The Post asked readers in August about the issues they wanted to hear candidates running for Prairie Village city council address. Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire with the most important issues to Prairie Village residents.
Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one of five questions. Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
Prairie Village held out on returning to in-person meetings longer than any other Johnson County city — and made some stand-out decisions on COVID-19 risk mitigation including canceling Jazz Fest and becoming the first Johnson County city to mandate masks. What do you think of how the city has handled decisions related to COVID-19?
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on this issue:
Ward 5
John Beeder
Prairie Village city government has decided to take its own course among Johnson County governments regarding the pandemic.
Regarding the mask mandate, I applaud the City Council for declining to extend the mask mandate at their meeting on October 18. Our recent experience has demonstrated that a unilateral city mask mandate, without the county imposing one, puts our local businesses at a disadvantage, hurting their businesses.
I was disappointed in the PROCESS the City Council used to first approach their decision to implement a mask mandate. Businesses in Prairie Village control the majority of public spaces impacted by a mandate. By deciding to adopt a different policy than Johnson County, Prairie Village forced our businesses to handle their customers differently than other similar businesses in the county.
A group representing well more than 20 Prairie Village businesses recently sent a note to the Mayor and City Council. In the note they said … 58% of responding businesses said business is suffering due to the mask mandate 71% believe the mandate should not be extended.
When the City Council first debated the mask mandate, they gave little consideration to the competitive impact of a mandate on our local businesses.
I supported our local businesses who opposed the mandate because they were placed at a unique disadvantage relative to other businesses in the county.
One quote from a local business struck me …
“We had 4 employees walk out the day (the mandate) was passed. Finding new people has been a struggle. Two people after phone interviews decided not to work with us once they realized our city had a mandate in place. I hope the city council chooses to support their local small businesses. We are hanging on by a thread. Any more staffing losses and we will be forced to alter our hours or close entirely.”
The City Council recently adopted a “hybrid” meeting policy which is step in the right direction towards public meetings. The cancellation of JazzFest is unfortunate and I know it has disappointed many citizens. I would support reinstating large public events such as JazzFest, using whatever protocols other large organizations managing crowds are using — such as the Chiefs and the Royals.
If COVID issues develop in the future, I think it will be important to closely consult the county government which has a medical infrastructure to evaluate the day-to-day situation.
Gregory Shelton
I think Prairie Village has taken a diligent approach to mitigating the risks that are inherent with a highly contagious airborne virus that has cost us the lives of more than 700,000 Americans to date. And, for a city that can see as many as two or three times its population traverse our City’s boundaries on any given day, I believe the “abundance of caution” approach has likely saved several lives and preserved healthcare access for many more in our community.
Ward 1
Thorne Daimler
The city has responded to COVID-19 with fear, not with facts or science. The proof is in their radical approach that other cities have not taken. Johnson County is a highly vaccinated area, with Prairie Village residents being vaccinated at an even higher rate. According to the Johnson County COVID Dashboard, as of 10/14/2021: 63.9% of eligible JoCo residents are vaccinated. That number is 74.2% for 66208. The council meetings should absolutely be in-person to maximize the ability to get city work done and provide transparency and input to residents. I also fear the most recent mask mandate puts an unfair burden on our business from an enforcement and revenue perspective as reflected in their letter delivered to City Council on October 4th. 71% of responding businesses believe the mask mandate should not be extended. 78% of responding businesses think businesses should be free to choose what they require of their customers when it comes to masks inside their businesses. The businesses are struggling to hire employees and attract patrons who are instead going to surrounding communities that do not require masks to work or shop.
Cole Robinson
The health and safety of our community is my top priority. We all want our kids to be in school, our businesses to be open, and this pandemic to be behind us. To that end, the CDC, county health officials and local medical officers have all made it clear what we need to do: those who can get vaccinated should and during times of high community spread, we should all mask up.
Throughout the pandemic, Prairie Village has consistently followed the science and the experts. The city has acted on the side of safety and in response to our residents, business owners, and employees who have asked for clear guidance. I have been proud of our Prairie Village’s leadership around promoting a culture of public health and safety.
Regarding the decision to end our mask ordinance at the end of this month, I disagree with that choice but I respect the decision-making process that went into it. I will continue to advocate for an abundance of caution until our children can be fully vaccinated. We are so close to that point and is it critical that our schools stay open as we return to normalcy in our society. If we are going to have thousands of unvaccinated kids gathering every day in our community, we all need to work together to keep them safe and prevent spread in and around our schools. Wearing a mask when we are indoors in public spaces is an easy and important piece of maintaining that safety.
Ward 4
Dave Robinson
This is the top topic I hear from voters. Given the data and criteria presented to the City Council, along with recommendations from the CDC and other leading health organizations, I believe that the City’s actions toward managing the pandemic locally and protecting citizens and businesses have been appropriate, including masking. But I also want to know what metrics are being used to decide effectiveness. While much debate exists over the benefits of masking, the CDC and medical community continue to reinforce the value, even while many believe any benefit is marginal. In my conversations, most people seem ok with masking given the circumstances, even if it is just a small sense of protection. But they also express that they have grown weary of the lingering virus and related restrictions to control it. Personally, I have ten grandchildren who are not vaccinated and I support anything that mitigates their exposure to the virus. During tough times, people can either stand apart and blame others or we can pull together and push through to a better normal. Regardless what anyone believes is the right path, we are in this together. However, we are clearly not together on how to get through it.
Jessica Priestland
The circumstances around COVID-19 are ever-changing. Each week it seems we are learning more about the virus. Even with all the knowledge that we have obtained over the past 22 months, there are still aspects of the virus that we don’t completely understand. These uncertainties have caused confusion, anxiety and discouragement. However, we must remain hopeful that all the efforts towards research, containing, and combatting the virus will allow us to regain a better sense of normalcy in the coming year.
At this time, I do not believe there is a need for “hybrid” City Council meetings. The court room is quite spacious, and with some creative thought and experimentation, it should be possible to have all City Council members present during meetings while still maintaining appropriate and safe social-distancing. Hopefully the Municipal buildings have upgraded their ventilation systems to allow for exceptional air recirculation rates, which will add an additional safety measure to protect our City Council members and City Administration staff. In-person meetings reduce the opportunity for distractions and the likelihood of taking comments out of context. It is commonly found that body language is better read and thoughts are more freely spoken when meeting in-person; which would allow for more fluid conversations amongst Council members when deliberating over important city issues.
Furthermore, I’m not sure it was necessary to cancel the JazzFest this year. The event would have been completely outdoor which would have allowed for appropriate social-distancing. Any residents who weren’t comfortable with gathering in large groups would have had the choice to not attend this year. By September, many organizations were having outdoor events. For example, high schools were back to having outdoor spectating events, like football games, and Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park was once again having performances. With the addition of some extra precaution measures, I think the community could have really benefited from having JazzFest this year.
Regarding the complicated, divisive topic of mask mandates… As a family, we personally wear masks in nearly all indoor public spaces, especially when there is a lack of adequate social distancing. I have a 9 year old who is not vaccinated and I have extended family members who are immunocompromised and have multiple health concerns. We wear our masks as much as possible because it is our family’s personal decision and we’ve chosen to base our actions on how we’ve comprehended and processed the information we have been given.
However, with that said, I don’t feel the mask mandate by the City was, in certain terms, very practical. Prairie Village has approximately 23,000 residents within its 6.21 sq. miles. The majority of Prairie Village residents work outside of the city limits and their families often participate in activities in other neighboring cities that don’t currently have a mask mandate. With this in mind, it is possible that the majority of our residents are still at risk of contracting the virus because they are still being exposed in their places of employment and when visiting other cities and interacting with residents and family members outside of their Prairie Village bubble. During the mid-summer initial surge of the Delta variant, I would have liked Johnson County to have put more consideration towards Covid-19 precautions. This would have lessened any confusion regarding Prairie Village city boundaries and would have also taken away any pressures placed on Prairie Village businesses who have experienced the loss of employees and patrons. It is my hope that Johnson County will be more proactive should another virus variant emerge or another surge come upon us.
One of the important roles the City Council has as public servants, is to have the community’s health and public safety in mind when making decisions. The City Council has a responsibility to protect its citizens and help facilitate public safety. These crucial decisions should never be made in haste and should always involve appropriate deliberation with the best interests of the entire community in mind.
My biggest hope is that, as a nation, we find ourselves out of this pandemic and back to a greater sense of normalcy in the next 6 months. So many people have been affected, from the loss of loved ones to the loss and interruption of livelihood and employment security. We need to heal and restore our communities.
Read these candidates’ responses to questions about the paused civic center project, property valuation increases, “attainable” housing and climate change.
