New Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson used his swearing-in ceremony on Monday to map out a set of guiding principles for governing of the city into its 70th year and beyond.
Mikkelson, who served a full term representing Ward 3 on the city council before rolling off early last year, said that matters of public safety, fiscal responsibility and infrastructure maintenance will continue to be the foundations on which good city government is built — and he credited outgoing Mayor Laura Wassmer with handing over the city in excellent shape on those counts.
But, he said, the city will face a number of tough questions in the coming years that will fundamentally shape how Prairie Village functions five, ten and 20 years down the road. “We have to collectively decide what Prairie Village character and charm means, whether it’s worth preserving, and, if so, how,” Mikkelson said. “Much change is coming either way, but what our city looks like, what it feels like to live here, who can afford to live here, the diversity of our residents and opportunities, the success and quality of our local businesses, the inter-city competition for Millennials buying the first house, they’re all in play over the next few years.”
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)