Northeast Joco
New Fairway mayor likely
Jerry Wiley will not likely seek a third term as mayor of Fairway.
Fairway’s City Council president, Melanie Hepperly, has filed to run for the city’s top elected spot. As of March 20, Wiley, first elected in 2009, had not filed, and he said he has every intention to keep it that way.
“The city is in great shape, and there are a lot of people who would do a very admirable job,” he said. “I probably will not file, but I haven’t completely ruled it out.”
That decision could hinge on who else decides to run. Other council members are likely considering throwing their hats in the ring, he said, but it’s not them — or Hepperly — that Wiley is concerned about.
“Everyone on the council would do a fine job,” he said.
If, however, a non-council member whose views Wiley didn’t agree with decided to run, he might take a shot at a third term to keep the city on its current trajectory.
“I think we’ve accomplished a lot of very good things,” Wiley said, citing city pool renovations, a new public works building, the city taking over day-to-day management of the Shawnee Indian Mission and — as of March 9 — the purchase of new home for City Hall.
The only big-ticket item left is storm water control, he said.
While Wiley praised Hepperly’s work as council president for seven years and council member in general, he said he would not endorse one council member over another, should more than one run.
Hepperly, vice president and chief financial officer of Sosland Publishing Co., was first elected to the council in 2009. Her second four-year term expires this year.
Hepperly said solving storm water problems and maintaining fiscal responsibility while preserving public saftety and infrastructure would be top priorities, is she’s elected mayor.
Also in Fairway, former Ward 4 councilman JD Fair has filed for a seat in Ward 2, and Ward 4 incumbent Tanya Keys has filed for a new term.
Mission Hills mayoral candidate files
While it’s still unknown whether Fairway will have a new mayor come 2018, there’s no doubt Mission Hills will.
Mayor Rick Boeshaar’s second term in office will end this year, and he is term-limited from running for a third.
As of March 20, Mission Hills Councilman David Dickey was the only candidate who had filed to succeed Boeshaar. Dickey, chief marketing officer for Foley Equipment, has served on the council since 2007. Before that, he was the city’s treasurer.
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