Position currently held by Nan Johnston
Saying his campaign will focus on experience and integrity, the current chairman of the city’s planning commission says he will run for election as mayor of Parkville in April.
Dean Katerndahl made the announcement on Tuesday.
Katerndahl said his campaign will feature his experience, his integrity, and his intention to implement, and continuously revisit the vision for the city as reflected in the Parkville Master Plan, the Parkville Park Plan, and the governing body’s strategic goals and priorities.
In a telephone interview with The Landmark on Tuesday, said he was encouraged to seek the office.
“I was approached by several people who indicated there is no obvious candidate. My understanding is the mayor isn’t going to run again,” he said of current Mayor Nan Johnston, whose term expires in April.
Asked if Johnston was one of those who had encouraged him to run, Katerndahl said no, indicating it was “friends up the block.”
“It didn’t look like anybody they knew was going to run,” he said.
Asked if he was familiar with the ongoing criminal investigation underway at Parkville City Hall by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department, he responded: “I do hear about it. But I haven’t followed it on a real close day to day basis.”
He said the criminal investigation did not play a role in his decision to run.
“I haven’t been involved in it in any way,” he remarked.
Katerndahl is retired after working for 18 years as the government innovations forum director for the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), a nine-county association of local governments dedicated to improving service and efficiency in local government operations.
He said in that position with MARC he worked with local government city managers, planning directors, and other staff on joint projects spanning multiple communities and states.
Prior to his work at MARC, Katerndahl was director of development for the city of Kansas City, Kan., and in that position was responsible for economic development, planning, community development, code enforcement, and building inspection.
Katerndahl has served on the nine-member Parkville Planning Commission for more than 14 years, working with a number of Parkville’s mayors and city staff, and has been chair of the commission for the last 12 years. He said most recently the planning commission completed and adopted a master plan for the city informed by extensive resident input.
Dean said he believes he can use his experience to help Parkville and its residents continue to grow while maintaining its neighborliness and appeal.
“We have a jewel of a small community, rich in history and personality, adjacent to all the amenities of a large metropolitan area. Parkville is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. We need to work together as a community continuing to develop our infrastructure and to foster local development in such a way as to maintain that small town charm while making sure we are meeting the needs of all our citizens,” he remarked.