Two years before JoCo election, official challenges mayor who backed $200M tax breaks
Days after Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach pushed through a massive tax break deal, City Councilman Faris Farassati — the most vocal opponent of tax incentives — announced he plans to run for mayor.
On the heels of winning re-election as a 5th Ward City Council member in November, Farassati is likely challenging Gerlach in the next mayoral race — in 2021. He is running primarily on scaling back what he calls an excessive amount of tax dollars being handed to private developers.
“We need a government that is responsive to the will of the people,” Farassati told The Star on Wednesday. “The significant influence of lobbyists is not tolerable. This is not protecting the quality of life for anybody.”
Farassati, a cancer scientist at the Kansas City VA Medical Center, was first elected to the City Council in 2017 to fill a vacant seat to represent southeast Overland Park. He won re-election last month with 54% of the vote.
Gerlach has served as mayor since 2005. He has served on the boards of the Overland Park Economic Development Council, Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Gerlach said it is too early to say whether he will seek re-election.
It’s not the first time Gerlach has been challenged by an anti-incentive opponent. He said he considers development agreements on a case-by-case basis, adding that incentives allow the city to remain competitive, gain new tax dollars, attract jobs and avoid blight.
“We have a lot of development happening without incentives,” Gerlach said. “We do very little that has incentives. But when we do, we make sure it’s very high quality and there are good paying jobs before we think about it.”
Controversial development
Farassati is seizing the opportunity after this week’s vote on a $200 million tax break deal for the redevelopment of the Brookridge Golf Course.
“There’s a lot of disappointment in the community, and it’s good for constituents to know they have an alternative now,” Farassati said.
After a late-night meeting on Monday, the City Council voted 8-4 — one vote shy of the nine required “yes” votes to approve the project. But the deal was pushed through after Gerlach cast the deciding vote.
The project, northeast of Interstate 435 and Antioch Road, aims to turn the golf course into luxury apartments, retail and restaurants.
The developer could be reimbursed up to $200 million in new taxes from the project over the next 20 years. The new tax money, which is generated by higher property values, will help pay for construction costs, roads, parking and infrastructure improvements.
Over the past five years, neighbors have opposed the project, and the City Council has turned down earlier versions. Gerlach said he initially opposed rezoning the golf course for commercial development, and he was against previous, much larger incentive deals.
“It’s been zoned commercial, so it’s not going to stay as a park or a golf course. It’s going to get developed,” Gerlach said. “Based on that, we’ve got to make sure we get the highest quality product built there. There might be unintended consequences if we don’t have a say over what goes there.”
Gerlach also pointed to new tax dollars expected to be generated by the project, even with the incentives. Farassati argues the project could be built without tax breaks.
Tax breaks a defining issue
Gerlach ran unopposed for three terms as mayor. But after 12 years, he had his first challenger in 2017 — Charlotte O’Hara, who also campaigned on limiting tax breaks given to developers.
“It wasn’t successful two years ago. I think what people have to remember is the city of Overland Park has been built on a combination of good relationships between City Hall, the citizens and the businesses in our community,” Gerlach said.
Gerlach pointed to several examples where he believes tax incentives have helped transform areas of Overland Park, including the redevelopment of the Cherokee South Shopping Center at 95th Street and Antioch Road. He argued incentives should be used to help revitalize areas before they become blighted.
But Farassati argued that the use of tax breaks for private development has gotten out of hand and is costing the city. He called the Brookridge deal “un-American” because tax dollars will go toward private development, rather than public projects.
During his time on the City Council, Farassati has often been the lone voice sparring with developers. And he’s taken stabs at fellow council members for accepting campaign donations from development companies.
He doesn’t always oppose incentives, though, but believes they should be used sparingly to remediate blight. He voted in favor of tax breaks for the Metcalf Crossing project, for example, saying incentives were needed to help demolish two run-down hotels and revitalize the area at Metcalf Avenue and Shawnee Mission Parkway.
Farassati, who is looking to open an office in Kansas City, could seek incentives for the project on Troost Avenue, but said it fits his philosophy because of the need to rid that area of blight.
He has also campaigned for the city to allow an open public comment period at council meetings. For now, the city only allows comments on certain agenda items, but council members are looking at revising that policy. Farassati said that as mayor, he would help carve out a new path for Overland Park.
“There is a philosophical umbrella being pushed over the staff and the City Council members. There is a vision set by the mayor,” he said. “And there is a disheartening effect on people when they come and speak about their concerns, and then constantly lose to lobbyists.”
In this past election, more council candidates campaigned on a similar message. Farassati believes the balance will shift once new council members take office next month, making it harder to approve development deals.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
