At our Stand Up, Speak Out event last week, among the 850 attendees, we were excited to welcome seventy-four elected officials. These are public servants, from city councils, school boards, municipal boards, state boards and the Legislature, who came together to celebrate what we can accomplish with bipartisan collaboration, communication, and compromise.
We normally acknowledge those elected officials at the event, reading their names and asking them to stand so that their public service can be recognized, and we did so at the event last Sunday.
Through a mistake in our scripting, an entire page of elected officials were missed. We feel it is very important to acknowledge their presence at the event, and we'd like to thank them now, along with all the others who attended. These are the men and women you have elected, who regularly make difficult decisions on your behalf, and who believe in the importance of effective, bipartisan government enough to be associated with the likes of MainStream. :) Keep in mind, others may have had conflicts and been unable to attend.
From the Kansas Senate: Sen. Barbara Bollier, Sen. John Doll, Sen. Marci Francisco, Sen. Randall Hardy, Sen. Laura Kelly, Sen. Jeff Longbine, Sen. Lynn Rogers, Sen. John Skubal, and Sen. Dinah Sykes.
From the Kansas House of Representatives: Rep. Dave Baker, Rep. Barbara Ballard, Rep. Shelee Brim, Rep. John Carmichael, Rep. Stephanie Clayton, Rep. Tom Cox, Rep. Diana Dierks, Rep. Brenda Dietrich, Rep. John Eplee, Rep. Linda Gallagher, Rep. Mary Martha Good, Rep. Boog Highberger, Rep. Cindy Holscher, Rep. Russ Jennings, Rep. Anita Judd-Jenkins, Rep. Jim Karleskint, Rep. Jan Kessinger, Rep. Joy Koesten, Rep. Nancy Lusk, Rep. Adam Lusker, Rep. Patty Markley, Rep. Monica Murnan, Rep. Cindy Neighbor, Rep. Jarrod Ousley, Rep. Brett Parker, Rep. Melissa Rooker, Rep. Louis Ruiz, Rep. Tom Sawyer, Rep. Mark Schreiber, Rep. Jerry Stogsdill, House Minority Leader, Rep. Jim Ward, and Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore.
From the State Board of Education: Ann Mah and Janet Waugh.
From cities and municipalities: Fairway City Council, Melanie Hepperly; Gardner City Council: Mayor Chris Morrow; Merriam City Council: Al Frisby; Mission Hills City Council: Barbara Nelson; Overland Park City Council: Curt Skoog and Terry Goodman; Prairie Village City Council: Chad Herring, Eric Mikkelson, and Dan Runion; Roeland Park City Council: Becky Fast, Teresa Kelly, Michael Poppa, and Erin Thompson; Shawnee City Council: Brandon Kenig and Jim Neighbor; Unified Government of Wyandotte County: Melissa Bynum; Westwood Hills City Council: Mayor Paula Schwach and David Waters.
From the Johnson County Commission: Chairman Ed Eilert and Ron Shaffer.
From the Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees: Stephanie Sharp, Jerry Cook, Lee Cross, and Henry Sandate.
From the Kansas City, Kansas Community College Board of Trustees: Ray Daniels and John Rios.
From school boards: Kansas City Kansas Public Schools Board of Education: Irene Caudillo and Rick Behrens; Olathe Public Schools Board of Education: Amy Martin.
From the Kansas City, Kansas Board of Public Utilities: Mary Gonzales and Norm Scott.
Remember to stay in touch with your elected officials, from your city to the state. Make sure they know you are their constituent.
Do more than vote: get informed, get involved, make a difference.
