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Commissioners spar over TIF appointment after Jennifer Justice's removal
Summary
A public discussion erupted after the presiding commissioner replaced Jennifer Justice on the Kansas City TIF Commission with Mark McAuliffe; Justice told the commission she was removed because she is running against the presiding commissioner, and several commissioners urged restoration or a clearer explanation.
A heated public discussion at the Clay County Commission focused on recent appointments to the Kansas City TIF Commission after commissioners asked why Jennifer Justice was removed and replaced by Mark McAuliffe.
Commissioner Worthington (speaker 9) said the commission received notice that Jennifer Justice had been removed on Jan. 9 and pushed for transparency about the change. Presiding Commissioner (speaker 1) responded that he selected Mark McAuliffe to bring a broader economic‑development perspective following the passing of longtime member Pete Hall and said that he believed notice of the change had been disseminated through the administrator's office.
Jennifer Justice (speaker 12) told the commission she was informed personally that she was removed “because I was running for office against him and it would get awkward.” She said she has 26 years of real‑estate and development experience in Clay County and expressed disappointment at the reason given for her removal.
Several commissioners pressed for clarity and raised concerns about the appearance of political motivations. One commissioner said: “I hate political games … after hearing Jennifer Justice, I worry that it’s still live and well,” and asked that future appointments involve more consultation. Another commissioner raised a potential appearance‑of‑conflict concern because Mark McAuliffe serves as executive director of an economic‑development council while the TIF board issues incentives; that commissioner said the arrangement “could certainly see there could be the potential for a conflict of interest.”
The presiding commissioner said he would follow up, and some commissioners urged that Justice be reinstated if she had been removed for running for office. The exchange concluded without a formal reversal on the record; a commissioner asked the presiding commissioner to send a corrective email and consider reappointing Justice to fulfill her term.
Next steps: commissioners requested additional documentation and for the presiding commissioner to clarify the official reasoning in writing.
