Leawood City Council candidate forum focuses on development issues — Watch the full video

Candidates vying for a city council seat representing a swath of southern Leawood went back and forth on issues related to development, the old city hall and listening to resident feedback in a forum hosted by the Johnson County Post.

The forum on Thursday at Leawood Pioneer Library, 4700 Town Center Drive, came on the sixth of 12 scheduled nights of local candidate forums that the Post is hosting across Johnson County ahead of the Nov. 4 election.

This was one of several candidate forums this fall that the Post is hosting with the help of the Johnson County Library.

At the forum, two of three candidates on the ballot for a Ward 3 seat on the Leawood governing body participated.

Who is running?

Ward 3

• Mitch Lohr
• Rachel Rubin
• Daniel Taylor *Did not participate*

There is also a contested race for Ward 1 seat between Matt Peppes and Sarah Meuli, but neither was able to participate in the Post’s forum.

Two current councilmembers, Mary Larson in Ward 2 and Julie Cain in Ward 4, are running unopposed and were not invited to participate Thursday.

How to watch the Post’s forum

The Post livestreamed Tuesday’s event on our Facebook page. A recording of the forum can be viewed there, though it is now Facebook’s policy to erase live videos 30 days after they are produced.

You can also watch the full Leawood forum on the Post’s new YouTube channel, where it should be preserved into the future.

The full forum video is also embedded below:

Questions

1. Opening statements [4:42]
2. Challenge/priority: What is the next big challenge for Leawood? And how will you address it over the next four years on the council? [8:40]
3. Development: In recent years, as Leawood has continued to grow, residents have clashed with developers and the city over major projects, most notably the East Village development near 135th and State Line which is now under construction. Thousands of residents signed a petition opposing that project. And more broadly, during city council and the mayoral election two years ago, we heard from residents who felt they were not getting enough input on development and that their concerns about growth — increased traffic, higher residential density and more — were not truly being heard. What factors will you take into consideration when considering future development projects in Leawood? What is good for Leawood and what types of projects would you not support? [12:30]

   

4. Hearing resident feedback: How will you consider resident feedback and the voices of homeowners impacted by proposed developments? When will that feedback prompt you to NOT back a project, if ever? [15:30]
5. Property taxes: The city is keeping its mill rate, or property tax rate, steady for 2026. Still, with rising valuations, the average homeowner in Leawood can still expect to pay about $120 more to the city next year. Property taxes make up Leawood’s biggest source of revenue each year, meaning any talk of cutting taxes has to contend with how that would impact the city’s budget. Do you think Leawood needs to cut its property taxes? Why or why not? [19:18]
6. Spending: One reader who emailed us noted that the city’s budget since 2019 has been growing at a rate that has surpassed inflation. So, in this reader’s mind, at least, undercutting the argument that spending increases are a result of inflation. They ask “What amenities other than bike paths, art and normal maintenance are the residents seeing with this increase? Are there places in the budget to cut?” [22:15]
7. Apartments: From the audience, “Should Leawood prohibit apartment buildings or multi-family residences in Ward 3 or in Leawood more generally?” [25:00]
8. Flooding: From the audience, “Developments, both residential and commercial, are currently being planned that use FEMA flood maps that are 30 years old. We are seeing 100-year floods in every three or four years. Is this an issue Leawood needs to tackle? How would you address it?” [27:48]

   

9. Old city hall: For years, Leawood has contemplated what to do with its historic former city hall building and first fire station near 96th and Lee Boulevard. That conversation has picked up momentum in the past year, with the city weighing a number of possibilities, including repurposing it into a community space or razing the building to make way for a public park or playground. A group of residents has also been pushing to acquire the building to make it into a coffee shop, ice cream parlor and community gathering space. If elected, what vision for this historic site would you support? Should the current buildings be torn down or remain standing to be repurposed in some way? [30:55]
10. North vs. south Leawood: From a reader email that touches upon some of the same issues as the questions about the old city hall: “What are your plans to balance the support of “old Leawood” north of I-435 with the developments in the southern parts? Traffic, noise, street maintenance, community center, the older demographic…” [33:59]
11. The city’s comprehensive plan: The city is currently in the process of rewriting its long-term comprehensive plan. A reader from the audience ask, “What do you know about the city’s long-term plan? And how important is it to you to follow it?” [36:36]
12. Homelessness: A reader from the audience notes homeless people that sometimes gather along the 135th Street corridor and State Line. They ask, “Any recommendations you would make to address this issue?” [39:28]
13. Partisan affiliations: We got a couple of questions from the audience about your partisan affiliations or leanings. This is, of course, a technically nonpartisan race but for better or worse, many voters nowadays use partisan affiliation as a kind of shorthand for making choices. So, any partisan affiliations or groups or organizations you work with that you want to disclose? [42:37]
14. Qualifications: Consider this question a prompt for a closing statement. What qualifies you for this job? Why should voters vote for you? [45:30]