My name is J. Beto Lopez and along with my wife, Venessa Maxwell-Lopez, we have lived in Lees Summit for 22 years. Venessa and I have 3 daughters; Michaela (19), Celena (17), and Sophie (16).
Over the years, we’ve enjoyed participating in the youth soccer and softball leagues at Legacy Park and also using the Legacy Park Community Center for birthday swim parties. We’ve also enjoyed family picnics at various city parks. We chose to live in Lee’s Summit because of the great school systems, the safe neighborhoods, its great parks and because of the overall quality of life. I decided to run for 3rd District City Council primarily because I’m concerned about the ongoing tax base issue and the leadership shortfalls with the current city council. With my professional and civic leadership experience I intend to address both of these concerns head on.
I’ve held numerous leadership roles with various civic organizations and initiatives in Lee’s Summit and throughout the metro area. More recently, I’ve been a member of Lee’s Summit City Planning Commission for the past 3 years. Throughout these experiences, I’ve worked with diverse groups of people to plan and implement strategies and work towards achieving a common goal.
The only way to ensure that Lee’s Summit maintains these quality amenities is to find ways to create and sustain economic growth with a long term approach. Like other suburban communities we face similar budget challenges. We must be able pay competitive benefits and salaries to attract and retain the most qualified city staff. All of our employees have chosen to come here to serve us and we must support them in their efforts to keep our city operating efficiently and keeping us safe. We must also find ways to keep our parks and walking/biking trails safe and we must keep up with increasing infrastructure needs, such as road improvements and water-flooding is-sues.
As a city council person, I intend to use my vast experience in the areas of economic development, commercial real estate development and lending to help attract more industry and jobs to help ease the tax burden on all of us residential tax paying citizens. I know first hand what its like to be an entrepreneur, risk taker and investor on multi-million dollar projects. Some projects have been more successful than others but I’m proud to say that I have ALWAYS honored my financial obligations. As a public servant, I will serve the residents of Lee’s Summit with the highest degree leadership, financial integrity, transparency and ethics. I truly believe that Lee’s Summit is a great place to live and work. My goal is to preserve our great quality of life and ensure that Lee’s Summit continues to be a great place to live for my daughters and all future generations.
If residents of the 3rd district believe that my proven track record can make a difference for all of us, I would appreciate their support. Please vote for me on April 3rd!
