Runion, Baratta advance in Prairie Village primary

Prairie Village residents in Ward 5 on Tuesday chose two candidates, Dan Runion and Marc Baratta, to run for the city council in the general election April 1.

The four-year term to represent the ward has been held by Charles Clark since 2006, but he did not run this year. Ward 5 is home to the former Mission Valley Middle School, the site of a planned retirement community dubbed Mission Chateau. The development has been the topic of considerable disagreement in Prairie Village.

Two other candidates, Roger T. Bennett and John D. Robinson, were also on the ballot but only the top two vote getters will advance.

The final, unofficial results were Runion 324 votes, Baratta 36 votes, Bennett 31 votes and Robinson 28 votes.

Runion said if he had been involved in the Mission Chateau project, he would have asked more questions so he could be as informed as possible and to ensure that developers have quantitative proof that projects will improve the city. If elected, he said, he would use that standard for any new development.

Baratta lives near the Mission Chateau development and said it’s important for the City Council to stay involved with the developer, Tutera Group, as construction begins on the project. He said he would be proactive about talking to residents so he could make an informed decision based on the ward’s needs if a similar development comes up.

This story was originally published February 25, 2014 at 8:58 PM with the headline "Runion, Baratta advance in Prairie Village primary."