Voter guide: Hear from candidates running for Lee’s Summit City Council
Lee’s Summit voters will elect City Council members to five seats in four districts across the city in the April 7 election. One race features an incumbent who is unopposed, and races for the other four seats are contested.
Here’s a look at priorities for candidates in the race to help run Lee’s Summit:
Council District 1
Mia Prier
Website: miaprier.com
Political bio/background: Prier is a current member of the Lee’s Summit City Council, and both before and during her time in office has been involved in community initiatives and advocacy efforts, particularly related to public safety.
Platform: Prier said her platform is centered on three core priorities: public safety, responsible growth, and transparency and responsive local government.
“Through my perspective as both a council member and the spouse of a firefighter, I have seen firsthand the importance of ensuring that our police, fire, and emergency services have the staffing, training, and resources they need to respond effectively,” she said. “Supporting these departments is not only about equipment and funding — it is about valuing the people who serve our community every day.”
Prier said she believes that the city should approach development with “balance and accountability” and that growth should be guided by long-term planning, infrastructure readiness and community input.
Prier said she also values transparency and accessibility in government. She said she strives to be approachable and responsive to constituents, and said residents deserve clear communication, open decision-making processes and leaders who are willing to listen.
Prier is running unopposed to retain her seat.
Council District 2
Shari Frazier
Website: sharifrazierforleessummit.com
Political bio/background: Frazier is a current member of the Lee’s Summit Planning Commission and has a background in the corporate world. She also serves as a mentor at Summit Technology Academy and is a member of the Jackson County Public Health InCoLab group focused on housing and economic stability.
Platform: Frazier said she wanted to prioritize “intentional, well-considered” growth in the city consistent with the city’s charter and objectives like “safety, smart growth, strategic action and sustainability.”
Frazier said her approach to city government “incorporates consistency, reliability, collaboration, transparency, judicious budgeting, and sustainable outcomes, recognizing that decisions made today will influence future generations in Lee’s Summit.”
Frazier said she would contribute a pragmatic perspective to public service and would work to foster transparency, open communication and inclusive governance. She said her experience was “grounded in extensive corporate and practical experience rather than that of a career politician’s trajectory.”
She said municipal government should serve every resident by balancing thoughtful development, diverse housing options, critical infrastructure projects and efficient work.
Will Kraus
Website: willkraus.com
Political bio/background: Kraus formerly represented eastern Jackson County in the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate. He is an Army veteran, was deployed in Iraq in leadership roles and continues to serve in the Missouri National Guard as a pilot. Kraus is also currently a small business owner.
Platform: Priorities for Kraus include keeping citizens safe, promoting efficient government and providing quality infrastructure.
Kraus said his focus on City Council would be on creating a secure, sustainable community where his own grandchildren could thrive by balancing proactive law enforcement with community support.
Other priorities include ensuring tax dollars are used wisely and pushing for a proactive approach to maintaining infrastructure such as roads and water and sewer systems, he said.
“City governments can eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks, reduce waste, and improve efficiency by adopting AI and automation for routine tasks,” he said. “Implementing these tools allows staff to focus on high-value services, while providing faster, more transparent services that keep pace with the efficiency of the private sector. We must stay vigilant and focused on cutting fraud and waste from our government.”
Council District 3
Dana Arth
Website: citizensfordanaarth.com
Political bio/background: Arth is currently on the Lee’s Summit’s Planning Commission and is also serving on the city’s Charter Review Commission. Arth is a certified public accountant who owns a business in Lee’s Summit and has served on boards for Summit Art, the Truman Heartland Community Foundation, Lee’s Summit Cares, the Highland Park Elementary PTA and the International Dyslexia Association.
Platform: Arth said she sees public safety as the top responsibility of any city council member and said the city needs to ensure that adequate funding is in place to keep the community safe. Arth said she views the city’s infrastructure through the lens of public safety and said it must be well-maintained.
Arth said the city should also do a deep dive into finding solutions that will help more people own homes. Also among her priorities is accountability to taxpayers, she said.
“This means the budget must be managed with intention to ensure that services are funded to meet the needs of Lee’s Summit,” she said. “We need to avoid going to the voters for tax increases as much as possible, as that is an increased burden on residents, who are already concerned with Jackson County property taxes. As a CPA, numbers are my language and I am ready to weigh-in on those issues.”
Melanie Adkins
Website: AdkinsforLS.com
Political bio/background: Adkins is a small business owner and has worked as the president of a parent-teacher association board, helped to launch events through the Lakewood Property Owners Association, is the director of marketing and communications for the Truman Heartland Community Foundation and has served on boards for Lee’s Summit’s World Cup committee and Lee’s Summit Creates.
Platform: Adkins said she wanted to prioritize strong communication from the city, safe neighborhoods and smart growth. She also said she wanted to make sure residents have access to local retail, restaurants, jobs, services and housing options so their tax dollars stay local.
Adkins said she wanted to see strong communication from the city so residents can understand the goals of the city and feel confident about its direction. She also said she would support public safety goals to recruit, retain and grow staff numbers long term.
“The strength of our economic development is directly tied to supporting our public safety, parks, schools, and public services that help keep us an amazing place to live,” she said. “I intend to help Lee’s Summit invest in its citizens, and continue to create revenue from sources besides our homeowners.”
Council District 4 (two-year term)
Robert Jones
Website: facebook.com/p/Bob-Jones-4-LS-61586141120353/
Political bio/background: Jones is a former mayor and City Council member for Lee’s Summit and served on the city’s original Charter Commission. He also chaired the Lee’s Summit Arts Council, was a founding board member of Lee’s Summit Creates and serves on the Lee’s Summit Symphony Orchestra board. Jones has also worked in the insurance industry and currently works as a deputy juvenile officer.
Platform: Jones said he believes tax incentives should be used judiciously and only to attract businesses that will bring long-term benefits to the city. He said the city has seen a “seemingly unending” wave of construction of apartments recently, and said he’s “successfully guided the city through the challenges of multi-family housing development before.”
Jones said he has a track record of attracting quality economic development and balancing development with neighborhood and green space preservation.
“I believe my experience and sensibility can make a positive impact during this critical time,” he said. “I bring a wealth of knowledge and maturity to the role. My track record of attracting quality economic development and balancing development with neighborhood and green space preservation demonstrates my ability to make informed decisions that benefit the community.”
Scott Shepherd
Website: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61585163057289
Political bio/background: Shepherd is a small business owner in the Kansas City metro and brings more than 20 years of experience in the technology sector. Shepherd has also served on his homeowners’ association board and is a parent.
Platform: Shepherd said he is prioritizing opposition to city incentive packages for corporations. He said the city should prioritize protecting taxpayers, supporting small businesses, and ensuring growth that strengthens the city.
“Over the past decade, we’ve seen hundreds of millions — approaching a billion dollars — committed through incentives,” he said. “These deals are often justified by projected benefits like job creation or future tax revenue, but those projections don’t always materialize. Meanwhile, our schools, police, fire, and infrastructure are left trying to do more with less. What concerns me even more is the pattern of what I would call corporate bullying. We repeatedly hear, ‘If we don’t offer incentives, they’ll go somewhere else.’ That creates a race to the bottom where cities compete to give away more and more, often without fully considering long-term consequences.”
“If a company delivers real tax revenue, creates quality jobs, and contributes to the community, then incentives can be earned — not handed out in advance,” he said.
Nyauna Cravens
Website: cravensforls.com
Political bio/background: Cravens has been a business owner for 15 years and has worked in sales management for 23 years. Cravens has been involved in community outreach programs and grassroots organizations focused on local issues, served on a public safety task force, and currently serves in a children’s leadership organization, and has created and supported tutoring and mentorship programs for children and young adults.
Platform: Cravens said she was prioritizing public safety, smart growth and infrastructure, and economic development and value-added business.
Safe neighborhoods are foundational to quality of life and economic vitality, and as the population grows, the city must ensure police, fire and emergency services keep pace, she said.
“Growth must be intentional and aligned with infrastructure capacity — roads, utilities, schools, and public services,” she said. “We need development that enhances our community without overburdening it.”
The city should also work to attract and retain high-quality employers who strengthen the city’s tax base. Those businesses reduce pressure on residential property taxes and support the city’s long-term financial stability, she said.
Council District 4 (four-year term)
Donnie Funk
Websit: votefunk.com
Political bio/background: Funk was appointed to the City Council in 2025, and before that appointment, he served on Lee’s Summit Planning Commission. While on city council, he’s served as a liaison to the Mid-America Regional Council’s Total Transportation Policy committee. He has also served on the board for Lee’s Summit Cares.
Platform: Funk said his top priority, public safety, is personal, noting family members who have served as police officers and firefighters and his son who serves in the U.S. Air Force at Whiteman Air Force Base.
Funk said in his time on city council, he’s supported investments in crime prevention tools, the city’s new joint operations facility, new fire stations and neighborhood police resources.
“These aren’t just projects—they’re commitments to safety and preparedness,” he said.
He said strong public safety requires a strong foundation in responsible economic growth. That growth allows the city to invest in infrastructure, support local schools and strengthen the partnerships with groups like Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, Explore Lee’s Summit, the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce and the Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council.
Zak Al-Shawish
Website: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584784844413
Political bio/background: Al-Shawish describes himself as a “political outsider” and small business owner and said he’s managed profits and losses for businesses that generate as much as $100 million annually. Al-Shawish is also a father and homeowner in Lee’s Summit and runs “Lee’s Summit Updates,” a Facebook page he has used to campaign and share his views about current events in Lee’s Summit.
Platform: Al-Shawish said he wants to prioritize “the basics” in Lee’s Summit, public safety, roads and water infrastructure, and said he wants to provide tax relief to residents by “fixing the budget, cutting wasteful spending and ending corporate handouts.”
Al-Shawish said he wanted to safeguard the city’s character by “ending misaligned economic development practices” and provide a level playing field for businesses by ending “lopsided subsidization practices.”
“Increase transparency and community involvement in decision-making by creating and effectively utilizing platforms to disseminate information to the residents and inviting their feedback,” he said.
