Voters in Overland Park can extend two decades of solid progress next Tuesday by re-electing Mayor Carl Gerlach.

Gerlach has served on the Overland Park City Council since 1995 and has been mayor since 2005. He is facing challenger Charlotte O’Hara.

Evidence of Gerlach’s capable leadership is everywhere — from long-planned and needed improvements along Metcalf Avenue to a revitalized downtown.

Taxes have gone up, but are relatively stable. Businesses, with the notable exception of Sprint, appear healthy. There has been no hint of scandal.

In surveys, Overland Park continues to rank as a top community in the nation to raise a family.

Gerlach’s team-oriented approach has served his city well. He rarely makes a splash, preferring to work toward consensus and compromise. Some voters think he is boring, but in the current political environment, boring is another word for competent, and that’s actually a good thing.

Our recommendation comes with a word of caution, though.

Gerlach and his colleagues face significant challenges. From the Brookridge Country Club redevelopment project to the farmers’ market downtown to aging housing stock in some neighborhoods, Overland Park’s leadership will be tested during the next decade.

That’s why the mayor and everyone else involved in Overland Park’s city government should pay close attention to what O’Hara and other candidates have said during this campaign season.

O’Hara is a veteran of Johnson County politics. She has pointedly and accurately criticized the insular nature of decision-making in Overland Park.

Overland Park does not televise its meetings or live stream them online. That needs to change. It is simple and cheap to provide residents with real-time coverage of the council’s deliberations.

O’Hara has said she would allow residents to speak before council meetings. Again, this seems like an easy and effective way for residents to present concerns to their elected leaders.

More broadly, we’re concerned some in Overland Park want to close off government to newcomers. That would be a huge mistake. Smart public bodies understand regular citizens can no longer be excluded from decision-making, no matter how messy it turns out to be.

And all cities need fresh energy and ideas. Overland Park is no exception.

To her credit, O’Hara has provided that energy, as well as some smart ideas for her city. She has shown command of the facts and has run an admirable campaign.

We’re concerned, however, that she would be too inflexible for Overland Park’s needs.

She told us she would oppose the use of taxpayer incentives for businesses in almost every circumstance. She would not have offered city incentives, for example, for the Amazon headquarters project.

That’s short-sighted. O’Hara’s raises a valid concern that handing out taxpayer incentives can be unwise, particularly for retail shops and malls. Generally, though, there is a place for carefully considered incentives that help grow a community and grow the economy.

Gerlach seems to understand this. If re-elected, he should scrutinize every proposed subsidy and hit the brakes on projects that put taxpayers at risk.

We’re confident he can do so. Voters should re-elect Carl Gerlach in Overland Park.

Listen to the full, unedited recording of the candidates’ meeting with The Star’s editorial board here.

This story was originally published October 30, 2017 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Carl Gerlach is the better choice for mayor in Overland Park."