Meet the Candidates: Eileen Weir

INDEPENDENCE MAYORAL RACE: 

EILEEN WEIR

My husband, Tom, and I moved to Independence in 2000 and purchased his grandparent's home on Blue Ridge Blvd.  Tom's parents, Bob and Carolyn Weir, live next door to us, in the home where Tom grew up.  His grandfather, Bill Reich, worked in the family business A. Reich & Sons in Leeds and the West Bottoms of Kansas City before developing the Blue Ridge Mall and Blue Ridge Bank & Trust Co in the 1950's.  He and Tom's grandmother, Marcie Reich, were very involved in the business and civic communities throughout their lives.

Over the past 21 years that I have lived in Independence, I have focused on public safety and economic development, particularly in Western Independence.  I was appointed to the Citizens Committee on Public Safety in 2003 and worked with Chief of Police Fred Mills and Fire Chief Larry Hodge to understand the needs of our police and fire departments. The committee recommended two sales taxes for police and fire which were placed on the ballot in August of 2004. I learned a lot from working on those campaigns, and I have put my time, energy, and financial resources into many campaigns since then including the school district boundary change campaign to bring the Western Independence schools into the Independence School District.  I led the 2019 Prop P campaign to implement a local use tax to hire more police officers and support our regional animal shelter.

I currently serve on the "On A Roll Committee" to implement the city's downtown redevelopment plan.  This plan includes the Square, Englewood, Maywood, and Fairmount as well as Noland Road, 23rd Street, and 24 Hwy.  Over the past several months, I have been working with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver to secure federal funding for an emissions-free, fare-free bus rapid transit project on 24 Hwy.  This plan will connect Kansas City, KS, Kansas City, MO and Independence with a state-of-the art bus line and revitalize the 24 Hwy corridor with new infrastructure, businesses and housing. This will add to the investment the city has already made for the complete streets project on 24 Hwy that will begin construction this year.

During my time as mayor, I have enjoyed leading trips to other cities in our area and around the country to learn about downtown redevelopment and get great ideas for our city.  My dad's career was in downtown redevelopment, so it is something I grew up with and have always been inspired by.  Independence has so much to offer, and I have dedicated myself to building relationships across the metro and across the country to bring quality development to our city.  Over the past 8 years, our median income has grown from $41,000 to $53,000 and over 5,000 new jobs have been created.

I appreciate your vote on Tuesday, February 8th to keep Independence growing strong.

PLEASE VOTE IN THE CITY ELECTION ON FEBRUARY 8!

MEET THE CANDIDATES
MAYOR: BRICE STEWART -- HOLMES OSBORNE -- KENNETH LOVE -- EILEEN WEIR
CITY COUNCIL: MIKE HUFF -- BILL PRESTON-- MARCIE GRAGG