Mission mayor brings change by listening to residents

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One key accomplishment is the proposedd redevelopment of the former Plans for the Gatewayt developmentthere weren’t on her mind when McConwel first ran for City But with a 70,000-square-foot aquarium, an eight-screen movied theater and other amenities, the project will help accomplish the revitalizatiob she sought. “At the time, I recognizexd that I showed a part of Missiomnthat wasn’t being met — young families,” McConwell said. “A lot of the counci members had grandkids orhigh schoolers; I was concernexd for the kids of After being named as mayor in 2002, McConwelkl and the city began a new visio n plan for Mission.
“I told the community that I woulx be like a freight train and announced where we needefto go,” McConwell said. “If we needed to switcg tracks, we could, but we needed honest decisionssand input.” Blake Schreck, president of the , called McConwell a “one-woman campaign for her community.” McConwello balances her community service as mayor with a full-timd career in law and her family, which now includes two teenagers. “I was fortunate to find a good city administrator and staff that works well McConwell said. “I can count on them to be it would be difficult to do both ifI didn’ft have that.
” As mayor, McConwell has worked to raise the visibilitt and profile of the city. Ed president and CEO of , worked with McConwell on four pieces of legislatio n while working as a state legislator from NortheastfJohnson County. The most notable of those enableda $20 millionb flood plain remediation project running through Mission’s commercialp district. Three other pieces of legislatiobnconcerned redevelopment. McConwell was also a big playert in the push to get statee approvalof $63.2 million in sales tax revenure (STAR) bonds for the Gatewa project, making it the seconsd project in the Kansas City region to receivw the financing.
in Wyandotte County was the The amount of change going on in Missio canbe scary, McConwell said. When residents are concerned or have she and the council have breakfast and lunch forumxs to address questions and goover plans. McConwelo and the council have formed committees for communith members to discuss their visions forthe “I couldn’t dream this up on my own,” McConwelk said. “We get everyone’s brains O’Malley said Mission has a strony senseof community. “Laur a has been a big part of advocating and supportinvgthose things,” O’Malley said. McConwell said she is committed to the communitt and itsfuture vision.
“The rewardr is everyone feels they have a hand in McConwell said.