KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Johnson County’s popular County Manager, Hannes Zacharias will not have the title for much longer.
Last week the commission voted 4-3 to not extend Zacharias’s contract. His last day will be December 31.
“Last night was the first night I slept all the way through. It's been a shock to me and to my family,” said Zacharias, who has served Johnson County for 16 years.
In fact, in 2017 he was given two awards for his service: Outstanding Public Administrator by the Kansas Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration and the Edwin O. Stene Award for Managerial Excellence from Kansas University City Managers and Trainees Alumni Organization.
Commissioners Mike Brown, Michael Ashcraft, Jason Osterhaus and Steve Klika voted against keeping Zacharias as manager.
“I had concerns purely and simply transparency and responsiveness,” said Brown. “I recognize there were shortcomings as I saw it with our county manager that may or may not have been visible to the public.”
Brown also made a comment on a post on the Johnson County Facebook page that can be seen below.
However, Zacharias said they work in the open. He said the seven commissioners discuss and decide on policies during public meetings, and he administers them.
Vice Chair Jim Allen, who has sat on the commission for nine years and served as the mayor of Shawnee, said he did not have any major concerns with the issues brought up.
“If there's a program or we want to go and offer direction, the seven of us have the authority to make that direction,” said Allen.
Zacharias said he tries to empower employees from the ground up and part of his job is to set an atmosphere for the organization.
“585,000 people depend on our services every day, and I’m probably the least important in that hierarchy,” said Zacharias.
A county employee even started a petition to save Zacharias on Change.org.
Zacharias said he respect’s the majority’s decision.
“If they want to be more fiscally conservative, I get it. They want to be more involved in day-to-day operations. I get it,” said Zacharias. “It’s been the greatest joy of my life to serve this professional organization. To be the manager these last eight years is the epitome of that joy.”
Zacharias wrote this letter to the editor:
November 30, 2017Dear Editor:
A majority of the Johnson County Commission has voted to not renew my contract to serve as County Manager, effective Dec. 31, 2017. As all managers know, this is their right. As expressed to me, the majority wants to take Johnson County in a more fiscally and socially conservative direction, impose more direct oversight by the commission over county operations, and adopt a more “laissez-faire” attitude toward regulation. Although this governmental decision runs somewhat contrary to the County Charter, I respect it.
I want to use this space, however, to say thank you to the citizens of Johnson County, the governing body members, and the more than 4,000 employees I have had the pleasure to serve with these past 16 years. Together, we steered the Johnson County community through the worst recession in memory, reducing staff by 12 percent and ongoing expenses by $47 million — all the while maintaining an inspired workforce and increasing citizen satisfaction, as measured by the ETC Institute, the Olathe-based company that conducts annual county-wide surveys. During my tenure, we have added more libraries and parks, opened the Arts and Heritage Center, added to the county trail system, passed a sales tax to replace the outdated courthouse and medical examiner facility, and planned for the replacement of the Tomahawk wastewater facility. These are some of the largest undertakings in the county’s history.
On my watch as county manager, we have integrated services for vulnerable populations, made our mental health services more robust, and have maintained Johnson County as the healthiest county in the state. We have integrated our criminal justice system and are inventing ways to reduce pre-trial incarceration, which makes our system the envy of much of the country. We are national award winners in virtually every area of county government and have received the trust and confidence of county residents, who routinely rate us at 95 percent or above in citizen satisfaction polls. It’s no secret that Johnson County sets the standard nationally. We have done so while maintaining coveted AAA bond ratings and the lowest mill levy of any county in Kansas. By virtually all measures, Johnson County ranks in the top 1 percent of all counties in the United States.
I am most proud of the culture our organization has fostered. County staff is focused on doing the right thing, for the right reason, for the public good. It is an organization dedicated to public service, striving for constant improvement, and living the Athenian oath: to leave this community better than we found it. As I leave this position, I certainly hope that I have lived up to this standard.
I love Johnson County and the Kansas City region. I am sorry that, come Dec. 31, I will not be able to lead the outstanding county workforce in delivering the award-winning services Johnson County residents want and deserve. Until then, I intend to complete my duties and assist in the orderly transition to another manager.
My hope is that I can express my passion and talents to help this region and Johnson County prosper and grow in some other capacity come Dec. 31. Thank you for the privilege to serve.
Sincerely,
Hannes Zacharias
Johnson County Manager
When asked about his decision to vote against Zacharias, Commissioner Ashcraft wrote 41 Action News this statement:
“Since this is a personnel issue, it would be inappropriate to make public comment on the action. As has been reported, a majority of Commissioners voted not to extend the contract of the County Manager. Thank you.”
There is a commission meeting at 111 S. Cherry Street in Olathe at the County Administration building, on the third floor, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.
There is expected to be a large public comment session shortly after it starts.
At that time, one of the four commissioners who voted for Zacharias to be removed could have a change of heart and ask for a new vote. Thursday will be the last chance for that.
