For Platte County Presiding Commissioner, three candidates share the ballot this cycle – Jason Maki, Republican; Mary McKenna, Democrat; and Dale Brouk, independent.
JASON MAKI
Maki, 52, is originally from Minneapolis, Minn. Married, he has one young son and says he has spent his career as a senior executive in the consulting industry — managing teams of engineers and salespeople. Today he serves as director of strategy for a Missouri-based company. His family also owns a technology integration company, which his wife, Leah, owns and runs. He serves that company as a business consultant.
Maki says he has spent years doing the one thing a presiding commissioner has to be willing to do: hold government accountable for how it spends the public’s money.
“That’s not a talking point. It’s a track record,” Maki said, pointing to the lawsuit he and collector candidate Jim Bosch recently filed against the current collector Sheila Palmer. “I’ve used my own time and my own money to hold government accountable and make it deliver the tax relief we voted for. Nobody else in this county is doing that.”
As a small business owner, he says he understands what every tax dollar costs before it reaches the courthouse and how to set and hold a budget.
“Platte County is special. It’s why my wife and I chose to raise our family here,” Maki said. “But what makes it special is under pressure. In the last seven years, Platte County voters have been asked to raise our own taxes 44 times — more than five times a year. Property taxes are at record highs. The cost of living keeps climbing, and the politicians and insiders pushing those tax hikes were never going to stop on their own.”
He said the county government owes taxpayers only two things, public safety and public infrastructure, plus the services that support them. He feels the county has lost that focus and wishes to restore it.
Maki feels the biggest problem facing Platte County is affordability.
“Families here are getting squeezed by the rising cost of living, property taxes are at record highs, and the steady drumbeat of tax-increase requests only makes it worse. Holding that line — while still funding the things county government actually exists to do — is the central challenge.”
Secondary to that is follow-through, again pointing to the lawsuit filed against Palmer regarding the homestead tax credit. Other problems include public safety capacity, focus on core county services and trust in government.
If elected, Maki said he would start with the mission and fund it in order.
“Public safety comes first: attract and retain the best deputies and officers with competitive pay, equip them, train them, and stand behind them. Fund the prosecutor’s office as their partner, so an arrest leads to accountability instead of a revolving door. Then fund public infrastructure — the roads and bridges we all depend on. We fund in that order until the budget is spent, and only then ask the honest question of what else needs funding and how we pay for it without reaching deeper into the taxpayer’s pocket.”
He also vowed to see through the implementation of the homestead tax credit and said he would hold the line on taxes and challenge any new taxes or rate increases. He said he would stop the diversion of county money to private interests.
MARY MCKENNA
McKenna, 67, is originally from Pleasant Hill, Mo. Married, she has one adult child and holds a degree in broadcast journalism and marketing.
It was her career as a political reporter that taught her about local government and what it should and should not do.
“After eight years as a political reporter for KMBZ followed by 25 years as a morning personality on KFKF, I have a gift of reaching out to the people and it’s time the county worked for the people and not the other way around.”
She is running for commission because she felt the current commission was not efficiently handling governing.
“The fact that the commission overturned the vote of the people on the mental health tax outraged me and I decided to step up and run for office.”
McKenna wants to bring accessibility to Platte County government by changing the meeting times to evening meetings so people who work for a living can attend.. She also feels there there needs to be more accountability and that the county needs a fair and equitable tax base.
McKenna said tax revenue may be slightly lower for the county in 2027 and wants to work to address the issue while bringing the least amount of burden to employees and constituents alike.
She wants government to approach spending as a team, which makes more sense and does more good, she says.
“Meeting times must be changed, and board appointments that some feel are questionable will need to be changed, and I believe the auditor and the commission can work closely together instead of being at odds as they have been.”
DALE BROUK
Brouk, 64, is from Parkville. Married, he holds a business administration degree and is a certified public accountant. He has worked in accounting and real estate and marina operations.
“With my CPA skillset I have become both a CFO and COO of many successful businesses throughout the Midwest. These successful businesses include real estate development, real estate management, finance and marina operations. My business experiences include working with local governments. More importantly I have 23 years of experience working with municipalities in Platte County giving me a full understanding of both the public and private sectors.”
Brouk said he has been blessed in his career and wants to continue to give back to the community. He and his wife, along with another couple, started Generosity USA in 2011 as a not-for-profit organization set up to give back to the community by raising money to support Platte County food pantries. To date it has raised over $450,000. He also volunteers as treasurer at his church along with many civic organizations in Parkville.
Brouk said he has faced many career challenges while working for the families who founded Cerner.
“Conquering these challenges has made me stronger, smarter and more resilient. My strong business acumen will prove invaluable as I take on the challenge of running Platte County.”
Brouk said if elected he would prioritize creating a long-range plan looking out three, five, 10, and even 20 years. Infrastructure will be a significant part of these plans through updating the Platte County land plan. “Other year one focuses will include keeping taxes low for the residents of Platte County and ensure these same people are safe through fully funding public safety. Finally, using my significant background in finance, I will initiate discussions to improve Platte County’s current junk bond rating. Once achieved, the taxpayers of Platte County will save millions as we pursue growth in the future.”
Brouk said if elected he would do what he has done for the past 23 years in the private sector – bring people together, discuss the issues, come up with solutions for those issues, execute on those solutions and then follow-up to ensure the solutions were properly implemented.