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  Reardon, Joe
CANDIDATE DETAILS
AffiliationDemocratic  
 
NameJoe Reardon
Address
Kansas City, Kansas , United States
EmailNone
WebsiteNone
Born Unknown
ContributorRBH
Last ModifedRBH
Nov 23, 2009 01:10pm
Tags
InfoJoe Reardon is the 27th Mayor of the City of Kansas City, Kansas. He was elected to his second term as Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas on April 7, 2009.

Mayor at Sun Fresh speakingBorn in 1968 to a stay home mom and father who was a former school teacher, he was taught at an early age the values of working hard and respecting people. Joe grew up in the St. Peter’s Cathedral neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas. He loved the area so much that he continues to reside in the same neighborhood with his wife, Amy, and two young sons Jack and Connor.

A graduate of Bishop Ward High School, Joe is a family man with deep roots in Kansas City, Kansas. He is what some call, a true “Dotte” to the core. His love for people and overwhelming desire to enhance the quality of life for residents in his community, led him on a journey into the political arena. He quickly rose to the most influential seat in politics just two years after being elected to the Unified Government Board of Commission in 2003.

Mayor talking with peopleThis was no surprise to those who knew his family background. Joe’s grandfather was a Wyandotte County Commissioner. Joe’s father, John E. (Jack) Reardon, was elected Mayor in 1975. At age 31, He was the youngest in the history of Kansas City, Kansas to be elected Mayor and the first to serve under the new Mayor-Council-City Manager form of government. Before running for the mayoral seat, his father served as Register of Deeds for Wyandotte County.

In 1997, Wyandotte County voters overwhelmingly approved consolidation of the Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County governments. This action created the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas. At the age of 35, Joe was elected to a Mayor meetingfour-year term in 2005 and continued his father’s political legacy by becoming only the second elected official to serve as Mayor/CEO under the new Unified Government. Just recently, he was elected as President of the League of Kansas Municipalities (LKM) from 2007-2008. His election marks the first time in the organization’s history that a father and son have served as president. Jack Reardon served as President of LKM from 1978-1979.

During his term as Mayor/CEO, he has brought government closer to the residents of Wyandotte County through his First Floor First Friday’s event. digThe event allows citizens the opportunity to meet with Mayor face-to-face and one-on-one to discuss issues and concerns that are of importance to them as taxpayers. He has worked diligently to bring a 10 member Board of Commission and UG staff together to embrace his theme of commitment and promise.


During his term as Mayor, groundbreaking ceremonies have become a common event in Wyandotte and Kansas City, Kansas. The city has built its first grocery store in 30 years. The 42,000 sq. ft grocery store is the largest tenant in the $20 Sun Freshmillion Prescott Plaza Shopping Center that will host additional retail stores, restaurants, and upscale hotel. A neighborhood grocery is also scheduled to open on Leavenworth Road in late 2008. Western Wyandotte County continues to expand with the recent groundbreaking of the “Plaza at the Speedway” project and the Schlitterbahn Vacation Resort and Water Park, which is scheduled to open during the summer of 2009. This major tourist attraction, Scheels and the Schlitterbahn, will bring additional revenue to the area.

Mayor speakingReardon is taking the momentum of progress and moving forward in new ways. He is also working on plans to revitalize downtown Kansas City, Kansas. Currently there are plans to construct a Children’s Campus on the corner of 5th and Minnesota Ave. The Children’s Campus is a place where children can receive high quality early education and young families can have easy access to comprehensive services to address their needs. Projects also included capital improvements to 5th Street in the historic Strawberry Hill neighborhood and also the construction of an eight story and five story office building is part of a proposed development project downtown. Joe’s leadership was critical to leading focus groups, developing procedures, and guidelines during the lengthy selection process to bring destination casino gaming to Wyandotte County. He worked diligently to get it through the Kansas Legislature.

Reardon has a law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Rockhurst University. He worked for the law firm of McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips, P.A. in Kansas City, Kansas. He also was employed by Thomson West, a legal information company based in Eagan, Minnesota. He is a member of the Kansas Bar Association and the Wyandotte County Bar Association. A graduate of Leadership 2000, Mayor Reardon currently serves several boards:

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Local Initiative Support Corporation, Inc. (LISC)
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the Mid-America Regional Council
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the Kansas City Kansas Area Chamber of Commerce, Ex-Officio
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the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
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the Kansas City, Kansas Downtown Shareholders
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the Kansas City Area Development Council Board
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the Kansas, Inc., Advisory Board
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Mayor Reardon, was recognized in 2006 as one of greater Kansas City’s top civic leaders by Ingram Magazine’s 40-under-40

He is the past president of the Neighborhood Housing Services of Kansas City, Kansas. He served on the board of CHWC, a community housing developer that specializes in building new homes in the urban core. He also served as vice-chair of the Bishop Ward High School Board of Trustees.

[Link]

JOB APPROVAL POLLS
FAVORABILITY POLLS
DateFirmFavorableUnfavorableDon't Know
02/21/2013-02/24/2013 Public Policy Polling 14.00% ( 0.0) 14.00% ( 0.0) 73.00% ( 0.0)

BOOKS
Title Purchase Contributor

EVENTS
Start Date End Date Type Title Contributor

NEWS
Date Category Headline Article Contributor

DISCUSSION
Importance? 0.00000 Average

FAMILY
Father John "Jack" Reardon 1943-1988

INFORMATION LINKS
RACES
  04/07/2009 Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS Mayor/CEO Won 89.59% (+79.19%)
  04/05/2005 Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS Mayor/CEO Won 58.88% (+17.76%)
  03/01/2005 Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS Mayor/CEO - Primary Won 22.45% (+0.00%)
SPECULATIVE, DID NOT RUN
  08/05/2014 KS Governor - D Primary Lost 0.00% (-100.00%)
ENDORSEMENTS
Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS Mayor/CEO - Apr 02, 2013 D Mark R. Holland