Unified Government Commissioner Angela Robinson Markley has filed for re-election to the 6th District UG commissioner position.
Markley first won election to the 6th District seat in 2011.
Markley stated her primary focus has been on blight reduction, including management of codes violations, vacant properties, tax delinquent properties, and demolition-eligible properties.
Markley worked closely with staff and Commissioner Brian McKiernan, with the support of the full commission, to establish the S.O.A.R. (Stabilization, Occupation and Revitalization) program, and to support ordinance changes, budget allocations and staff programs to reduce blight countywide. S.O.A.R. is responsible for policy changes to reduce the time required to abate properties, for the rehabilitation of houses through a land bank program, for the shortening of a decades-old demolition list, and for many internal efficiencies leading to better, faster management of blighted properties. The S.O.A.R. program also helps the commission prioritize infrastructure needs and manage blight-related costs.
“After many years of frustration, my greatest victory as a commissioner has been watching the Unified Government team come together enthusiastically to share ideas and implement policies and practices to reduce blight,” Markley said. “The data S.O.A.R. provides can speak for itself; we are making progress in an organized, data-driven way that supports the long term health of our neighborhoods and property values.”
In the past, Markley stated she has been instrumental in organizational improvements including an improved budget review schedule, more frequent strategic planning sessions, and greater reliance on data-focused goals for all departments. In addition, she has managed many infrastructure changes in her district.
Sidewalks have been installed on 55th Street between Oak Grove and Hagemann, from Junction Elementary, along Shawnee Drive to Matney Park, and near the Turner Walking Park on 53rd Street. Markley worked with the Turner Recreation Commission to install lights at the Turner Walking Park. Markley also secured Google coverage for parts of Morris, assisted in evaluating options for the rebuild of upper Holliday and of Riverview Bridge, and forged a strong relationship between the Turner Community Garden and its lessor, BNSF. Walking trails at the Grinter House property were installed with the help of casino grant dollars allocated by Markley. Markley has also brought about drainage improvements and a focus on ditch management strategies.
Markley stated she has supported a host of improvements in the Argentine district, brought forth by the Argentine Neighborhood Development Association and Argentine Betterment Corporation, including curb and sidewalk improvements, the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, Save-A-Lot, Dollar General, the new South Patrol, and remodeling and programming additions at the Joe E. Amayo Argentine Community Center.
“Argentine has had the benefit of two amazing nonprofit developers, working to promote the wants and needs of Argentine residents. I am thankful for their dedication to the Argentine community,” Markley said. “These entities consistently bring forward projects and deal structures that do not further burden taxpayers, and often involve donated money. They are the model for successful urban development.”
The commission has lowered the mill levy for property taxes three years in a row during Markley’s tenure.
“With the early retirement of the S.T.A.R. (sales tax revenue) bonds and a heavy reliance on data-driven budgeting, we have managed to lower the mill levy without a reduction in services, which is ideal,” Markley said. “We have been able to lower the mill levy while increasing spending in key infrastructure programs, which our residents have prioritized in our surveys.”
Markley hopes the commission will continue to use survey results and data to create budgets that focus on resident priorities.
Markley has been an active commissioner on internal and external boards and committees. She is the chairperson of the Unified Government Administration and Human Services Standing Committee. She serves as the Unified Government’s appointment to the Mid-America Regional Council Board of Directors, and she chairs the MARC Air Quality Forum. She is the Unified Government’s appointment to the KCK Convention and Visitors’ Bureau board of directors. Markley has previously chaired the ad hoc committees for the municipal court judge appointment, and served on the committee reviewing commissioner appointments, and the committee reviewing trash pickup failures and solutions.
Markley sits on the governance committee of Project EAGLE, which operates from the Children’s Campus on Minnesota Avenue. Markley and her family are members of Our Lady of Unity parish, where she lectors and participates in the choir, and acts as Companions in Faith committee chair.
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 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 Aug. 6, 2019. The general election is Nov. 5, 2019.