WATCH: The Post’s candidate forum for Leawood Mayor and City Council

Rising property taxes, goals for development and workplace cohesion were some of the main discussion topics at two back-to-back candidate forums hosted by the Post on Tuesday evening at the Leawood Pioneer Library.

About 50 people attended the forums, which took place in the library’s meeting room.

The first forum featured the two candidates hoping to succeed longtime Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn. The second forum featured five candidates vying for the wards 1 and 2 seats on the council. (Candidates for Wards 3 and 4, Lisa Harrison and Steven Kaster, are running unopposed for their seats.)

Who are the candidates?

Ward 1

• Bob Brettell
• Matt Peppes
• Alan Sunkel

Ward 2

• Margaret Berger
• Sherrie Gayed

Ward 3

• Incumbent Councilmember Lisa Harrison

Ward 4

• Steven Kaster

Mayor

• Marc Elkins
• Steve Hentzen

How to watch the forums

• The Post’s recording of the forum is embedded in a link below.
• Immediately following the embedded video are the questions each candidate answered during the forum.
• Timestamps are included in bold to help navigate through the forum video.

Mayoral forum

1. Candidate’s opening statements. [4:23]
2. If elected, what would be your biggest priorities immediately coming into office? [6:50]
3. Regardless of who wins between the two of you, Leawood will have its first new mayor in more than a quarter century with Peggy Dunn opting not to run for reelection. She has been the mayor since 1997. In what ways do you see yourself continuing Peggy Dunn’s legacy? On the other hand, where do you see yourself differing the most with the outgoing mayor and her priorities? [10:20]
   

   

4. The East Village project — formerly dubbed Cameron’s Court — is underway after a years- long process that often proved contentious and emotional. This development includes a mix of single-family homes, apartments and townhome-style villas, office space, a restaurant, a public amphitheater at this point, a park and a grocery store.Do you support this project? Why or why not? Beyond that, what does ideal growth and development look like and Leawood for you? [16:40]
5. What is your plan for addressing housing affordability in a city that has historically prided itself on its relatively high home values and prices? [21:28]
6. The 2024 budget calls for nearly $100 million in spending. That is roughly an 11% increase over last year. Where do you think the budget gets it right? Where would you see cuts needed to be made to decrease the budget as it stands? [25:42]
   

   

7. Should the mill rate be cut even more next year or in future years? Explain your stance on it and the principles you would use in trying to make a decision on the property tax rate going forward. [30:23]
8. People want to hear more about your local experience in public service, or just your involvement in community. Have you been involved in your neighborhood HOA? How have you been involved in the city of Leawood and what public service experience do you have? [35:23]
9. Explain your position on building height restrictions in Leawood, specifically for office buildings and multifamily projects. [40:00]
10. We got a couple questions about dealing with climate change sustainability, with increasingly more torrential rains, hotter, drier summers, severe storms like the ones we saw earlier this summer and damaging winds. How can we would best address these challenges in the years ahead? [42:30]
11. Closing statements. [45:50]

Leawood City Council forum

1. Candidate opening statements. [4:16]
   

   

2. Regardless of who wins in November, this is guaranteed to be a change election for Leawood. Not only is Peggy Dunn stepping down as mayor, but the three veteran city council members are also stepping down including in the two wards that you all are running in. So what changes, if any, would you like to see in how the the city government operates? Do you see yourself as carrying on the legacy of the people that you’re replacing? Or do you see yourself as a change agent? [10:55]
   

   

3. The East Village project — formerly dubbed Cameron’s Court — is underway after a years- long process that often proved contentious and emotional. This development includes a mix of single-family homes, apartments and townhome-style villas, office space, a restaurant, a public amphitheater at this point, a park and a grocery store.Do you support this project? Why or why not? Beyond that, what does ideal growth and development look like and Leawood for you? [20:10]
   

   

4. The 2024 budget calls for nearly $100 million in spending. That is roughly an 11% increase over last year. Where do you think the budget gets it right? Where would you see cuts needed to be made to decrease the budget as it stands? [30:47]
   

   

5. Can you share your thoughts on how you plan to collaborate effectively with the other council members and what steps you might take to ensure a respectful, constructive working relationship? [43:03]
   

   

6. Explain your experience in public service and with handling large budgets. [49:58]
7. Closing statements. [55:30]