Lenexa City Councilmember Joe Karlin has died at age of 57, the city announced in a news release Wednesday morning.
No cause of death was disclosed, but Lenexa city spokesperson Denise Rendina said Karlin died at his home Tuesday.
He had served more than 20 years in Lenexa city government in some capacity and was also known around the city as a small business owner and active participant in civic life.
He first became a member of the city council in 2009, appointed by then-Mayor Mike Boehm to fill the Ward 1 seat of Jane Klein, who died while in office. He was subsequently elected outright in 2013 and reelected two more times.
Prior to his stint on the city council, Karlin served on the Lenexa Planning Commission for five years.
In addition, he was a small business owner, owning Karlin Consulting LLC since 2018. He also was a vocal suicide prevention advocate following the death of his son by suicide in 2011.
In the city’s press release, Lenexa Mayor Julie Sayers and former Mike Boehm, who originally appointed Karlin to fulfill the term of councilmember Jane Klein 15 years ago after she died while in office, expressed their condolences.
“In his decades of service we have appreciated that Joe was steadfast in his commitment to servant leadership, a long term steward of the vision of our community and a friend to all of us. We will miss his compassion, bright sense of humor and dedication to our mission of transparent, thoughtful and inclusive governance,” Sayers stated in the press release.
Karlin served 20 years in Lenexa city government
A Kansas State University graduate, Karlin had lived in Lenexa since 1992. His work in the city included 14 years in management for U.S. Central Credit Union and three years for auditing and professional services firm Deloitte & Touche.
Beyond his work in city government, Karlin was active in the community, including helping lead the Shawnee Mission West High School Booster Club, representing the city on the United Community Services of Johnson County’s Drug and Alcoholism Council and participating in the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce.
He also aimed to have an impact on young people in Lenexa, serving on the Christa McAuliffe Elementary School PTA and also volunteering as a youth sports coach
He was also co-founder and executive director of the Tom Karlin Foundation, named after his son who died by suicide in 2011.
In 2016, he advocated to the Kansas legislature to pass the Jason Flatt Act for suicide prevention.
“Unfortunately there’s no ‘silver bullet’ solution. But there are solutions,” Karlin said at the time. “Many different, disparate solutions which, taken together, can tackle this hideous problem.”
Karlin ran for mayor in 2023
In 2023, Karlin ran against Sayers for mayor in the race to replace Boehm, who did not seek reelection after holding the position for two decades.
While Sayers ultimately defeated Karlin, Sayers said in an interview Wednesday that their friendship and respect for each other continued, which speaks to Karlin’s character.
“As soon as the race was over, we were able to put that aside and return to our work in serving the public,” she told the Johnson County Post. “So really, it was sort of the ideal way that you would go through that sort of awkward process and then move on from it and just get back to the task at hand.”
As a city councilmember, Karlin was known as a man of principles and humor, Sayers said.
“He had a great sense of humor and always approached our business in a thoughtful way,” she said.
Both Boehm and Sayers said they admired Karlin’s ability to balance the perspective of his constituents with the broader goals of the city council.
“Throughout his appointed and elected service to the City of Lenexa, he was a thoughtful team member, considered the views of everyone and sought common ground on issues before the Planning Commission and City Council,” Boehm is quoted in the city’s press release. “Joe kept a watchful eye on decisions impacting his ward yet reviewed those decisions in the context of what was good for the city at-large.”
Starting on Aug. 20, Karlin’s presence on the city council grew sparse. He missed six of eight city council meetings, including its vote on the Homeless Services Center on Sept. 17. The last meeting he attended was on Nov. 4 for a brief vote on the consent agenda.
‘We’ve lost a tremendous pubic servant’
Since the city council is a close-knit group, Karlin’s loss has affected them all in a personal way, Sayers said.
“The thing that is special about Lenexa and the way that our governing body works is that we spend a lot of time maintaining our personal relationships as well as our professional ones. We build a lot of social capital into the way that we govern,” she said. “So we’ve lost a tremendous public servant and a friend and that’s heartbreaking for all of us.”
As the city council grieves, along with Karlin’s friends and family, it hopes to do it together.
“We create opportunities for us to be together, outside of the policy-making process and really, just to gather as friends. And we will continue to do that, to be there for one another as we move through this,” Sayers said.
Updates about filling Karlin’s seat will be forthcoming
Lenexa city code stipulates vacancies on the city council are filled through an appointment by the mayor, subject to confirmation by the city council, according to the city’s release Wednesday.
Information about the application process for the position will be forthcoming.
“When we have a new member, we will work our hardest to make sure that that person is onboarded as quickly as possible, that we can make them feel comfortable as a part of our group,” Sayers said. “(We want to) make sure that they have the information that they need and the support they need in order to be a member of our team, because that’s what we pride ourselves in, is really working together to make great decisions.”
