Exclusive: Kansas City Insiders Favor Brian Platt Over Kimiko Gilmore

This week mayor & city council will decide the fate of the currently suspended city manager Brian Platt.

Thanks to AWESOME TKC INSIDERS we have an inside line on some of the conversation from behind the scenes. 

Two things stand out . . .

MOST KANSAS CITY VOTERS DON'T KNOW THAT MAYOR Q'S MOM & THE TEMP CITY MANAGER ARE BFFS!!!

A note sent our way offers a bit of insight into that connection.

Even more importantly . . .

INSIDERS QUESTION MOTIVES OF EAST SIDE COUNCIL REPS  & ACTIVISTS PUSHING KIMIKO GILMORE AS THE NEW BOSS!!!

Here AT TKC we will remain objective . . .

What we will say is that it's a fact Ms. Gilmore is now the front runner to turn the temp job into a permanent position BUT . . . There are new challenges to that effort pushed by a 3rd & 5th District council contingent whilst Northland leaders remain understandably skeptical.

The low-key and unspoken goal is that the next city manager should be a "historic" pick and the demand from East side council members & activists is that Black female candidate would best fit that description. 

Credit to www.TonysKansasCity.com . . . We proposed this kind of move years ago and thought a former council lady would have been a better choice but (thankfully) nobody cares what this blog thinks. 

And so . . .

We're very lucky that this word was sent our way and readers will appreciate the 12th & Oak inside angle . . . 

Mayor Q save-face DEI hire coming back to bite him? 

After all four black council members voted against Platt’s contract in 2020, Mayor Q’s save-face was to force Platt to hire Kimiko Gilmore (Mayor Q’s mom’s BFF and former city hall bureaucrat) as his deputy. 

(TKC: Insiders included this chummy screenshot from the 2015 featuring Q's mom & Ms. Gilmore) 

 FAST FORWARD: political insiders know Kimiko can’t do the job but Eastsiders have been clear for years they want a Black woman city manager, so they’ll stick by her and Mayor Q’s past comments will make it impossible for him to backtrack. 

“Kimiko was a vital asset to Kansas City government during her tenure here prior to joining Chancellor Agrawal’s team, so when City Manager Brian Platt began in his role last December, one of my first recommendations to him was to seek Ms. Black Gilmore’s professional counsel,” Lucas said. “I am thrilled she will soon be returning to Kansas City government as an Assistant City Manager. I look forward to hearing her ideas on ways to partner with and utilize the great work being done by students, faculty, and staff at UMKC as we continue our work to build a better Kansas City for all.”

So the question is… With World Cup looming and myriad major civic projects underway is now the time to jettison a veteran and well liked city manager for mayors mom’s buddy whose biggest qualification was chief of staff at a city college? And risk additional/exponentially expensive litigation just because 4 city council ppl want their person installed? 

######################

Developing . . .