Kelly names new top administrator for Kansas Department of Labor

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Gov. Laura Kelly has named the Kansas Department of Labor’s deputy secretary as its top administrator.

Her announcement Tuesday showed she still is working to find another, permanent leader for an agency that struggled for months to process claims from workers left unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Acting Secretary Brett Flachsbarth is the third person to lead the Department of Labor in less than seven months.

Kelly’s first labor secretary was Delia Garcia, and she resigned in June amid problems with the system for distributing unemployment benefits.

Her replacement was Acting Secretary Ryan Wright, and he was allowed by law to serve only six months.