Kansas Mayors Association

On May 9 and 10, city officials from across Kansas gathered in Manhattan for the 2014 Leadership Summit and Mayors Conference. As part of Friday’s session, the Kansas Mayors Association recognized the 2014 Mayor of the Year, Kim Thomas from Stockton.

During the past decade, Thomas has served on the board of directors for the KMA, the League of Kansas Municipalities, the Kansas Municipal Electric Association, and has been a hospital auxiliary member.

She has served as mayor of Stockton for 12 years and was the first African-American female mayor in the state of Kansas. Thanks to her direction, new water lines and a new water plant have been constructed, the city is currently working on a new sewer lagoon project, an old city building has been repurposed as the police station, and the city has received a grant to make a number of city buildings more energy efficient.

Recently, the city also received a grant from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation for the construction of four moderate income houses, with construction slated to begin this spring.

The KMA consists of 355 mayor members throughout Kansas, and exists to advance the proficiency of Kansas mayors and improve the quality of life in Kansas communities. As part of its efforts, the KMA annually recognizes individuals like Thomas who have gone above the call of duty to provide exceptional community leadership.