Interim Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota said the allegations of bribery made by former Legislative Chair Manny Abarca IV are serious, but they were not the cause of the legislature's decision to vote Abarca out of his position.
“They just thought there was some dysfunction with the body itself, and they thought they needed new leadership,” LeVota told KCUR’s Up To Date.
Abarca, who is a candidate for the permanent Jackson County Executive role, is facing three criminal cases connected to his estranged wife.
LeVota has not endorsed any candidate in the race for county executive, but said some of the people running “are going to be terrible for Jackson County if they were elected.”
“We cannot go backwards the way we did,” LeVota said. “We need professionalism in the executive office and we need professionalism in the legislature.”
KCUR’s Up To Date also spoke with LeVota about the property tax settlement that could reimburse more the 200,000 Jackson County homeowners for overpayment stemming from 2023 property tax assessments.
