Election Day is less than a week away on Nov. 2, and as Johnson County residents head to the polls to cast their ballots, we’ve put together an election primer to help readers understand where candidates stand on the issues.
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Who’s on the ballot
There are three contested races in Prairie Village this year, and three uncontested races. Below are the candidates in the three contested races:
- Jessica Priestland and Dave Robinson for Ward 4
- Thorne Daimler and Cole Robinson for Ward 1
- John Beeder and Greg Shelton for Ward 5
Candidate questionnaires
Earlier this month, the Post published the candidates’ responses to a five-item questionnaire developed with reader input. The five questionnaire items are included below, with links to corresponding answers.
- The pandemic derailed discussions between the city, Johnson County Library and YMCA about a potential “civic center” that would combine a community center and new Corinth Library branch on land near Harmon Park. What’s your assessment of the viability of this project? Does Prairie Village need a new community center? If so, what’s the best way to pay for it? Read answers here.
- Prairie Village has seen some of the sharpest property valuation increases in Johnson County in recent years — which has translated to commensurate increases in taxes that have stressed the finances of some residents on fixed incomes. What’s your take on how the city should be handling this issue? Read answers here.
- The rising cost of even “starter homes” in Prairie Village has put home ownership in the city out of reach for many middle class families. Should the city be looking to add more “attainable” housing options? If so, in what form should that take? Read answers here.
- Climate change continues to be top of mind for many Shawnee Mission Post readers. What steps can Prairie Village take to prepare neighborhoods for increased flooding, along with extreme heat and drought events? What steps would you like to see the city take to build climate resilience? Read answers here.
- Prairie Village held out on returning to in-person meetings longer than any other Johnson County city — and made some stand-out decisions on COVID-19 risk mitigation including canceling Jazz Fest and becoming the first Johnson County city to mandate masks. What do you think of how the city has handled decisions related to COVID-19? Read answers here.
Candidate forum
The Post also hosted an in-person candidate forum for the Prairie Village city council candidates. A video of the event is embedded below, followed by the questions candidates were asked and corresponding timestamps:
- Absent a countywide order, Prairie Village is one of only two Johnson County cities currently with its own citywide mask mandate. Roeland Park being the other one. Prairie Village currently requires masks be worn in most indoor settings accessible to the public, including retail shops and restaurants. Religious institutions are exempted. The order is set to expire at the end of this month. Do you support the city’s decision to impose its own mask mandate? Why or why not? [13:17]
- With home prices rising, housing affordability has become a major issue in Johnson County, and there is possibly no place where this anxiety is more acute than in Prairie Village. A report earlier this year by the county appraiser’s office pegged Prairie Village as one of several hot spots in the county when it comes to rising home prices. The city reports home values, on average, rose 8% last year. Since 2000, the average price of a single-family home in Prairie Village has ballooned from $138,000 to $334,000. A newly formed housing affordability task force in Prairie Village will look at the issue in coming months. What do you want to see done to address this increasingly urgent challenge? [24:51]
- A follow up to this housing question. Several readers have noted the ongoing trend of teardown rebuilds contributing to this explosion in housing prices. That is driven, in part, by corporate buyers coming in to raze older homes in order to put up newer, more expensive ones. Reader Susan Wolfe wants to know: would you support putting limits on corporate investment firms purchasing residential homes for the purposes of teardown-rebuilds? Why or why not? [36:09]
- Prairie Village’s annual budget for 2021 tops $34 million. At least one reader notes that city spending has steadily increased over the past two decades even as Prairie Village’s population has declined slightly. In the late 1990s, the city’s budget was less than half of what it is today, while the city’s population was more than 1,000 residents. And that increase in spending has outpaced inflation. Do you think Prairie Village’s spending levels are appropriate, and do you think residents get a good “bang for their buck” on what the city spends on services? [43:57]
- In a related follow-up question concerning the budget: What is one area you think could be cut? And one area towards which you think more money could be allocated? [53:50]
- In January, the city council formally adopted Village Vision 2.0, it’s comprehensive plan that aims to guide city policy over the next 20 years. The plan includes five main policy goals: designing quality public spaces, supporting strong neighborhoods, enabling the growth of viable commercial centers, promoting environmental sustainability and enhancing the city’s productivity. What do you see as the city’s biggest priority or challenge in the coming decades and is that reflected in Village Vision 2.0? If not, what do you think needs to be added or emphasized more in this comprehensive plan? [1:02:20]
