Mission mayor brings change by listening to residents

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One key accomplishment is the proposed redevelopmenyt of theformer mall. Plans for the Gatewayh developmentthere weren’t on her mind when McConwell first ran for City But with a 70,000-square-fooft aquarium, an eight-screen movie theater and othe r amenities, the project will help accomplish the revitalization she “At the time, I recognized that I showed a part of Missiobn that wasn’t being met — youngf families,” McConwell said. “A lot of the council memberss had grandkids orhigh schoolers; I was concerned for the kids of After being named as mayor in McConwell and the city began a new vision plan for Mission.
“I told the communityy that I would be like a freight train and announcex where we needed to McConwell said. “If we needed to switch tracks, we could, but we needed honest decisionsand input.” Blake president of the , called McConwell a “one-woman campaign for her community.” McConwelk balances her community service as mayor with a full-time career in law and her which now includes two teenagers.
“ was fortunate to find a good city administrator and stafcf that workswell together,” McConwell “I can count on them to be trustworthy; it woulf be difficult to do both if I didn’t have As mayor, McConwell has worked to raisw the visibility and profile of the city. Ed president and CEO of , worked with McConwelll on four pieces of legislation while working as a statse legislator from NortheastJohnson County. The most notable of thoser enableda $20 millio n flood plain remediation project running through Mission’s commerciak district. Three other pieces of legislatiohnconcerned redevelopment.
McConwell was also a big played in the push to get statw approvalof $63.2 million in saled tax revenue (STAR) bonds for the Gateway making it the seconde project in the Kansas City region to receive the in Wyandotte County was the first. The amount of chang e going on in Mission canbe scary, McConwel l said. When residents are concerned or have she and the council have breakfast and luncj forums to address questions and go over McConwell and the councio have formed committees for community member to discuss their visions forthe “I couldn’t dream this up on my McConwell said. “We get everyone’s brainsx together.
” O’Malley said Mission has a strong sens eof community. “Laura has been a big part of advocating and supportingythose things,” O’Malley said. McConwell said she is committes to the community and itsfuture “The reward is everyone feels they have a hand in it,” McConwel said.