Key Priorities
We are incredibly fortunate to call Leawood our home. As I’ve had the opportunity to speak with my neighbors, I’ve found we all share the same sentiment: the more we travel for business and leisure, the more we appreciate the unique qualities that make Leawood such a special place to live. Leawood is home to a curated environment with sophisticated character; encompassing a well-maintained network of streets, parks, and public art. Leawood is also known for being one of the safest suburbs in the metro area.
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As a candidate for City Council, I want to share my priorities below. I am committed to working tirelessly to ensure Ward 1 Leawood continues to thrive and flourish as a community.
Strong, Safe Neighborhoods
As Leawood residents, we all want to feel safe and secure in our own neighborhoods. We often take this for granted until we have a family member or friend who experiences a crisis or when a thief makes us a victim. That’s why we continue to need highly-trained and compassionate emergency response personnel, who are dedicated to serving and protecting our community when emergencies strike. We need to support the innovative programs that bring the best services to all of our citizens in their time of need, such as C.A.P.T.U.R.E., DARE, House Watch, and Citizen's Police Academy. Leawood is known for being one of the safest suburbs in the metro area and to help keep it this way, we need to be diligent and support our public safety resources.
Quality of Life
Leawood is well-known for its amazing quality of life and we need to continue to support the recreation offerings that make our community so great. Growing up, I was fortunate to participate in multiple city-sanctioned programs, like youth soccer. Our picturesque parks, trails, public art, vibrant cultural scene, recreation sports complexes, tree-lined streets, numerous mixed-use shopping/dining areas, and Ironhorse Golf Club are all first-class amenities that help make our city such an amazing place to live. These amenities require careful planning and expert budget management to maintain their viability. Home to many of KC's upscale neighborhoods, Leawood is proud of its active homes associations; one of which I am on the board of. It's important to continue improving the relationships with the multiple HOAs as these partners play an important role in sustaining the quality of life throughout the city and help keep neighborhoods attractive to current and prospective residents.
Jobs & Economic Growth
I want our residents to have the option to prosper close to home and it’s important we grow and develop in a thoughtful way that considers what’s best for our community. With an abundance of amazing local talent, nationally recognized schools, and excellent highway access, we have the potential to attract quality jobs that will provide more opportunities for us and our children to live, work, and raise a family right here in Leawood. Attracting more businesses to Leawood will help foster innovation and entrepreneurship while also creating a favorable environment for investment, which spurs further growth and development. Having a city with a strong and growing economy, plenty of job opportunities, and a favorable business climate are all ways to provide residents with a sense of security and stability, ensuring they can enjoy a comfortable and fulfilling life.
Enhanced Infrastructure
As our city continues to expand, we need to be good stewards of our resources and carefully consider how we develop and maintain our infrastructure, housing, green spaces, recreational facilities, and transportation. This means staying on top of aging street surfaces, sidewalks, trails, and bikeways that connect our parks and other gathering places to ensure they're well-maintained. It also means we need to continue to offer a variety of high-quality residential neighborhoods, maintain residential property values, communicate more efficiently about city-wide improvements, sustain environmental sensitivity, retain natural landscapes, and provide public, open space. By investing in our infrastructure and committing to sustainable improvements and environmental conservation, we can ensure that our city continues to grow with distinction and remains a great place to live for years to come.