Katheryn Shields

Katheryn Shields (born October 24, 1946) is a Kansas City, Missouri Democratic Party politician who has served as the Kansas City councilwoman for the 4th district at-large since 2015. She previously served as Jackson County, Missouri County Executive from 1995 to 2006.

Early life Shields was born north of the Missouri River in Kansas City, attended Park Hill High School and graduated from North Kansas City High School in 1964.

At the University of Missouri - Kansas City, she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1968, a master's degree in 1971, and a law degree in 1978.

After serving as an assistant Jackson County prosecutor in 1978 and 1979, she went into private practice.

Political offices She served on the Kansas City, Missouri City Council from 1987 until 1994, when she was elected county executive. She claimed the charges were politically motivated by federal prosecutor Bradley Schlozman, who had been appointed by George W. Bush.

At trial, it came to light that neither Shields nor her husband had signed any documents that were not entirely truthful, that crucial documents had been forged, and that the FBI had instructed one appraiser to perform a false appraisal and told the loan company to approve a loan without verifying values on the false appraisal. Shields and Cardarella were found not guilty of all charges, although co-defendant appraiser and co-horts were convicted.

Thereafter, Shields—who had lost the race for Mayor—became Executive Director of Westside Housing Organization, a non-profit organization that built and ran low-income housing. In 2015, she ran for City Council and was narrowly elected over an incumbent councilmember. She was re-elected in 2019 and currently serves as Chair of the Finance Committee.