Platte County Elected Officials

My wife Kelly and I and our two sons, Will and Luke, moved to Platte County in 2005 because we fell in love with the charming small towns, wide open agricultural areas, great schools, low crime rates, affordable lifestyle, and vibrant economy.  These are the things that brought us here, and these are the things that have made Platte County one of the fastest growing counties in the state, and a great place to live, work, and raise a family for so many others.

Kelly is a real estate agent who grew up in Mason City, Iowa, received her BS in Economics from the University of Northern Iowa and her Masters in Economics from Colorado State University. She loves to garden, bird watch, and travel. She’s a fantastic mother and I’m so lucky to have her as my wife.

Our sons Will and Luke graduated from Park Hill South High School in 2020 and 2022.

My Dad was a highly decorated Marine Corps officer and a veteran of the Korean and Viet Nam wars. And my Mother Mary, a William & Mary graduate, postponed her professional life to stay home and raise her two sons. When my brother Glenn and I went away to college, she became a business reporter and best-selling author. Glenn is happily married with two sons and is a general contractor in my hometown of Sebastopol, California.

I grew up in Northern California and attended the University of California at Davis where I earned a degree in Agricultural and Managerial Economics. And over the past 20+ years, I’ve owned and operated a successful commercial real estate business.  Prior to running for Presiding Commissioner, I served on the Platte County Board of Equalization, the CARES Act Small Business Advisory Committee, the Platte County Industrial Authority Board, and the Platte county Sewer District Board.

While serving as Platte County’s Presiding Commissioner, I’ll focus on the three core principles of Public Safety, Economic Prosperity, and Fiscal Responsibility because I believe that these are the principles that lead to policies that benefit ALL Platte County residents.

You can reach Commissioner Fricker by calling 816-858-3331 or by emailing [email protected].

Commissioner's Office Home

Dagmar Wood was elected and officially took office as commissioner of Platte County's first district on January 1, 2017 for a four-year term.  She was then re-elected to a subsequent four-year term that began January 1, 2021.  Dagmar earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia and her Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.  Previously, she was an analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.  While taking time off work to raise her four active children, Dagmar volunteered in their schools.  She was also appointed to serve on and lead local committees concerning public safety and health.

Dagmar believes that supporting public safety should be a priority of county government, as well as maintaining safe roads and bridges.  Responsibly setting aside funds for the future maintenance of Platte County's parks, trails, and community centers is also a financial priority.  Dagmar endeavors to increase transparency in government and values working with officeholders and department heads to ensure the responsible stewardship of taxpayers' resources.

Dagmar and her family have resided in Platte County since 1988.  You may reach Dagmar at 816-858-3330 or email at [email protected].

Joe Vanover is an experienced problem solver. He has worked inside and outside of government as an attorney for over 20 years. Mr. Vanover has tackled complex and difficult challenges and achieved positive results. Mr. Vanover is thorough and professional. He treats all parties fairly and respectfully.

Dedicated Family Man: Joe Vanover and his wife, Julie, have been married for over 20 years. Together, they've raised their two children right here in our community. Joe Vanover wants to
make sure Platte County stays a wonderful place to build a life and raise a family.

Experienced: Joe Vanover is a former prosecutor who worked for years to keep our community safe. Joe Vanover has put that hard-won experience to work for the families of Platte County.

Trustworthy: A leader in his local church, Joe Vanover knows the value of trust. People in our community rely on Joe Vanover to help them prepare for the future with wills, trusts and estate planning. He is a responsible steward of Platte County’s tax dollars.

Professional: As an attorney, Joe Vanover focuses on helping regular people find solutions to challenging legal situations, frequently real estate and business disputes. Joe is willing to take a stand and help those in need.

You can reach Commissioner Vanover by calling 816-858-3333 or emailing [email protected].

Platte County residents elected David Cox as their new County Assessor in November of 2012. He officially took office on September 1, 2013. David is a 30-year Platte County resident with extensive real estate as well as sales and asset management experience.

 Since 1980, he has actively invested in the residential real estate market. In 2004, David earned his real estate license and began brokering and selling property across the county. From 2011 to 2012, David proved to be an excellent steward of taxpayer money by enhancing the District’s financial position by serving on the Park Hill Board of Education.  

A graduate of Rockhurst University, David and his wife, Jacque, of 33 years have three grown children.

Platte County Auditor, J. Kevin Robinson, MBA, was elected in 2010. He brings diverse experience and leadership background to the Auditor’s Office with twenty plus years of executive management experience and business ownership. His leadership was instrumental in Platte County’s 2011 Going Green Initiative, and his audit experience has proven invaluable in launching compliance audits throughout the County; ensuring proper cash handling and transaction recording procedures. 

Kevin has proven himself to be a community leader by sharing his knowledge and experience with college students, and by donating his services to various Boards of Directors; including, the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, State Professional Associations, Maple Woods Community College Academic Advisory Board, Platte City Area Chamber and Economic Development Commission, and Kansas City International Rotary Club and Scholarship Foundation.

With more than 28 years of experience in the Platte County Collector's Office, Sheila served as Assistant Chief Deputy Collector from 1993-2010, and was elected County Collector in 2010. 

Sheila received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Missouri. While in office, Sheila has offered the taxpayers the option of paying their real estate taxes in quarterly installments, paying taxes by phone, added the physical address and appraised value to the real estate statements, itemized tax amounts and VIN numbers for each vehicle on personal property statements, added a live chat feature to better serve taxpayers and sends daily paid files to the Missouri Department of Revenue to make licensing easier.

Sheila currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the Missouri County Collectors Association.

Sheila is dedicated to serving the citizens of Platte County as your Platte County Collector.

Jera Pruitt was elected to the office of Platte County Clerk in November 2022.

Jera is a lifelong Platte County resident and currently resides in South Platte County with her husband and two children.

Jera has a degree in Psychology from Northwest Missouri State University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Park University. Jera has a deep understanding of county government and is committed to serving the citizens.

Please stop by our office anytime. See how records are currently kept and then take a step back in time and view some of Platte County’s historical records dating as far back as the 1800’s!

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd was originally elected in 2002. He is now the longest-serving prosecutor in Platte County history. He also has the longest tenure of any elected prosecutor currently serving the Kansas City metro. Mr. Zahnd’s team of twelve attorneys and twelve staff members are responsible for handling thousands of cases each year, ranging from traffic offenses to first degree murder.

Mr. Zahnd's top priorities are protecting children, prosecuting sex offenders, and cracking down on career criminals. Under Mr. Zahnd and the Sheriff‘s leadership, Platte County’s Cyber Crimes Unit became one of the first in Missouri to hunt down and prosecute Internet predators. At the same time, Mr. Zahnd is a strong supporter of diversion programs and treatment courts for nonviolent offenders. His office operates Platte CARES (Community Alternative with Restorative and Educational Services) and drug, DWI, mental health, and veterans’ courts programs.

In 2006, Mr. Zahnd successfully pushed the Missouri legislature to pass Jessica’s Law to put child rapists in prison for life and enact tough mandatory sentences for Internet predators. In 2012, Mr. Zahnd wrote a Missouri constitutional amendment to allow juries to know about prior criminal acts of repeat child sex offenders, and he chaired the successful effort to pass that amendment in 2014. In 2005 and again in 2010, he helped write laws to increase penalties against repeat drunk drivers. And in 2009, he wrote the law requiring police to record interrogations of people suspected of committing dangerous felonies.

Mr. Zahnd was recognized as Missouri’s Prosecutor of the Year in 2014 for his efforts to establish best practices for Missouri prosecutors. He is one of only two Missouri prosecutors selected in the inaugural class of “Super Lawyers,” an honor given to the top attorneys in Missouri and Kansas. Mr. Zahnd is a past President of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and is a member of the Board of Directors of the National District Attorneys Association, where he serves on the executive committee.

Prior to his election, Mr. Zahnd was a business litigator with one of the nation’s largest law firms. He has also worked in the Missouri Attorney General’s office and served as a staff assistant to the Governor’s Commission on Crime.

Mr. Zahnd graduated with honors from William Jewell College and Duke Law School.

Shanna L. Burns was elected to the Office of Platte County Public Administrator in November 2020.

The Public Administrator serves as a “Public Guardian and Conservator” for people who are declared incapacitated by the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. There are approximately 200 people in Platte County, Missouri under guardianship and conservatorship with the Public Administrator’s Office.

Shanna has been a proud resident of Platte County, Missouri for over twenty years.  For seven of those twenty years she has worked to improve the lives of those in Platte County through employment with the Platte County Sheriff’s Department and the Platte County Public Administrator’s Office. It has been an honor to serve citizens in their time of need.

Shanna is married and has 3 sons. Her youngest son has special needs, which gives her a unique insight into caring for those who cannot care for themselves.    

The mission of the Platte County Recorder’s Office is to permanently preserve and provide access to public records. We record and preserve land records, issue marriage licenses, record and issue copies of military discharge papers. 

My office is committed to protecting the integrity of our county's historical records. As your county recorder I will advocate for the technology to make the Recorder's Office more efficient, secure and user-friendly. 

I am honored to serve as your elected Recorder and will do my best to continue to digitize land records and marriage licenses and continue to place more and more public records online.

Sheriff Mark Owen joined the Platte County Sheriff’s Office in 1979. He has extensive training and experience in law enforcement, administration, emergency management and homeland security. He is the chair or past chair of many regional committees. In addition to all of his the law enforcement training and certifications, Sheriff Owen is also an Internationally Certified Emergency Manager. 

Sheriff Owen has worked in almost every position in the Sheriff’s Office. He has previously commanded the Emergency Services Unit (Emergency Management, Homeland Security and Communications Center), the Road Patrol Division including the patrol officers, the Strategic Reserve Unit, Civilian Patrol, Animal Control, School Resource Officers, Major Crash Team, K9 Unit, and the Sheriff’s Office Traffic Officer. In addition to his normal assignments he has directed many of the department’s large special projects through the years and the implementation of the new county wide radio system for 23 different agencies in Platte County. 

Sheriff Owen is very proactive in law enforcement, enjoys working with all of our school districts, city governments and the police and fire departments in Platte County. He believes in a team approach to law enforcement and emergency management and he works hard to see that the services provided can be maximized to meet all of the citizens needs while maintaining the most cost effective solutions for all local governments.

Platte County Treasurer Rob Willard was elected in 2012. Rob lives in southern Platte County with his wife Jeri and two children.

Rob graduated from the University of Missouri, with honors, and earned his law degree from UMKC. Rob’s postgraduate studies include Public Financial Management through the University of London’s Centre for Financial and Management Studies, and Banking through the American Bankers Institute.

Before graduating from law school, Rob worked for the international business and technology consulting firm Accenture. There, Rob was an analyst on a billion dollar business merger project that stretched over four continents. After law school Rob spent four years as an Assistant Prosecutor under the leadership of Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd. During his time with the Prosecutor’s Office, Rob prosecuted the first felony identity theft case in Platte County history. Rob is a committed member of his community. Rob currently serves on the Tri-County Domestic Violence Board, serving Platte, Clay and Ray Counties. Previously, Rob has served on the Park Hill Anti-Drug Task Force, the Kansas City Neighborhood Advisory Council, and the Leadership Northland program of the Northland Chamber of Commerce. Rob was named to Ingram's Magazine "40 Under Forty" list as one of the top leaders under the age of 40 in the Kansas City Area.