LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. – For the last ten years, working families in Jackson County have watched as our county government has deteriorated as a result of failed leadership, lack of vision, and mismanagement of our tax dollars. This means lost opportunities for the nearly 725,000 residents of Jackson County, and it is unacceptable. Our communities are tired of the failure to act, the unkept promises, and politicians that skirt the law and kick the can down the road. All this has done is make sure that our problems of today are our problems tomorrow.
As a longtime resident of Jackson County who chose to make my home and raise my family here, I’ve witnessed this firsthand in a way that is all too routine. We are long overdue for a change in leadership at the top of our county. It needs to be leadership with the outside perspective and real experience to actually create the change we need for our county, our communities, and our families to be successful.
This August 4th, we have an opportunity to finally put leadership into place that understands the challenges we’re facing that also has the experience, skillset, and desire to do something about it. We can put leadership into place that focuses solely on making the lives of every resident of Jackson County better. And we can put leadership into place that understands how to create jobs and long-lasting prosperity through responsible growth that is citizen-minded before it is anything else.
As a School Board Member for the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, I fought for substantial pay raises for our teachers, protected our students who faced homelessness from losing access to their education and their community, delivered services to our vulnerable and at-need students, and made quality bidding processes standard for the school district. This ensured that our students and teachers were supported and that the growth of the Lee’s Summit Schools system was aided by union contractors providing quality wages and good benefits to trades workers to provide a better life for themselves and their families.
As Mayor of Lee’s Summit, I strongly supported our local unions in City Hall and made resident-first policies the standard. In my eight years in office, we were able to flood the community with better resources, better government services, and more opportunities. Firefighters received a 63% pay increase during my tenure. I instituted the first Diversity and & Inclusion Commission in the history of our city because prosperity and opportunity should be for everybody, always. I ensured that we prioritized mental and public health because they are cornerstones of safe communities.
Now, we have a choice. On August 4th, we must- for the future of our county and our communities- choose to chart a new course, together. We need to lean into fresh perspectives from leaders with experience, who know how to solve the problems our community faces. We need to elect people who will give everyone a seat at the table and put working families first, always. I humbly offer that my resume, my experience, and my life story fit that.
I would be honored to serve you as your next Jackson County Executive because I come from a working family and my focus has always been working families. It’s time we rebuilt Jackson County, and there is no one more critical in that work than organized labor. With me as your Executive, our working families will always be the first and top focus.
