Mayor Lucas gives remarks day after suspending city manager Brian Platt
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - On Thursday evening, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas suspended his city manager.
Brian Platt was at the center of a lawsuit that wrapped up Wednesday with a jury taking the side of former communications director Chris Hernandez being forced out by Platt.
Lucas sent Platt the following statement:
At an event on the UMKC campus Friday morning, KCTV5 asked Lucas to comment on his decision to suspend Platt.
"Yesterday, obviously the city manager’s suspension, there was a letter I sent out in connection with that. We’ll have further conversations with him (Platt)," Lucas said. “It’s a personnel matter, as there are others, and we’ll make sure that we continue to do the work to take care of everyone who works for us from our top ranking employee to somebody who just started yesterday. And that’s the work that we’ll continue to be a part of.”
A lawsuit centered on whether Platt told staff to lie to the media - and to the public - in 2022. Hernandez said he was demoted when he pushed back.
In March 2024, Platt signed a nearly 4.5-year contract extension after he dropped out of the race for Austin, Texas, City Manager. His new salary is $308,000 annually.
Lucas relayed that he was temporarily appointing Deputy City Manager Kimiko Gilmore as interim city manager.
The City Council will review and take action on Platt’s suspension at its next meeting on March 20, and an official update will follow, a city spokesperson stated.
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