Lucas, sources on future of City Manager position: ‘It's hard to tell'
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mayor Quinton Lucas says he is unsure if he supports city manager Brian Platt moving forward, one day after suspending the very man he helped hire.
The suspension comes a day after a whistleblower lawsuit led to a nearly $1 million verdict against the city in a lawsuit filed by a former employee.
'We have to take urgent action; we have to take swift action,' said Melissa Robinson
'These situations are never easy, but our duty is always to the people of Kansas City and making sure they trust us,' Lucas said.
President Trump to sign order for FIFA '26 White House Task Force
The bottom line is that Brian Platt's job is in jeopardy and to a degree his bosses are weighing in.
'Those are taxpayers' dollars that we are using, there's real stories it's not just a line on the budget there's real stories behind those settlements and those cost.'
The revelations in the latest lawsuit the city is on the hook for are long and detailed by former communications director Chris Hernandez. He says Platt told him to lie to the media about something Platt claims was a joke.
A jury sided with the fired employee and levied nearly a million dollars in damages the city will soon have to pay.
'None of us support lying or misleading the media I think it was Mr. Platt's Testimony that he saw it as a joke or something of that sort, notwithstanding the individual facts of that case that's something Kansas City will never support,' Lucas said.
Robinson tells FOX4 that the city's liability from settlements and lawsuits has ballooned by millions of dollars since 2020.
Platt's time in the city manager's office has not always been smooth. In 2023, civil rights leaders called for his firing because they believed his administration oppressed black people and had a culture of racism.
Furniture Mall of Missouri to open new store in Kansas City's Northland
Deputy City Manager Kimiko Gilmore will fill the role of City Manager of Kansas City.
'I've known Kimiko for probably decades now and known her when she was at Swope Community Builders. She's always been fair, she's smart, strategic. She's a friend of the community, she is someone who has a history here.'
A source inside city hall late Friday afternoon said 'It's hard to tell,' when asked if Brian Platt would still have a job in two weeks. A decision on Platt's fate will come on March 20.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
4 The People: What to expect next in Missouri special session
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri General Assembly's special session is halfway home. The Senate got a through after . Next up it's on to the House. Rudi Keller, deputy editor of the Missouri Independent, joins FOX4 to talk about how the session got to this point and what to expect in the next week. Meantime, no special session for Kansas lawmakers, who passed a STAR Bonds stadium package last year. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri Senate President Ty Masterson joins FOX4 with his observations on the Missouri package from a Kansas perspective, and with a deadline looming on the STAR Bonds package, when the dust might settle for both states. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
San Francisco Chronicle
21 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
How much has World Cup's global party been spoiled already by Trump's tantrums, threats?
Last month, when President Donald Trump was asked about growing tension between the United States and our 2026 World Cup co-hosts, Canada and Mexico, he said with a smile, 'Tensions are a good thing. It'll make it more exciting.' Apparently there is so much tension that it has become plural. Tensions. Hey, the more the merrier. The excitement has ramped up since Trump made that comment. Back then, the tensions involved just those three countries, and just the World Cup. Trump's recently announced travel ban on visitors from 19 countries has added more tensions/excitements. Now we can also tense up excitedly about the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 and even the Super Bowl in Santa Clara next year! Events like the Olympics and World Cup are world parties, and what we're doing is rearrange the schedule a bit. We're going to have the hangovers before the parties. Here's an interesting headline from Marca, Spain's daily sports newspaper: 'Trump, FIFA scandals spark movement planning to boycott 2026 World Cup.' Don't mind Spain. They're just cranky because of Trump's 20% tariffs on their exports of olive oil, auto parts and other goods. If only Spain would take a deep breath and remember that Trump's tariff policies change by the hour, so maybe better deals are ahead. Same with the new travel ban. Its effect on fans coming to America for the World Cup and the Olympics, and its implementation, are so vague and unknown that visitors from, say, Spain or Iraq might just have to get on the plane to America and hope for the best. American roulette: Maybe you come and go easily, maybe you accidentally wind up behind bars on Alcatraz. The Marca story says, 'As anger (at Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino) mounts, fan groups and some national associations are considering bold measures to demand change — including refusing to play or attend matches hosted in the U.S. unless FIFA addresses governance concerns and Trump's immigration policy is clarified.' Spain might not be the only whiny country. China doesn't seem thrilled with Trump's tariffs. Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin are slow dancing one day, mud wrestling the next. Canada is steamed about Trump's tariffs and bluster over Canada becoming the 51st state. Will future Olympics and World Cup host countries slap reciprocal travel bans and restrictions on U.S. fans? The tariffs, the travel ban, the broken alliances, the global political and financial chaos, all cast a pall over America's place in global sports. The Super Bowl at Levi's Stadium in February, the World Cup games in California next summer and the L.A. Olympics in 2028 could all be negatively impacted by Trump, who threatens to withhold billions in federal funding, and to levy high fines, because of the state following its own rules to let a high school trans athlete compete in the CIF state track meet. As for the more distant future? The host of the 2038 World Cup likely will be chosen later this year. One actual scenario that has been given credibility is that FIFA could name another set of tri-hosts: New Zealand, Fiji and the U.S. Considering recent developments, what FIFA voter in his/her right mind would send Trump another World Cup? Why would tariff-squeezed New Zealand agree to join hands with America? Crazy stuff, but you have to admit, it's exciting. Tensions up the wazoo. Deeper thoughts and cheaper shots • Rick Carlisle is on his way to NBA sainthood, assuming the requirement is the performance of two miracles. His Pacers' win in the first game of the NBA Finals on Thursday night put Carlisle three wins away from his second miracle. Carlisle coached the Mavericks to a title in 2011 over the heavily favored, LeBron-led Miami Heat superteam, after the Heat took a 2-1 lead. That Mavericks title got Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd their rings. Going into this season, the Pacers had the 15th best odds to win it all (per Basketball Reference). Just saying, maybe the guy's a good coach. • Still the worst idea in basketball since the invention of the Eurostep: The Commissioner's Cup in-season tournament. The WNBA one-ups the NBA by using a different ball for Cup games, a ball with alternating black and white panels instead of the regular fire orange and white. At least they didn't embed blinking lights in the seams. How about: Cut through the gimmicks and make each tournament game win count as 1½ wins? • Let's all thank Brock Purdy for signing that low-ish contract, quickly, thus sparing the San Francisco 49ers the ghastly task of sifting through the pile of discarded quarterbacks, and maybe plucking out Aaron Rodgers. The tinfoil-helmeted veteran agreed to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers about two weeks after Purdy inked his deal, so it's possible Rodgers was the 49ers' Plan B. But Rodgers is only 41, so maybe he'll stick around the game long enough to get a third shot at a 49ers' job. • Commissioner Adam Silver is starting to talk about NBA expansion. He's not naming names, but others are, and Las Vegas is at the top of most lists. That puts more pressure on A's owner John Fisher to get his ballpark built ASAP, because MLB really wants to beat the NBA to Vegas. The A's say actual construction will begin this month. A's fans in Vegas must be heartened by the fact that the team isn't squandering all its winning luck in West Sacramento.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Infantino and Trump -- handshakes, warmth and a mutual interest
The heads of state who have felt the lash of US President Donald Trump's tongue in the Oval Office could do worse than seek advice from FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, who seems to have got their relationship down to a fine art. Infantino has shown a deft touch when it has come to dealing with hard-nosed leaders, from Russian President Vladimir Putin, when Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup, and now Trump with the United States set to co-host football's global showpiece next year. Trump has been quite the opposite, showing no mercy to those who have dared challenge him -- he has laid into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in extraordinary scenes at the White House. However, with Infantino it is all smiles, compliments and Trump's traditional use of the words "great" and "greatest" when he likes something or somebody. Infantino was one of just a handful of prominent sports figures present at Trump's inauguration. "Infantino handles Trump really well," Martin Sorrell, the founder of advertising giants WPP who is putting together a documentary for next year's World Cup, told AFP. Sorrell pointed to when Infantino was filmed with Trump in March, showing off the trophy for the upcoming Club World Cup. "Trump, who had the FIFA trophy behind him in the Oval Office on the video, said... 'as one president to another'," he noted. Infantino appears to have placed his relationship with Trump front and centre -- perhaps unsurprising as the women's 2031 World Cup is also expected to be hosted in the US as well as the inaugural women's Club World Cup in 2028. However, there are signs that the relationship can grate with others as it did with UEFA representatives when Infantino arrived late at a FIFA Congress in Paraguay in May having been with Trump on the US president's visit to Qatar and then Saudi Arabia. - 'My great friend' - Nevertheless, whether some like it or not Infantino has restored relations with the US which reached its nadir under his predecessor Sepp Blatter. After the US lost out to Qatar for the right to host the 2022 World Cup, a FBI investigation resulted in 'Fifagate', leading to several of the governing body's senior figures going to jail and Blatter resigning. In 2018, two years after Infantino was elected, the US were named co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, earning him an invitation to the White House. Two years later the 'bromance' was strengthened when Trump asked Infantino to deliver the address at a dinner he hosted at the Economic Forum in Davos. "America is on the verge of becoming a great soccer power," purred Infantino. "The 'American dream' is something we all need to have. All those who love soccer." Trump responded by praising FIFA as a "steadfast movement" and Infantino as "my great friend." Infantino's loyalty -- a characteristic Trump values in others above all else -- has remained rock solid. The press conference-shy football boss has in his social media posts steered clear of commenting on the slights made by Trump regarding his World Cup co-hosts Mexico and Canada. So keen is he to maintain smooth relations, he did not even step in to correct Trump, sitting behind him, when the US president said inviting Russia to the 2026 World Cup could facilitate them making peace with Ukraine. Russia are barred from the qualifiers due to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, both have so much invested in the World Cup being a success that nothing must blight the landscape. "Gianni's obviously got a very close relationship with Trump and he's leveraging that because both sides have a mutual interest for 2026 to work," John Zerafa, an experienced sports communications strategist based in the UK, told AFP. "Trump is a guy that's driven by headlines and being in the spotlight, and he's going to love being in the spotlight in the run-up to and during the World Cup, and he knows that it's got to go smoothly. "So they've got a mutual interest for 2026 to work." pi-rcw-cfe/gj
