Brian Platt

A protege of Mayor Steve Fulop, Platt served as City Administrator for Jersey City, New Jersey from 2018-2020.^[4] He had served as city's first Chief Innovation Officer and established the city's Office of Innovation in 2015.^[5][6]

Platt began his role as City Manager of Kansas City in December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic while delivering basic services with a shrinking budget.^[7][6] As manager, Platt oversaw a staff of 4,500 employees providing services to Kansas City's 508,000 residents.^[8][9]

Platt developed a new street maintenance plan that doubled funding for street resurfacing, uses improved technology, and holds contractors accountable when they dig into streets.^[10] The city is now resurfacing more than 3.5 times the historic average and broke 500 lane miles of resurfacing in fiscal year 2024. He created a 24-hour snow removal strategy that added plows for residential streets and increased salting.^[11]

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.^[12][13]

Platt is worked towards a more inclusive workplace by creating the Chief Equity Officer position, installing all-gender bathrooms, negotiating a new union contract with the Kansas City Fire Department that works to end past discriminatory practices, and investing in staff training, recruitment, and development.^[14][15][16]

Platt's proposed building the largest city-owned solar farm in the country at Kansas City International Airport.^{[17][18][19][20]} His other goals include developing new sustainability initiatives to reduce waste, energy usage, and dependence on fossil fuels,^[21] creating programs to produce more affordable housing and to address homelessness,^[11] and finding new ways to leverage technology to improve city services.^[6]

In 2024, Platt was a finalist for the position of City Manager of Austin, Texas, but withdrew from consideration,^[22] and the Kansas City Council subsequently extended his contract to August 1, 2027.^[23] On March 27, 2025, the Council voted to terminate his contract.^[24] In November 2025, two financial agreements were reached between Platt and the city.^[25][26] Mario Vasquez replaced Platt in May 2025.