It gives me great pleasure to congratulate Lifestyle Publications Chief Executive Officer Steven Schowengerdt, Editor-in-Chief Angela Broockerd and Publisher Jane Preuss on the 10th anniversary of Leawood Lifestyle. What an incredible milestone!
Time seems to pass by more quickly each year, and looking back 10 years ago offered an amazing array of accomplishments that have occurred during this timeframe. Leawood Lifestyle has been a valued partner throughout this period and has assisted in showcasing many reasons to celebrate.
Ten years ago, the Great Recession was waning. Our new-urbanism development, Park Place, was filling up with new tenants being announced on nearly a monthly basis. Today, the final phase of Park Place is under construction and nearing completion.
Fortunately, our economic development activity throughout the entire City has demonstrated strong growth during the past ten years enabling a diversified tax base. This, in turn, has led to bragging rights of maintaining a flat mill levy as well as a AAA bond rating for the entire time.
The City of Leawood annually receives accolades and “number one” rankings as being the “Best Place to Live” in Kansas. However, this past year, WalletHub did their annual evaluation of 1,300 cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 across the country on 40 key metrics. These included economic vitality, quality of life, education, health and public safety. Leawood was ranked “number one” not just in Kansas, but in the nation!
While we’re very proud of our excellent public services and quality-of-life amenities, much of the credit for these recognitions should go to our amazing citizenry. Their willingness to give back with their time and talents is inspirational and allows me to boast of my ‘300-strong army’ of exceptionally dedicated volunteers. Leawood Lifestyle has featured many of these individuals and their activities over the years that have helped make Leawood a truly premier community.
I want to extend my sincere best wishes to Lifestyle Publications during the next 10 years of your journey. Thank you for your many efforts to shine a light on the City of Leawood as we continue on our own journey striving to keep “Growing with Distinction.”
Mayor Peggy Dunn
City of Leawood