negotiating leverage here in Kansas City? The City Council, and the public, should have the answers to those questions.

Platt withdrew from the Austin job search after word of it leaked. Will he promise to stop looking anywhere else for a job?

The city manager job in Kansas City is an important and powerful position. The city manager proposes the budget and implements the City Council’s spending and policy decisions. With a few exceptions, he or she hires and fires department heads, and controls the city’s organizational structure.

Platt cannot claim he lacks the authority here to do his job well. Kansas City isn’t, or shouldn’t be, a consolation prize, or a fallback job if a higher-paying position falls through. It shouldn’t be treated that way.

That’s why any new contract with Brian Platt should include a substantial buyout clause to be paid to the city if he leaves before the end of its terms.

Lucas is negotiating with Platt over a new deal, and he should make sure Platt still wants to be here before recommending anything to the full council.

Kansas City has made progress over the past three years, but much more needs to be done. Transportation systems must be solidified and improved. Public safety and equity must be addressed. If voters approve a stadium tax, construction of a new downtown ballpark and a nearby ballpark village will have to be managed.

Platt’s full record must be examined before offering him a sizable raise and an extension of his contract terms.

We think Platt is the person for the job, but only if he promises to stay and work on these problems and others, and not dash for the exit the next time another city expresses interest.

And he must do a much better job of connecting with the city’s Black community, which remains underserved.