Don’t abandon what makes life in Prairie Village so good. Vote no on Nov. 4 | Opinion

I’m a third-generation Prairie Village resident. My brothers and I were raised in the same house our mom grew up in. We walked to school at Tomahawk Elementary, played countless baseball games at Porter Park and read every book in Corinth Library.

After graduating from Shawnee Mission East and the University of Kansas, I did what a lot of folks do: I moved away. For 10 years, I lived across Europe and Hong Kong, where my wife and I sat on a balcony overlooking Discovery Bay and decided it was time to do something else a lot of folks do: Move back home to Prairie Village.

Our story isn’t unique. It’s a path so many people follow, drawn back to our quiet but vibrant community, where kids walk to school, neighbors chat in the driveway and there’s always time for a drink at the Village Shops.

Now consider that a small group of people calling themselves PV United or Preserve Prairie Village is trying really hard to convince us that Prairie Village is broken. That our government should be abandoned.

Literally.

Thanks to petitions pushed by PV United, every Prairie Village voter will see this exact question on their ballot: “Shall the City of Prairie Village, Kansas abandon the mayor-council form of government?”

Honestly, that’s just wild.

Look around. Think about your experience living in Prairie Village. Swimming at the pool, strolling on our sidewalks. Going to the Jazz Festival, chasing your kids around Franklin Park or running the trails at Meadowbrook. None of that happens by accident, and it’s not guaranteed.

Prairie Village works because our government works. Prairie Village thrives because we have competent staff and a proven form of government, similar to that of our neighboring cities. A no vote would preserve that system, which has served us well since our founding in 1951.

A yes vote would (you guessed it) abandon that same system. And replace it with — Yeah, I don’t know. No one does. Because the ballot question PV United wrote doesn’t say.

What we do know about a yes vote is that it would lead to uncertainty. It would be up to the next City Council, half of which will be elected on Nov. 4, to decide how to remake our government. So a yes vote would give an unknown City Council a blank check to create a new government.

It’s a risk our city can’t afford, and one that residents shouldn’t take.

Instead, Prairie Village has an opportunity to move past the personal grievances, animosity, and divisiveness that have dominated our local discourse in recent years. We can vote no to protect Prairie Village and elect City Council members who will resolve conflict instead of stoke endless drama.

As a third-generation Prairie Village resident, homeowner and candidate for reelection to City Council, I am firmly against abandoning our government and will be voting no on the ballot question. Where does my opponent stand? Good question. He has not made a public statement on this issue. He, and the rest of the Prairie Village United slate of candidates, skipped the two public forums where this question was asked and did not provide an answer to the Johnson County Post candidate questionnaire.

Given that he is heavily backed by PV United, it’s reasonable to assume he supports abandoning the government he seeks to be a part of.

Elected officials tearing down the government might be the cool thing to do in Washington, D.C., but the Prairie Village I know won’t stand for it.

On Nov. 4, do not abandon our community. Stop the drama. Vote no to protect Prairie Village.

Cole Robinson is a member of the Prairie Village City Council.