Two weeks after voters overwhelmingly recalled Frank White Jr., Phil LeVota was sworn in as the interim Jackson County Executive on Thursday.
LeVota was named White’s successor right after a series of candidate interviews Monday.
He will serve until January 2027, and has sworn not to run for a full term.
LeVota was chosen by a 5-4 vote of the Jackson County Legislature. Manny Abarca IV, Venessa Huskey, DaRon McGee, Donna Peyton and Sean Smith voted in favor, while Jalen Anderson, Charlie Franklin, Jeanie Lauer and Megan Smith voted instead for Dan Tarwater III.
LeVota told KCUR’s Up To Date before his swearing-in that he wants to re-establish “integrity and trust” in county government.
“I'm ready for the county executive's office to not be in the news,” LeVota said.
LeVota says his first priority will be to work with the state tax commission to find relief for Jackson County residents’ property taxes. Owners saw dramatic increases in property values beginning in 2023, which hiked bills. Many cited the tax burden and lack of communication as a reason to recall White.
“It's incumbent on county government to respond to the people when they have a problem. And they get a notice, you've got to give them the opportunity to come there and plead their case,” LeVota said.
LeVota also wants to prioritize the distribution of $70 million in federal COVID relief dollars, and restore the county’s relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals, who are still deciding where they will play in 2031.
LeVota says he doesn’t know what a stadium deal could look like, or whether he would support a sales tax to fund renovations or a stadium. He said he is looking forward to conversations with the teams and leaders in state and local government.
“I'm positive that the teams can stay in Jackson County. I'm positive that now they have a whole teamwork, a whole partnership of all the committed people together, and not someone like Frank White that kept getting in the way,” LeVota said.
Who is Phil LeVota?
LeVota is an attorney and has long been involved with county politics. He was previously chair of the Jackson County Democratic Party, and early in his career worked with the county prosecutor’s office under former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill.
LeVota graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City law school. He runs his own practice with trial attorneys and government relations lawyers, and has locations in Kansas City, Independence and Jefferson City.
LeVota represented county voters and petition signers in a lawsuit to schedule White’s recall election. White alleged that LeVota was “openly lobbying” county legislators to take the position if White was recalled, but LeVota maintains he was “never involved” in the recall effort – he just represented his clients.
“I thought it was too important not to do it, and if it damaged my ability to be the county executive, then I didn't care. It was really important for the people that they got to the ballot box, and that was more important than anything,” LeVota said.
LeVota’s brother, Paul LeVota, was a former Missouri state legislator who resigned from the Senate in 2015 after accusations of sexual harassment.
- Phil LeVota, interim Jackson County Executive
