Last December, we all grappled with the unthinkable slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

One of our most famous and recognizable Missouri residents, Mark Twain, said, “Always tell the truth. That way, you don’t have to remember what you said.” I think Twain knew a thing or two about branding. Our branding mantra revolves around consistency and relevance. Not one time will you come in contact with the Lee’s Summit brand, that we don’t remind you what the city stands for. Having a limited budget, we can’t afford to be inconsistent, much less talk about something that isn’t relevant and therefore will not resonate with our target audience.

I am always a little in awe when I go to Jefferson City.

As an intern for the 8th District and a Communications major, Kelsey Sullivan took the opportunity to spend a day shadowing Sen. Kraus and sharing with our office her observations of the work of a legislator.

It’s an announcement many of us thought would be coming any day now – Lee’s Summit Mayor Randy Rhoads is running for re-election.

Many of you may have heard of an issue regarding the Missouri Department of Revenue, involving the collection and storage of sensitive data, the potential misuse of (concealed carry) information, and the possibility that the information you bring to a fee license office is shared with entities outside the state.

The bond issue’s overwhelming passage this week in Lee’s Summit cannot be seen as anything other than a mandate about improving our community.

Thankfully, they allow us to live in it. Women are the single most important decision makers in the consumer economy. Don’t think so? Well, let’s look at the facts.

The first half of our legislative year ended last week, which coincided with our spring break. My staff and I used this week off from session to catch up on correspondence and meet with constituents in the district. I held six town halls in the district last week. I will touch on those in more detail in a future Capitol Report.

I know the more I take Addy to Mass, the less likely she will be to blurt out whatever is on her 2-and-a-half year old mind and more likely to (as much as she can) behave.

Most cities have things it can “hang its hat on.”

On April 2, we’ll have an opportunity to vote on a truly unique package of bond issues that will have a long lasting impact on Lee’s Summit.

Communities don’t form by accident.

This week I found myself doing something I hadn’t done in a few years – talking on a radio show.

The Colorado Debacle refers to an incident when the state government, after a roller-coaster funding ride, decided to defund their state’s branding budget. As a result their market share plunged 30 percent the first year, a drop of $1.4 billion in revenues. In fact, Colorado went from ranking as the No. 1 summer destination in the United States to 17.