Fairway has a new city councilmember.
Last week, the Fairway City Council appointed resident Whitney Henley to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Ward 4 Councilmember Jenna Brofsky, who stepped down last month after nearly six years on the city council.
Henley will serve the remainder of Brofsky’s unfinished term, which runs through 2027.
“I really loved serving Ward 4 in Fairway,” Brofsky told the Post during an interview last week. “I felt like it allowed me to meet even more of my neighbors and helped push forward the things that we cared about in that part of the city and the city as a whole. It was really an honor.”
Brofsky is moving outside of Ward 4
- Brofsky, who was reelected to a second term in November 2023 after running unopposed, said she originally ran for city council in 2019 because she believes local government has the most impact on the daily lives of residents.
- Brofsky said the only reason she resigned is because she and her family — including husband Ethan Corson, a Democratic state senator — moved about “a block too far north” outside of Ward 4’s boundaries.
- Still, Brofsky said it was important for her family to stay in Fairway.
- “It was really difficult to leave behind the important work I had been doing and all that I had done so far, but it was the best thing for my family to find a house that was better situated for us,” Brofsky told the Post.
She plans to stay involved with the city
- Over the past six years, Brofsky feels she listened and paid attention to Ward 4 residents, she said.
- Amendments to the city’s mission statement to include sustainability as well as getting a permanent restroom installed at the city’s park were two highlights of her time on the city council.
- The former councilmember is still staying involved with the city, though, by earning a seat on the city’s parks and recreation committee.
- Brofsky said she hopes to work on an updated parks master plan during her time on the committee.
Henley was appointed following 5-2 vote
- Mayor Melanie Hepperly and Ward 4 Councilmember Tanya Keys met and interviewed five candidates to replace Brofsky, and the two finalists — Henley and Cassie Thompson — were interviewed by the full city council on Feb. 10.
- The city council appointed Henley to the vacant Ward 4 seat in a 5-2 vote, with councilmembers Dan Bailey and Tanya Keys voting for Thompson.
- Henley, who is a senior research associate at The University of Kansas Medical Center, told the city council last week that she believes policing, public works and parks and recreation are the most important services to Fairway residents.
- She told the city council that she handles tough conversations by gathering as much information as possible and listening to all parties involved.
- The nearly nine-year Fairway resident told the city council that she believes more can be done to engage her fellow Fairway residents, who may be unaware of city news.
Keep reading local government news: Lenexa’s newest councilmember, John Michael Handley, is familiar at city hall
