From PTA to Politics: Two SM East parents are running for local office positions

SM East parents Braden Perry and Cole Robinson are running for city council positions in Mission Hills and Prairie Village. The election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4, with Perry on the Mission Hills ballot for mayor, and Robinson on the Prairie Village ballot for Ward 1 — one of six wards in Prairie Village. 

Both Braden and Cole have served on the city councils in the past, with Cole running for reelection of his current position, and Braden stepping up to run for mayor instead. 

Braden’s son, sophomore Desi Perry, has helped his father with his campaign by expanding the Instagram account and visiting citizens of Missions Hills, doing their best to grow the number of people to vote for Braden as mayor.

“I've gotten [the Instagram] to about 300 followers in three weeks, and I've been giving out a lot of T-shirts here,” Desi said. “I've also been telling seniors to vote.”

Braden has enjoyed having Desi help with the campaign, as well as his wife and other son, senior Briggs Perry, who’ve spent the past few months going door to door in Mission Hills, encouraging the neighborhood to vote for Braden. Being a city council member for the past eight years has taught Braden how fulfilling voluntary civic service can be. Now, he wants to take his commitment to Mission Hills a step further by running for mayor. 

“I believe that people should serve their community,” Braden said. “It's something that people do in a city like Mission Hills or Prairie Village, and it goes with living in nice areas. You should be able to get out and do some things for the city.”

Cole feels similarly about serving the community of Prairie Village, the city he grew up in. He’s running for reelection as a Prairie Village city council member for Ward 1 this year. 

Cole has enjoyed his past four years on council, serving the community and educating his family on being an engaged citizen. Though he didn’t always plan on being a member of the city council, he was excited to run for the council when the opportunity presented itself back in 2021. 

Cole has campaigned in various ways throughout the election season, speaking at public events, posting on social media and producing yard signs around the neighborhood. At times, all of this work can be stressful, reminding Cole to focus on the end goal of getting reelected.

“I've really enjoyed [running], even through some of the more turbulent times,” Cole said. “It's been fulfilling and stimulating. The elections bring, just by necessity, a high-pressure decision point, and so once you live in that dynamic, and you get very close to the end, it's pretty normal to be just totally wiped out.”

Cole’s stepdaughter, sophomore Elena Hull, understands the pressure Cole is under while running for office. She has also helped Cole with digital design for his campaign using her skills from her digital design class at SM East.  

“I've gone to a couple [speakings] he just had,” Hull said. “A couple months ago, he had an event to launch his reelection campaign, and a bunch of people came down, so it was really fun to see people listening to him.”

Both Hull and Perry have gained admirable respect for their parents throughout this process. They’ve stood by their parents through the years of their service on the city councils, supporting and learning from their parents’ footsteps. 

“Seeing him help other people out while still running his own campaign has made me gain a lot of respect for him,” Elena said.