KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
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Members of the Jackson County Legislature will publicly interview 13 eligible applicants for the County Executive job Monday.
Members of the legislature have 30 days to appoint a replacement for Frank White Jr., who voters recalled. The interim executive will serve until Dec. 31, 2026.
Kay Barnes is serving as a temporary executive over the next 30 days.
Thursday, members of the legislature set the framework for the interview process. The interviews will take place at 2 p.m. at the Eastern Jackson County Courthouse, 308 W. Kansas, Independence, Missouri.
Seven of the nine legislators will be able to ask applicants two questions each. The two other current members of the legislature are vying for the position of County Executive.
The legislature is asking each applicant to sign a pledge that they won’t run for a full, four-year term as county executive in the November 2026 election.
There is no mechanism to punish or enforce that pledge. It’ll be up to voters to hold a candidate accountable for their pledge (or not) if they do run for election in 2026.
Geoff Gerling is a strategist for the Democratic Party in Jackson County. He said the property assessment process is the most pressing issue the interim executive will face.
He suggests they do a better job explaining to the public how the process works. That begins with setting expectations low for any systemic changes to the property assessment process during the interim executive’s tenure.
“The voting community is asking this person to solve a lot of complex problems in a very short period,” Gerling pointed out. “It’s probably unfair to have an expectation that much could be done.”
Of the 15 people who applied for the job, 13 are eligible. The county disqualified two applicants because they are not members of the same political party as White. County rules say a replacement must be from the same party,
The county clerk originally posted information about only 12 applicants, but determined a 13th applicant is eligible after a miscommunication.
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