LeVota Faces Ethics Storm | Kansas City News

Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota is under fire from his former chief of staff, Theresa Garza, who alleges he created a hostile work environment and discriminated against her based on ethnicity—claims he fiercely denies. Garza says she was sidelined, excluded from critical meetings, and stripped of responsibilities, while LeVota counters that her performance was lacking and that she was trying to set up a lawsuit. He also accused her of misusing county resources and offered her a separation agreement. Complicating matters, LeVota is already facing federal bribery charges for allegedly offering a county job to a candidate to withdraw from the race—an accusation he also denies. The fallout from their public clash occurred just before LeVota announced he was stepping down from his bid for re-election, though he insists Garza’s complaint had nothing to do with his decision. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/b03139fb60af307b