Prosecutor Zahnd is the longest-serving prosecutor in Platte County history. He was elected to the role in 2002 and was the longest-tenured prosecutor in the Kansas City metro, according to his bio on the Platte County website.
Back in April, Zahnd announced he would be retiring and withdrew his reelection bid after more than two decades in politics. He pointed to Missouri’s current political climate as a factor that may have contributed to his decision to leave office.
Zahnd told the press during the announcement that he decided it was “the right time for [him] to step back from public life and just do something else.”
He subsequently endorsed First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mark Gibson, whom Zahnd hired in 2004. Zahnd said in his announcement that, if Gibson were to take over as prosecutor, he planned to assist in the transition and “stick around a little bit.”
He went on to say he had always daydreamed about life outside of politics, specifically, the time he could spend with his two adult sons once he retired.
Zahnd and his wife, Tracy, reportedly had created an exit plan from politics years ago, reiterating in his announcement that he had no plans to run for reelection.
As the county prosecutor, Zahnd handled thousands of cases, ranging from murder to minor traffic offenses…
Zahnd helped write laws to increase penalties against repeat drunk drivers and wrote the law requiring police to record interrogations of people suspected of committing dangerous felonies.
In 2014, he won Missouri’s Prosecutor of the Year for his efforts to establish best practices for Missouri prosecutors, his bio says. He was one of only two Missouri prosecutors to be in the inaugural class of “Super Lawyers,” which is an honor given to the top attorneys in Missouri and Kansas.
Additionally, he was named “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Missouri Lawyers Weekly and landed on Ingram’s “40 Under 40” in 2004.
He also served in the attorney general’s office and on the Missouri Governor’s Commission on Crime.
Zahnd was expected to remain in office until Dec. 31 — the end of his term. He was reportedly writing a book called “Joy Comes in the Morning” and pursuing law and graduate school teaching opportunities.
