Pleasant Valley Fires City Administrator, Signals Return to Mayor-Council Governance

PLEASANT VALLEY, MO — City Clerk Matthew Chapman confirmed to this lil rock Monday that Pleasant Valley has fired its City Administrator, David Slater as of this last Monday. The decision, made during a closed session of the City Council, marks a significant shift in how the city intends to govern itself moving forward.

When reached for comment, Chapman confirmed Slater’s termination but said he could not confirm any interim or permanent replacement plans. Sources familiar with the matter say the city is poised to return to a traditional mayor-council form of government, foregoing the administrator-led model it has used in recent years.

Slater, 66 or 67, is a well-known figure in Northland circles. He previously served as the executive director for the Clay County Economic Development Council (Northland EDC) and played a role in high-profile business development projects—including being instrumental in bringing the Ford Stamping Plant to the area. One source close to Slater recalled that one of his proudest achievements was receiving a handwritten thank-you note from Ford Motor Company.

David Slater

According to our source,  Slater reportedly told colleagues that he attempted to show city officials how his tenure had increased city revenue and fulfilled his job duties. Still, the source claimed that Slater said the decision to remove him had “already been made.”

There was little to no public discussion of the firing prior to Monday’s decision, leading some residents and observers to question the transparency of city operations. Critics of the move have framed it as part of a broader local power struggle and questioned whether internal politics—not performance—drove the outcome.

One local political figure, speaking anonymously, described Slater as “part of the elite group of Who’s Who in The Northland,” a status that may have created both allies and enemies. “He made it clear whose side he was on,” the source added.

Pleasant Valley’s shift away from a professional city administrator model is rare in an era where many small municipalities are embracing management-style governance to improve accountability and efficiency.

As the dust settles, attention now turns to who will fill the leadership vacuum—and whether city operations will thrive or falter under this return to old-school governance.