This story was updated at 2 p.m.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on Thursday pulled his nomination of Heather Hall to the Kansas City Police Board of Commissioners after a Northland senator said Hall could not be impartial.
In a short letter dated Monday, Kehoe said he was withdrawing Hall’s nomination and will seek another nominee.
But in a statement released later Thursday, Kehoe kept the door open for Hall's appointment to the powerful board later on. Kehoe said he was withdrawing his support "in order to preserve Hall's ability to serve on this board in the future."
Missouri state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Northland Democrat, wrote to Kehoe last week, saying she believes anyone placed on the board should be independent from the department. Because of a procedural requirement, Hall, who is also from the Northland, needed Nurrenbern’s approval before the full senate could vote on confirmation.
"Unfortunately, Sen. (Maggie) Nurrenbern decided to block the appointment of Heather Hall to the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, even though Heather has been a positive and effective member of the board in an acting capacity since July and has received widespread support," Kehoe said in the statement.
Hall, a former Kansas City councilwoman who calls herself a “police wife,” had no comment.
The Missouri Constitution allows for a gubernatorial appointee to be sworn in and serve in the position until the Senate convenes, which it did this month. The state constitution also says that if the senate fails to approve an appointment, that nominee may not be reappointed to the same office.
Because Kansas City is one of the only cities without local control of its police department, Nurrenbern said it was especially important that a nominee have an “unimpeachable reputation” and be independent of the police department. Hall is married to a retired KCPD sergeant.
On Thursday, Nurrenbern said appointments to the police board are one of the few opportunities for the public to have a voice in overseeing the department.
"That is why it is so important that members of the Board of Police Commissioners have the support and trust of the community," Nurrenbern said. "I look forward to leading a collaborative effort between the governor’s office, our Kansas City delegation, and community members to find a suitable appointment to this important governing body."
As a city councilwoman, Hall was known for opposing Mayor Quinton Lucas’ failed attempt to insert some local control to the department’s budget. She also supported removing the Kansas City residency requirement for police officers.
Kehoe’s nomination of Hall last summer angered many community activists who called it “disrespectful” that no one on the five-member board is from the city’s east side, which is primarily Black. Four of the five members are appointed by the governor; the mayor always has the fifth seat.
Gwen Grant, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said she was pleased with Kehoe’s decision.
“My hope is that he will replace her with a strong representative from Kansas City’s east side,” she said. “For decades, the appointees have primarily been coming from communities west of Troost."
