Two Overland Park councilmen compete for open mayoral seat in an already heated race
Days after longtime Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach announced his retirement, two city councilmen say they’ll run for the seat in November.
Councilman Faris Farassati officially announced his run for mayor Wednesday, after saying he planned to do so more than a year ago. Then on Thursday, Councilman Curt Skoog told The Star that he hopes to succeed Gerlach.
Both said they want to bring a fresh perspective to the role, although they already are working to differentiate themselves on issues such as development and government transparency.
Gerlach, 66, said on Tuesday that he will not seek reelection, after serving as mayor since 2005. He previously sat on the City Council for 10 years. He said he decided to retire this year to spend more time with family.
Skoog, 57, was first elected to the City Council in 2005 to serve the 2nd Ward in northern Overland Park. He works as a branch manager for the Institute of Building Technology and Safety. Skoog was elected as council president this year.
His term on the City Council ends next January. Melissa Cheatham, a local activist and Shawnee Mission parent, announced this week that she is running for the Ward 2 seat.
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Farassati, 51, was elected to the City Council in 2017. A cancer scientist and virologist, Farassati serves the 5th Ward in southern Overland Park.
Farassati has made a name for himself on the council as the strongest opponent of tax incentives for private developments, especially in areas that are not blighted. And he’s argued against elected officials accepting campaign donations from developers.
He said the city government needs reform — that “these tax giveaways need to stop.” And he has already started taking stabs at Skoog for being more favorable toward development deals.
“There’s a number of other council members who seem to be happy with continuing the way it has been. I believe Mr. Skoog is no different than the rest of the status quo,” Farassati said, arguing that the city should curb its use of subsidies for luxury apartment complexes and most other private development projects.
Skoog pushed back against the idea that he would continue the “status quo,” and said that with a change in leadership, “it’s an opportunity to revisit the objectives of Overland Park.”
“This election is going to be a decision about the vision of the future of Overland Park,” Skoog said. “Are we a community that wants to continue to be the dynamic, economic powerhouse of Kansas City and the state of Kansas? Or do we want to stop that progress and stay the way we are right now? I look forward to that discussion with my opponent.”
He said one of his top priorities would be engaging the community to craft a new comprehensive plan, exploring what kind of development and growth the city wants to see in the coming years.
Farassati countered that city officials are often “tone deaf” and do not listen to residents’ desires, especially when apartment complexes and other projects are proposed. He said that policy reform and a more data-driven approach are needed.
Across the state line in Kansas City, Farassati has drawn some criticism as he looks to build a $20 million mixed-use development on Troost Avenue, with apartments and commercial space. And he plans to request tax incentives from the city of Kansas City for the project, although he said it would be justified on Troost because the project would remediate blight.
On the City Council, Farassati voted in favor of tax breaks for the Metcalf Crossing project, for example, saying they were needed to help demolish two run-down hotels and revitalize the area at Metcalf Avenue and Shawnee Mission Parkway.
Both Farassati and Skoog said that they would make it a goal to address the shortage of affordable housing in Overland Park.
But they butted heads on whether Overland Park officials have been transparent following the 2018 police killing of 17-year-old John Albers. Officials continue to face criticism about a $70,000 severance agreement paid to former officer Clayton Jenison.
This fall, the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed that federal authorities had opened a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting. And The Star is suing to obtain the resignation and severance agreement, which the city has refused to provide.
Skoog said the city has made significant progress since the police killing, such as equipping officers with more body cameras and training. When it comes to releasing information about the incident to the public, he said, “we have been very transparent.”
“We have released the videos. We released a whole binder of documents, that are public and available for anyone to review,” he said. “The question comes down to two last documents that our attorneys say are not public documents. We’ll let the court decide if we’re right or if The Star and the others are right. And we’ll follow whatever the court tells us to do in that effort.”
The city in August released hundreds of pages of documents related to the shooting and the officer’s subsequent resignation, but they did not provide much new information about the case.
Farassati pointed out that he has pushed for the city to release more information about the case. And he argues that in this case and in general, the city government has a problem with transparency.
“The FBI is opening an investigation and they still say we’re transparent?” he asked, adding that as mayor he would, “open the door of information, to the limit of the law.”
Some incumbents have filed for the November election:
Councilwoman Stacie Gram is running for a full term representing the 4th Ward in southern Overland Park. Gram has held the seat since May, following the resignation of former councilwoman Gina Burke. Councilman Logan Heley, who has served the 1st Ward in northern Overland Park since 2017, also is running for reelection.
Councilman Chris Newlin, who has represented the 6th Ward since 2017, has filed for reelection. And so has Councilman Jim Kite, who was first elected in 2013 in the 3rd Ward.
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 2:48 PM.
