Unified Government Mayor/CEO Joe Reardon has been named the Kansas Mayor of the Year by the Kansas Mayors Association.
The award is given to a mayor who has "gone above the call of duty to provide exceptional community leadership," according to a news release about the award.
“What rests at the heart of our efforts is our community’s willingness to overcome any obstacle or adversity put before us, rolling up our sleeves, standing side-by-side, and believing that together we can make Wyandotte County a better place to live, work, learn, play and raise our children," Reardon said in a statement. ”The State of the Unified Government is strong and the community is poised to continue our progress and ready to rise to our new challenges.”
Reardon was presented the award this week at the League of Kansas Municiaplities Annual Conference in Topeka, Kan.
More from a news release:
As Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Mayor Reardon has overseen an economic development boom benefitting the entire city. The Village West and Legends shopping area draws more than 10-million visitors annually and generates more than $600-million a year in retail sales.
The Hollywood Casino has created 1,000 new, fulltime permanent jobs in Wyandotte County. Construction of the Cerner Continuous Campus in Village West will bring 4,000 new jobs to Wyandotte County and generate millions in new property tax dollars. The emergence of those high-paying jobs is already sparking a new wave of apartment construction.
The historic growth under Mayor Reardon’s leadership is not just in Village West, but throughout the entire city, ranging from entertainment venues, manufacturing plants, health care facilities, new grocery stores and new retail stores across the city. Wyandotte County is on the cutting edge of a New Frontier.
Not only will the Cerner project bring thousands of highly trained workers in the medical technology field, the Google Fiber Project will create entrepreneurial opportunities which are already drawing national attention and designation of the University of Kansas Medical Center as a National Cancer Institute facility will bring world-class scientists and researchers to the city, along with millions of medical research dollars.
Mayor Reardon makes sure providing basic services and quality life are top priorities. The number of violent crimes in KCK has dropped 65% since its high in 1991.
And the Unified Government property tax rate rate is 16% lower than it was in 1997 when the city and county governments consolidated.
