Candidates for County Administrator Announced

Published on February 03, 2023

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The County Administrator Selection Taskforce have completed their process of selecting finalists for the role of County Administrator for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS. Working with professional recruiters GovHR, the taskforce members, appointed by the UG Commission and Mayor, reviewed and narrowed down a diverse field of 32 applicants. In total, the Unified Government received applications from 22 white males, three black/African American males, one male of two or more races, and one male who chose not to identify. There were three white female applicants and one black/African American female applicant. The pool was initially narrowed down to 14 qualified applicants and six were selected to submit video interviews. From the six video interviews, the following three applicants were selected as finalists by the taskforce:

Finalists Announced

Mr. John P. Curp is a government executive committed to professional administration, economic develop, social justice and proactive community leadership. He has served as a former City Chief Legal Officer and Chief Prosecutor. He most recently served as an Interim City Manager for the City of Cinncinnati, Ohio.  John brings 20+ years of successful professional government management, resident engagement, and economic development experience working in diverse, urban communities.

Ms. Elke Doom is a Municipal Manager with over 20 years of progressive responsibility in public administration. She is proficient at working with professionals at all levels and has obtained proven results in building relationships with diverse populations while maintain the highest level of professionalism. Her background includes proven expertise in budget and finance expertise, intergovernmental and community relations, downtown redevelopment, and capital improvement projects.

Mr. David W. Johnston brings 25 years of visionary public service and management experience, with success in intergovernmental relations, economic development, strategic planning, financial management/budgeting, and staff development/mentoring. He is a trusted and dependable advisor who delivers ethical, transparent, and engaged leadership to stakeholders of communities with diverse and often complex needs. He has delivered win-win partnerships, meaningful investment, and quality service delivery. 

Next Steps in the Process

Next Tuesday, February 7, the three finalists will visit Wyandotte County for a series of tours, workshops, and meet-and-greets. Their morning will begin with a Wyandotte County windshield tour with Co-Chairs Mayor Herrington, Bill Johnson, and Sgt. At Arms Deryl Wynn and John Kelly from Buildings and Logistics. Each candidate will tour separately allowing them to see the community and freely ask questions of the taskforce representative.

At 1:00 p.m. each candidate will participate in a one-hour session with the UG Board of Commissioners, where Commissioners will be able to ask questions and get to know each of them. The public can participate in this event from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. also either virtually or in person in the 5th floor conference room of the Municipal Building (701 N. 7th Street Tfwy, Kansas City, KS 66101).

At 6:30PM, the public is invited to a meet-and-greet also at the Municipal Building (701 N. 7th Street Tfwy, Kansas City, KS 66101) and residents can come out to meet each of the candidates during that event as well. 100+ residents have registered for this event, and many have submitted questions in advance for the moderators to ask candidates in each of the breakout rooms. 

Register for the Meet-and-Greet

On Wednesday, February 8, 2023, the finalists will meet with Mayor Garner and his team. We are also working to coordinate UG building and facilities tours and meetings with department heads. After a candidate has been selected, Mayor Garner will present the candidate for UG County Administrator to the UG Board of Commissioners for confirmation. The Office of the Mayor hopes that this process is completed by mid-February.