October 23, 2021
By Tribune Staff
Members of the Lee’s Summit City Council recently took two separate actions regarding the municipal election scheduled to be held Tuesday, Apr. 5, 2022.
On September 14, council members voted to adopt an ordinance to establish the election filing dates for the April municipal election. This action was necessary for the municipal election to be in compliance with state law. House Bill 271, signed by Missouri Governor Mike Parson, amends the candidate filing dates for local elections.
The city ordinance establishes the new candidate filing dates as being held from 8 a.m. on December 7 through December 28 at 5 p.m. During that time, qualified candidates may file to be on the April ballot with the city clerk.
The city Charter defines a qualified candidates for city council as having been a “resident of the city for two years next preceding election and a qualified voter of the city and shall remain a resident of his or her district and a qualified voter of his or her district. . . A councilmember shall have been a resident of his or her respective district for six months next preceding election.”
The city Charter defines a qualified candidate for mayor as having been a “resident of the city for two years next preceding election and a qualified voter and shall remain a resident and qualified voter of the city.”
The April election ballot will include candidates for each of the four council districts as well as candidates for Mayor. Councilmember Diane Forte (District 1) and Councilmember Trish Carlyle (District 2) will not be running for re-election as they have both served two terms and are term limited. Mayor Pro Tem Beto Lopez (District 3) and Councilmember Bob Johnson (District 4) are both eligible to run for a second four-year term. Mayor Bill Baird is also up for re-election should he choose to run for a second term.
On October 5, council members voted to adopt an ordinance that changes the boundaries of each of the four council districts. The city council is required by the City Charter to review these boundaries at least once every ten years after the census numbers are released. The Charter also requires that the districts be compact and contiguous and shall contain, as nearly as possible, an equal number of inhabitants.
According to the 2020 Census, Lee’s Summit now has 101,108 residents up from 91,364 in 2010. The new district boundaries divide the city into four districts which average about 25,000 people each.
