The Olathe City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to appoint Susan Sherman as the next city manager, ending a period of uncertainty and public criticism about the hiring process.
Sherman will take over the role when current City Manager Michael Wilkes retires on Jan. 30, 2026.
Sherman joined the city in 1989 and served as assistant city manager for more than 30 years before being promoted to deputy city manager in 2021. Sherman will be the first female city manager in Olathe’s history.
“For the past 36 years she’s been an outstanding champion for Olathe,” Mayor John Bacon said in a statement, “helping to lead this organization with integrity, vision, collaboration, and above all, a commitment to doing what’s right for Olatheans.”
City council closes a contentious chapter
Wilkes announced his retirement last summer after nearly 27 years as city manager. The city council then began a nationwide search for his successor.
City officials confirmed that the city council had narrowed it down to three finalists as of last month. Beyond that, the city had released few details about the process, including the hiring timeline.
Last Friday, in a last-minute, closed-door meeting, the city council voted 4-3 to extend Wilkes’ contract, which would have delayed his retirement, and halt the nearly complete search for his successor. Bacon, as well as Councilmembers Robyn Essex, Kevin Gilmore and Marge Vogt, supported the motion.
At the meeting, Bacon said extending Wilkes’ contract was necessary “to support continuity and maintain momentum” on major city projects including Halo Ridge, the downtown post office relocation and the I-35/Sante Fe interchange.
The move immediately drew criticism from residents and several councilmembers who argued that the two newly elected members set to take office next month should have been able to be a part of the hiring process.
Two of the four votes in favor of delaying Wilkes’ retirement came from outgoing councilmembers — Vogt and Gilmore.
In audio from Friday’s meeting obtained by the Post, Councilmember Matthew Schoonover said he was frustrated that the city council voted to retain Wilkes after a months-long nationwide search for his replacement. He, as well as Councilmembers LeEtta Felter and Dean Vakas, voted against extending Wilkes’ contract.
“I’m very upset, quite frankly, that the last act of this council is to usurp that interview process,” Schoonover said during last week’s special meeting. “There is no reason for this council to take the action that it has taken today.”
At the same meeting, Schoonover and Felter also asserted that the city should appoint Sherman, instead of delaying Wilkes’ retirement.
Jeff Creighton, who will replace Gilmore as the city council’s at-large member, told the Post he was surprised by last week’s vote, but had no problem with the current city council making that decision.
“Michael made that announcement long enough ago that I was really fine with and trusted our council to make a good decision and to have a new city manager lined up by the end of the year,” Creighton told the Post.
Over the weekend, however, Wilkes notified some city staff that he would be retiring, as originally planned, according to a copy of that email obtained by the Post.
“Based on Friday’s vote, while a majority of the current City Council voted in favor of me staying, three members, who will be serving on the 2026 City Council voted against me staying,” Wilkes wrote in the email. “As such, I will continue my plans to retire.”
Unanimous vote for Sherman
During Tuesday night’s meeting, councilmembers spoke in support of Sherman’s appointment.
Councilmember Robyn Essex thanked Sherman for her patience throughout the process and praised her for her work as deputy city manager.
“You bring a deep loyalty to this city, strong relationships with our community, and you have the trust and respect of the people who work alongside you every day and that is so important,” she said.
Vakas expressed his excitement for Sherman’s promotion.
“This is just great news for Olathe,” he said. “I’m so happy to hear this this evening.”
Creighton told the Post before Sherman’s appointment that he has “a great deal of respect” for Sherman and that she will do “a great job” as city manager.
“The elephant in the room”
Before casting his vote for Sherman on Tuesday night, Schoonover reiterated his belief that the new city manager should have been hired after the new members took office.
“However, because the motion on the table is to hire Susan Sherman — and I believe she is far and away the most qualified candidate for this position, and that we will be in the best hands moving forward with her — my vote is an emphatic yes,” Schoonover said.
During the city council’s final comments, Schoonover said he wanted to address “the elephant in the room.”
“Last Friday, obviously we had a difficult city council meeting in which we expressed some disagreement with each other,” he said. “I would say that, from my standpoint, disagreement is not dysfunction.”
Vakas echoed Schoonover’s sentiment.
“It is wonderful that we can have a fist-fight behind closed doors on occasion, but we rise to the occasion and we coalesce,” he said. “And that’s really noteworthy.”
Resident backlash on hiring process
The vote followed a resident-led petition urging the city council to delay hiring a city manager. The petition encouraged residents to attend Tuesday’s meeting wearing green “to show support for moving our city forward.”
There was not a large public turnout at the meeting.
What comes next
At the end of Tuesday night’s meeting, Sherman thanked the city council and said she is excited for her new role.
“We have lots of great things ahead of us,” she said.
Sherman’s contract has yet to be finalized. She will also need to hire a new deputy city manager.
Sherman will take over as city manager on Jan. 31, 2026.
