Month: December 2014

Commissioner Angela Robinson Markley filed for re-election to the 6th District commissioner position of the Unified Government. Markley first won election to the 6th District seat in 2011.

“I am proud of the progress we have made over the last four years. Through persistence and partnerships, we have made neighborhood improvements and policy improvements, many of which had been needed for decades,” Markley said.

Markley said community engagement has been instrumental during her first term. She advocated for a community survey to guide budget dollars, and relied heavily on community input to shape policy, and when choosing infrastructure projects for the Community Neighborhood Infrastructure Program.

“The community’s engagement has been critical to my work, and I am so thankful for it. It has been my pleasure to work in the trenches with neighbors to resolve issues and set goals,” she said.

After tallying votes from community members, CNIP dollars paid for new sidewalks on 55th Street between Oak Grove and Hagemann and from Junction Elementary along Shawnee Drive to Matney Park. Additionally, the UG partnered with Turner Recreation Commission to install lights at the Turner Walking Park. Additional sidewalk improvements are planned for 2015 CNIP expenditures.

“Infrastructure continues to be a critical and costly priority, but the community has made it clear that sidewalks impacting the safety of our school children come first, and I have taken that to heart,” she said.

In addition to CNIP expenditures, Oak Grove Road in front of Oak Grove Elementary will be rebuilt, complete with curbs and sidewalks, beginning this spring. Additionally, the Turner Unified School District received it’s first Safe Routes to Schools grant for Midland Trail elementary for 2015. Matney Park’s walking trail will receive attention by spring as well.

Markley also notes smaller neighborhood improvements have been made throughout the 6th District. She cites drainage improvements on South 51st Street between Swartz Road and Metropolitan, negotiating a lease with BNSF for Turner Community Garden, securing Google coverage for parts of Morris, managing trash and abandoned property issues on Holliday and Inland, arranging for ditch maintenance, and tracking code complaints as examples of those neighborhood projects.

“Neighborhood-level improvements are incredibly impactful, and my work on smaller projects is my greatest source of pride.”

Markley has been an active commissioner on both official and ad hoc committees, bringing forward everything from tighter graffiti ordinances to an improved budget review schedule.

“I also continue to work closely with other commissioners on proposed changes to our land bank policies and code enforcement operations,” Markley said. “We need to embrace opportunities in both areas to improve the livability of our neighborhoods and increase our tax base.”

“I still am very dedicated to lowering our (property) tax rate,” Markley said. That is an issue that has been high on the list of survey responses of citizens, and she added she is relying on the survey responses.

Markley’s neighborhood improvement policies pair with her volunteer work. Markley is president and founder of Share the Bear, Inc., a not-for-profit operating in the Turner area. Share the Bear, Inc., will partner with another not-for-profit in Argentine for a housing redevelopment project in the Highland Crest neighborhood using Community Development Block Grant funding.

“My not-for-profit partners both in Argentine and Turner have been consistently supportive. Argentine Neighborhood Development Association, Argentine Betterment Corporation, and Share the Bear are all serving the 6th District in incredible ways,” Markley said. “I can’t wait to see the improvements these partners bring collectively for Highland Crest.”

Markley is the chairperson of the UG Administration and Human Services Standing Committee. She serves as the UG’s appointment to the Mid-America Regional Council Board of Directors, and as CDBG committee. She previously chaired the ad hoc committees for the municipal court judge appointment, and twice served on the strategic planning consultant hiring committee.

Markley works as in-house counsel to BRR Architecture, Inc. She graduated cum laude from Washburn University School of Law in 2006, and summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Pittsburg State University in 2003. Markley is a Turner High School graduate, former chair of the Turner Recreation Commission, and former Turner Days Committee member. She was a founding member of Turner Community Connection. She and her husband are current officers of the SAFE Neighborhood Group.

Markley sits on the governance committee and the strategic planning committee of Project EAGLE, which operates from the Children’s Campus on Minnesota Avenue. She is a member of Our Lady of Unity parish, where she lectors and participates in the choir.

Markley has lived her entire life in the Turner area. She is married to Joshua Markley, and they have a son, Lewis.

The primary election, if needed, will take place March 3, 2015. The general election is April 7, 2015.