By Mike Sherry
Contributing Writer
A winding tale of Jewish geography, which reaches to the East Coast and the South, has snaked to City Hall in Kansas City, Missouri.
The confluence comes through Brian Platt, 35, who is in line to become the next city manager in Kansas City. City officials believe that Platt will be the first Jewish person to fill that role, and he will bring strong ties to the local Jewish community (and to bygone local watering holes) through his wife, Margo.
Platt is expected to take on his new role in January, pending contract negotiations with the city. He currently serves in a similar capacity for the city of Jersey City, New Jersey.
In an interview with The Chronicle, which also included Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Platt said it would be great to break new religious ground in the city position. He added, “I think it is reflective of the diversity of Kansas City — that anyone can be anything — and we have to be mindful of everyone’s differences and celebrate them and support them in whatever way we can.”
So how did a New Jersey kid, who grew up in a small community outside of Morristown, end up being the guy who brought a Jewish Kansas City story full circle? In one sense, it started when Platt met Margo in college at Emory University in Atlanta.
But another way to look at it is that the story originated decades before that, as recounted by Margo’s father, Martin “Marty” Aaron, a Kansas City native whose business career took him to Houston’s hot real estate market in the early 1980s. His business partner was his lifelong Jewish friend Mitch Levy. The pair had also been roommates at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The Aarons presence in Kansas City began when Marty’s great uncle, Mackey Fasbinder, a dentist, sensed that the city would be a good place to practice. He moved here in the early 1940s from Brooklyn, and his sister, Paula, was among the family members who followed. She had married Charles Aaron, and they had three boys.
One of those boys was Marty’s dad, Lenny, who graduated from what is now the University of Missouri-Kansas City after his service in World War II. Lenny married Janet Carp, a graduate of Westport High School. Along with Marty, the couple had two daughters, Diane and Joyce, who have remained lifelong Kansas Citians.
The family lived off of Ward Parkway at 85th Terrace, with all three children attending Boone Elementary School and Center High School.
Lenny was a butcher for the Milgram grocery store chain. Marty worked there as a checker, too, during high school and college. Janet’s mother, Esther Carp, was a lifelong beautician who had her own shops at various locations, including near the University of Kansas Medical Center and on Southwest Trafficway.
Marty and his family attended The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah at its former location at 69th Street and Holmes Road. Marty was active in BBYO while growing up, and also earned his Eagle Scout through Congregation Beth Shalom’s Troop 61.
The Aarons’ tavern business began when Uncle Mackey and Lenny bought a bar in the early 1950s. Lenny’s Tavern was located at 4108 Troost Ave.
“To this day, we still talk about it,” Marty wrote as part of a family history he compiled for the mayor’s office upon the selection of Platt. “I hope Kansas Citians remember it fondly, too.”
Lenny and his brother eventually moved the bar to 99th Street and Holmes Road, renaming it Lenny and Bert’s Lounge.
Marty retains the love of the Kansas City Chiefs that started in his youth. His Dad and uncle were there when the Chiefs played in the first Super Bowl, and Marty once performed with the Center High School marching band at game between the Chiefs and the rival Oakland Raiders.
Though Marty settled in Houston, he stills visits Kansas City often. Along with his sisters, his Uncle Bert also still lives in town with his wife, Diane. Their two kids, Steve and Debbie, also live in the Kansas City area.
“I know Brian, Margo, and (2-year-old daughter) Essie will carry on the precious memories I have of this wonderful city and make plenty new ones of their own,” Marty wrote in the family history.
Platt would replace Troy Schulte, who retired late last year and went on to be hired as the first county administrator for Jackson County, Missouri. Assistant City Manager Earnest Rouse has served as acting city manager.
The move to officially enter into negotiations with Platt came on a 9-4 vote by the City Council on Oct. 29.
Council members voting against Platt expressed frustration with an early media report out of New Jersey that erroneously reported Platt had been hired prior to council action.
Opponents also noted that Platt was the only White person out of the four finalists for the position along with Milton Dohoney, of Phoenix; Kevin Jackson, of Long Beach, California; and Janice Allen Jackson, of Augusta, Georgia.
Platt has his own fond memories of his Jewish upbringing in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey. Both of his parents are Jewish, and he grew up attending the Reform congregation of Temple B’nai Or, where he attended Hebrew school and became a Bar Mitzvah. Platt remembered one cantor who started a Jewish rock band.
Platt attended a heavily Jewish summer camp in Pennsylvania. In college, he was president of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at Emory for two years, earning leadership honors both on campus and through the national fraternity.
Platt’s personal background includes serving as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown for a decade and co-founding the Olympic Weightlifting Club during college. Platt said the firefighting experience grew from his strong desire to give back to his community, and that weightlifting appeals to him for the competition and health benefits.
Growing up in a neighborhood that did not have a lot of Jewish households heightened Platt’s embrace of people from different backgrounds, and he also came away with a strong sense of maintaining Judaism by not marrying outside the religion.
Margo grew up in a household that identifies with Conservative Judaism. Her mother is Israeli, and it’s not uncommon for mother and daughter to converse in Hebrew.
And in another twist of Jewish geography, Margo’s grandmother — Marty’s Mom — traced her family’s roots back to Morristown, New Jersey, around the time of the American Revolution.
Lucas, the Kansas City mayor, agreed that Platt’s Judaism is a reminder of the diversity within Kansas City.
But, he said, “I am just excited about Brian the person. He comes from a really strong background in being a local government innovator.”
Lucas cited Platt’s work in applying technology to public works, supporting equity efforts, and addressing long-term budget issues. Platt has also worked with city leaders in Jersey City to reduce the murder rate, an issue that continues to plague Kansas City.
Platt said his main priority at the outset will be listening and learning about the city. He is confident he can build a strong relationship with the council, despite the split vote to move forward with contract negotiations.
The decisions on where to live and daycare remain up in the air, Platt said. He has already been in touch with members of the local Jewish community, and once the family gets settled, Platt said, “We’d love to get involved here locally, of course.”
