Toriano Porter on Raytown alderwoman removed from office

Raytown, Missouri, Board of Alderwoman Latrice Thomas was wrongly removed from office last year. In case you missed it, last year, Raytown Mayor Mike McDonough had Ms. Thomas removed from the Raytown Board of Aldermen, which is just outside of Kansas City. In his defense, Mayor McDonough says that he was only following correspondence that he got from the Missouri Department of Revenue that determined that Ms. Thomas was not eligible as a candidate to run for office. The only issue is that determination did not come until after she was already elected by the people and sworn in. Representatives for Ms. Thomas has urged the board to consider that her due process rights were violated when she was removed from office. I happen to agree. In my latest column for the Kansas City Star, I lay out arguments of why the Raytown Board of Aldermen should reconsider its position, withdraw impeachment proceedings, and compromise with Ms. Thomas and allow her to stay in office. To read the piece, be sure to click on the link in my bio or visit kansascity.com. If you like what you read and you want to become a valued member of the Kansas City Star community, be sure to subscribe.