By Kellie Houx
KHoux@cherryroad.com
GLADSTONE — After deliberating how to handle the vacancy on the Gladstone City Council following the April 8 municipal election, in which winning candidate Molly Gibson was later deemed ineligible under Missouri state law due to unpaid city taxes, the council voted to appoint Cameron Nave, the current chair of the Gladstone Planning Commission for the year-long vacancy until the April 2026 election.
Based on legal guidance, the council concluded Gibson couldn’t be seated despite claiming the most votes.
Due to the city’s status as a third class city, Councilman Bill Garnos was able to remain through the May 12 meeting.
Mayor Les Smith offered the council two options at the council meeting. He suggested those currently serving on city boards and commissions to apply for the seat or the council could vote on a replacement.
“Not everyone will agree with the rationale,” Smith said. “The task we are facing is one that I have wrestled with and know that what we do will not please everyone. We have not met behind the scenes. That is an undeserved black eye.”
In order to be expedient, Smith said he wanted to resolve the issue sooner rather than wait until June.
The council voted in the appointment of Nave.
Nave served as chair of the Gladstone Planning Commission and is an active member of the city’s Capital Improvements Committee. With the planning commission, Nave has learned about rezoning, site plan reviews, special use permits, ordinance amendments and future land use plans. He also has been part of the city’s Comprehensive Plan Task Force and was active with Gladstone: Shaping Our Future, a citizen-led strategic planning initiative.
He works as a commercial banker with CrossFirst Bank and serves on the Emerging Leaders Committee for the Boys and Girls Club of Kansas City.
“I am looking forward to projects in 2025,” he said. “I’m excited to hit the ground running.”
As one of the younger members on council, Nave said he believes in Smith’s vision to see Gladstone continue to grow as a “true live, work, play environment.”
Nave appreciates the city’s parks and trails and can see the city as a place that embraces youth and kids with the parks system. For families, Nave applauds the city’s local amenities including its growing stores as well as those in their golden years who want to retire where they have lived for decades.
Nave has lived in Gladstone for seven years. He grew up in the Northland near Liberty, but after graduation from college, he found a home in Gladstone.
“Gladstone is a transparent city,” he said. “The city budget is on the website. The capital improvements, from approvals to denials, as well as streets and park maintenance can be found. Even the city’s audits are there.”
Nave said he hopes to be a voice of the people and a “good steward of the city’s purse strings too.”
