Shawnee city manager placed on administrative leave

SHAWNEE, Kan. -- City leaders in Shawnee, Kansas voted Wednesday night to put the city manager on leave.

It reportedly involves an email containing sexually explicit content.

Sources confirm with FOX4 that the explicit content went out to multiple city staffers in late September.

FOX4 asked a source if IT then sent a message instructing staff to not open the email. That source said IT routinely sends emails to alert staffers of problematic messages and one of those did line up with the timing of the email at the center of many questions in Shawnee.

A special meeting took place Wednesday night, with city leaders meeting in executive session for much of that time.

Afterward, they voted to put Doug Gerber on leave.

Gerber had only been on the job for less than a year and was not at the meeting Wednesday.

FOX4 requested an interview with Gerber, that request has not been answered.

Several city council candidates went on social media to share their frustration pointing to a quote by Shawnee Mayor Michelle Distler. She told the Kansas City Star there were some concerns with Gerber during the vetting process. We don't know what those concerns were but the council approved his hiring anyways.

There are a lot of unanswered questions right now regarding the video. Who sent it and why?

And was this sexually explicit act taped without Gerber's permission or did he sent this video to someone who later forwarded it to City Hall?

Shawnee City Council member swill meet next Monday to choose an interim city manager.