Eric Mikkelson Sworn in as Mayor of Prairie Village

“If you go to East and live in Leawood or Mission Hills, and you just want to voice an opinion because you’re in Prairie Village all the time, you can do that,” Mayor Eric Mikkelson said. “You get to address the entire council and the mayor about whatever you feel strongly about. So let me tell you if we had 20 kids who came up and said we feel strongly about this and this is why and studied it, then that would make a huge impact.”

Seconds after being sworn into office on Monday Mikkelson made his first proclamation as Mayor of Prairie Village to make Jan. 14 a city holiday: Laura Wassmer Day. This act worked as a commemoration of both former Wassmer’s public service and as a way to establish a good faith connection with the previous governing administration.

“Mayor Wassmer has demonstrated her dedication to ensure the city remains a unique and desirable community,” Mikkelson said.
Wassmer may have left Prairie Village in good shape, but Mikkelson still has concrete ideas on what his policy work is going to look like, starting with the Prairie Village carbon footprint.

“It would just be considerate to see if it’s cost effective to do something in a more environmentally sustainable way,” Mikkelson said.

While Mikkelson served on the city council, he pushed for a bike pedestrian plan that aims to provide more space for pedestrians walking and biking for the community. The plan was approved in concept a year ago, but when it goes into action will depend on community involvement and the city council, which could take upwards of three years according to Mikkelson Going green isn’t the only thing the new mayor is looking to infuse into his first term. Mikkelson wants students and educators to involve themselves with local politics as well.

“I’d like to partner more with the schools and school district on some projects,” Mikkelson said. “Shawnee Mission East and all of the schools are such a huge part of our city.”

The Mayor suggested that students can get involved by attending the Prairie Village City Council Meeting, which is on the first and third Monday of every month. Every meeting has an allotted time where people can present ideas they want implemented, and a resident of Prairie Village isn’t a requirement to speak at these meetings.