Following the death of a Lenexa City Council member, the city is looking to fill his vacant seat.
On Wednesday, the City of Lenexa announced it is accepting applications to fill the Ward 1 city council seat. The deadline to apply is Jan. 15. Ward 1 extends from parts of Cedar Niles Road to Pflumm Road.
The seat was vacated due to the death of Joe Karlin on Dec. 10 after his four-year battle with cancer. He covered the ward alongside current Councilmember Courtney Eiterich.
Karlin held the seat for 15 years, after being appointed to it by former Lenexa Mayor Mike Boehm following the death of Councilmember Jane Klein.
The appointed councilmember will serve through the remainder of Karlin’s term, which ends in early December 2025.
The Lenexa City Council is the legislative branch of the city government, responsible for making policy decisions and passing city ordinances. It consists of eight councilmembers that are elected from four wards in non-partisan elections for four-year staggered terms.
Applications are available on the city website
The application for the open seat can be filled out through Lenexa’s city website.
Vacancies on the city council are filled through an appointment by the mayor, subject to confirmation by the city council, per city code.
Lenexa Mayor Julie Sayers and the city council are committed to bringing the new councilmember up to speed and making them comfortable in their new seat, Sayers said in a previous interview.
“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 on, is really working together to make great decisions,” she added.
A tribute to Karlin will be held in January
During the Lenexa City Council meeting on Tuesday, Councilmember Craig Denny recognized Karlin’s death.
“I just want to acknowledge the loss of a really good friend and fellow councilmember,” he said. “We celebrated his life yesterday at a service, which I was very moved by. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re going to miss Joe.”
Following Denny’s acknowledgement, Sayers announced that the city council will honor Karlin’s life and service to the city at its Jan. 7 meeting at 7 p.m. at Lenexa City Hall.
“We invited a number of former governing body members and friends who will give some remarks on behalf of (Karlin) that evening,” she said. “We will honor Joe in just a few weeks, when his family can join us.”
Go deeper: Lenexa councilmember Joe Karlin dies at age 57 — ‘A friend to all of us’
