The Kansas City Star’s endorsement in the Independence city council race | Opinion

Four candidates are vying for two at-large seats on the Independence City Council in the April 7th general election. Voters there will choose between incumbent Jared Fears, former Councilwoman Lucy Young, and political newcomers Cody Atkinson and Jackie Dorman.

Independence, the fifth-largest city in the state, is at an inflection point: A new city manager will take the reins April 13; the much-maligned police department still needs a permanent chief that we hope will implement some very important reforms within the agency; and the city council’s recent approval of $6.2 billion in tax breaks for Dutch company Nebius to build a $150 billion, 400-acre artificial intelligence data center created an outcry from the community that eventually ended with legal action.

A Jackson County judge recently dismissed a complaint residents filed against Independence to place the issue before voters..

Because of recent turnover in city government, in addition to the aforementioned vacancies — a new mayor will also be seated next month — Independence needs representatives with financial expertise and public service experience to hold new leaders accountable and to oversee economic development opportunities that will help grow a stagnant tax base.

Because Fears, a certified financial planner, and Young, a retired accountant and bookkeeper, have the requisite backgrounds that include years of civil service, they are our recommendations in this race.

Jared Fears

Fears, the incumbent, brings considerable public service experience to the table in this race and tallied the most votes in February’s primary election in Independence. He has served on the City Council since April 2022 and chairs Independence’s audit and finance committee. He is a director on the Mid-America Regional Council’s board; chairs the United Consumers Credit Union Board of Directors; and represents Independence on the Policy Makers Council of the American Public Power Association.

Fears also serves as the City Council liaison to the city’s Public Utilities Advisory Board, the Board of Adjustment and the Industrial Development Authority. On his website, Fears touts his service as a longtime area troop leader for the Boy Scouts of America and other civic organizations as a strength.

As a councilman, Fears voted in favor of tax breaks for the pending AI data center coming to Independence.

“The primary goal is to make Independence as good as it possibly can be as a place to live, work and raise families,” Fears said.

Lucy Young

Young has been elected to the Independence City Council in 1998, 2006 and 2010. She resigned in 2014 for health reasons.

Since then, Young has remained a constant voice at City Hall, often speaking on societal issues in Independence and pending legislation. She was a vocal supporter of the mega tax break for the data center. In the recent past, Young served on Independence’s general obligation bond committee. She has the backing of union groups that represent fire fighters and law enforcement officials in Independence. In the primary, Young received 23.2% of the vote, second only to Fears’ 24.9%.

“With us having a new city manager, a new police chief, a new, new, new all the way through with everything, I decided that we needed somebody that had history,” Young said. “I wanted to make sure that we got off on the right road with our new city manager. It wasn’t to dictate my policies or own personal agenda. It was to make sure we didn’t make some of the same mistakes as the past.”

Cody Atkinson

Atkinson, a former medic for the U.S. Army reserves, represents a fresh voice in this race. He has no political experience but the Rockhurst University graduate — he holds a master’s degree from Arkansas State University — has an extensive background in the nonprofit sector, he told us during the endorsement process.

Atkinson sits on the Independence Board of Adjustment and chairs the Independence Animal Welfare Committee. On the campaign trail, Atkinson championed animal welfare rights, inclusivity at city parks and other public spaces, affordable housing and a more transparent city government.

Because of his time in the armed forces and an educational background that includes a masters in public administration, we found Atkinson to be a viable candidate for office — he finished just 50 votes behind Young in the primary — and believe he may have a promising future in public office.

Among the pressing issues in Independence, Atkinson said he was skeptical of providing tax incentives to the data company Nebius but is supportive of the project as it moves forward.

“I think we need to keep a very watchful eye monitoring how it does move forward and Nebius upholds the standard that we have set for them and they have agreed to,” he said.

Jackie Dorman

Much like Atkinson, Dorman would represent a new voice on the Independence City Council, if elected. She is the widow of former Independence Police Sgt. Terry Dorman, who died of a non-duty-related heart attack in 2022. Jackie Dorman is a realtor and former business owner who said she decided to run for office because she felt too many deals were happening without public input, including the data center tax incentives agreement.

“I’ve considered running in the past just because I was aware of some of the things in city government that I felt could be more transparent,” Dorman said.

Of the candidates running for Independence City Council, Dorman was the only one to publicly speak out against the Nebius tax break, which is commendable. Healthy dissent should always be encouraged in a democracy.

“It seems that this has all been done kind of behind closed doors,” Dorman said.

Independence needs steady leadership and stability in its local government. We see Fears and Young as the best candidates to provide that during a period of transition for the city and we recommend them both for council.

This story was originally published March 30, 2026 at 5:08 AM.