By Leilani Haywood
Tribune Reporter
During the Lee’s Summit city council meeting on April 12, 2018, Mayor Pro Tem Rob Binney presented a book of photos prepared by city staff and a plaque honoring Randy Rhoads’ service to the city as councilman from 1998 to 2010 and then as mayor from 2010 to 2018. He said that Rhoads was one of the founding fathers of the city’s charter commission. “He was elected a city council member in 1998 after having served on the original charter commission,” said Binney. “So, the charter is essentially the constitution document that the city uses to operate on. He was literally one of the city’s founders or fathers in that sense that he served on the original commission in 1998.”
Rhoads also served on the Mid-America Regional Council’s transportation and aviation commissions and as president of the Missouri Municipal League. Rhoads was accompanied by his wife, Mary Anne, his son, Skylar and daughter, Katherine. Rhoads joked that his wife, Mary Anne had a long to-do list for him.
Newly elected Lee’s Summit Mayor, Bill Baird asked for grace for the past mistakes of City Council to move forward to the future. “I would like you to consider giving grace to those you may feel have made mistakes or hurt you and ask for grace from anyone that may have failed you or that you may have felt that you made mistakes or hurt them even if it wasn’t your intention,” he said after being sworn in at the April 12, 2018 meeting. “This grace will free our council so that we may focus on critical decisions that we must make for the great population that we serve and properly consider the wonderful opportunities that we have before us.”
Baird was sworn in with newly-elected Councilmembers Jose ‘Beto’ Lopez and Bob Johnson. Councilmember Lopez narrowly won the District 3 election against Diane Seif with four votes. Johnson replaces term-limited Dave Mosby in District 4. Mosby served on the city council from 2010 until being termed-out in the 2018 election. Seif was elected to City Council in 2014.
Incumbents Trish Carlyle in District 2, Diane Forte in District 1 and Fred DeMoro in District 4 were also sworn in by City Clerk Trisha Arcuri. Councilwoman Phyllis Edson, District 3 and Councilmember Craig Faith, District 2, were not facing an election. Binney lost the mayoral race to Baird but will continue serving as councilman for District 1 until 2020, when he will be term-limited.
