City Hall comms director out amid audit and lawsuits
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KCMO's City Hall. Illustration: Axios Visuals
Kansas City's top communications official is no longer with the city, press secretary Sherae Honeycutt confirmed. Her last day was June 9.
The big picture: The departure of communications director and assistant city manager Melissa Kozakiewicz comes at a time of scrutiny as the city battles legal troubles and the communications department faces an audit over its practices.
- Whether Kozakiewicz resigned or was fired is not yet public knowledge. The city does not comment on personnel matters.
Zoom out: The city has been named in at least three employee discrimination lawsuits since November 2022, including one that led to the firing of former city manager Brian Platt.
- A jury determined Platt retaliated against former press secretary Chris Hernandez after Hernandez made whistleblower complaints about the city's communication strategies and ethics.
- A jury awarded $1.4 million to Hernandez. Mayor Quinton Lucas and City Council unanimously voted to fire Platt after the verdict.
Zoom in: The other two lawsuits remain active.
- Andrea Watts, a senior social media staffer, sued the city last month over allegations of retaliation and discrimination. No trial date is set.
- Kerrie Tyndall, a former colleague of Kozakiewicz, sued the city in 2023 for discrimination and for attempting to prevent her from reporting mismanagement. Her trial date is scheduled for Sept. 21, 2026.
Between the lines: The lawsuits raise questions about how the city disseminates accurate information to the public and addresses employees who voice ethical concerns.
Kozakiewicz responded to Axios after publication but declined to provide immediate comment on the situation.
- The mayor's office declined to comment on the matter.
State of play: Jared Horman, the city's creative director, will serve as interim communications director.
- Honeycutt said the city will launch a search for the next communications director, but no details are available at this time.
What we're watching: The city auditor's office emailed local media on May 21 asking about problems getting accurate, timely and useful information from the communications office.
- The auditor's office has until July 23 to present its findings to City Council, according to a resolution passed on April 24.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show that the lawsuits are against Kansas City (not just the communications department).