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Up To Date

Kansas City Council member Katheryn Shields on her decades of public service

By Steve Kraske,
Zach Wilson
Published June 28, 2023 at 2:12 PM CDT
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Carlos Moreno
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KCUR 89.3
Fourth District-at-Large Councilwoman Katheryn Shields talks about her time in office on KCUR's Up To Date.

After serving two separate stints on the Kansas City Council, bookending her 12 years as Jackson County executive, Katheryn Shields is prevented by term limits from remaining on the council.

Kansas City Councilwoman Katheryn Shields knows her way around local government.

Shields has served two stints on the City Council: one that began in 2015, and one that started in 1987.

In between, she served three terms as Jackson County executive from 1995 to 2007 and unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Kansas City. But now, her long run in local government is coming to an end, as Shields was prevented by term limits from running again for council.

Shields joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss her commitment to public art, mental health and environmental issues while in office, as well as how it feels to leave after decades of public service.

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Up To Date PodcastKansas City Missouri (KCMO)Kansas City Councilpoliticscity hallJackson County
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Steve Kraske
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
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Zach Wilson
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I want to pique the curiosity of Kansas Citians and help them understand the world around them. Each day, I construct conversations with our city’s most innovative visionaries and creatives, while striving to hold elected officials accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday Kansas Citians. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
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