Brian Platt | |
|---|---|
| City Manager of Kansas City, Missouri | |
| In office December 7, 2020 –March 27, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Earnest Rouse (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Mario Vasquez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 23,1985 |
| Education | |
Brian Platt (born September 23,1985) is an American public administrator. He worked for the municipal government of Jersey City,New Jersey,first as its inaugural Chief Innovation Officer and later as its Business Administrator.
He was the City Manager of Kansas City,Missouri,from December 2020 until his termination in March 2025. He oversaw initiatives related to street maintenance,traffic safety through the Vision Zero program,and planning for a large-scale solar farm. The Kansas City Council voted unanimously to terminate his contract. A subsequent city audit criticized his leadership of the city's communications department.
He was raised in Mountain Lakes,New Jersey. He attended Mountain Lakes High School and Emory University,where he competed in track and field. [1] Work experience included management consulting with McKinsey &Company,and kindergarten teacher with Teach For America. [2]
Platt earned his Master of Public Administration Degree at Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in philosophy at Emory University. [3] [4]
Platt worked for the city of Jersey City,New Jersey,as the city's first Chief Innovation Officer and established the City's Office of Innovation in 2015. [2] He was later promoted to Business Administrator,the city's top non-elected administrative post. [4]
Platt began his role as City Manager of Kansas City in December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. [5] [6] As City Manager,Platt oversaw a staff of 4,500 employees delivering city services to Kansas City's 508,000 residents. [7] [8]
He created a 24-hour snow removal strategy that added plows for residential streets and increased salting. [9] He developed a new street maintenance plan that doubled funding for street resurfacing. [10] The city resurfaced more than 3.5 times the historic average and broke 500 lane miles of resurfacing in fiscal year 2024.
He launched the Vision Zero Campaign,with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030 by improving high-risk intersections and adding 30 miles (48 km) of protected bike lanes in the first 18 months alone. [11] [12]
Platt's plan to build the largest city-owned solar farm in the country advanced in 2024. [13] [14] [15] His other goals included developing new sustainability initiatives, [16] and creating programs to produce more affordable housing and to address homelessness. [9]
In March 2024,Platt was a finalist for the City Manager position in Austin,Texas,but withdrew from consideration to remain in Kansas City at the request of the Kansas City Council. [17] The Council extended his contract with Kansas City until August 1,2027. [18]
On March 27,2025,the Kansas City Council,led by Mayor Quinton Lucas,voted unanimously to terminate Brian Platt from his position as City Manager. [19] Months later,in August 2025,a city audit was released that criticized his leadership,specifically concerning the City Communications Office. [20] The audit stated that Platt's consolidation of decision-making authority had impaired the effectiveness of public information officers (PIOs),which reportedly contributed to staff resignations and created delays in fulfilling public records requests under Missouri's Sunshine Law. [20]
Also in March 2025,a Jackson County jury awarded $930,000 to former City Communications Director Chris Hernandez,who had filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging retaliation by Platt for refusing to mislead the media. Including legal fees,the city’s total liability reached $1.4 million. [21] The lawsuit and verdict were widely cited as contributing factors in Platt's termination by the City Council. [22]
In June 2025,Melissa Kozakiewicz,Platt’s longtime aide and Assistant City Manager,was also removed from her position. Kozakiewicz had worked with Platt previously in Jersey City,New Jersey,and was hired shortly after he became City Manager in Kansas City. [23] [24] Her removal followed increased scrutiny of her role in the city's communications office,which had been a central focus of the audit and the Hernandez lawsuit.
Witnesses in the lawsuit testified that Kozakiewicz prioritized public relations messaging over transparency,with one colleague recalling a chart in her office that read “PR,NOT Public Information.” [20] She had been earning over $190,000 annually and was considered a key confidante of Platt during his administration. [25] Her departure was not formally explained by the city,which declined to comment on personnel matters. [26]