The fourth Regional Mayors Summit will be held in Derby on Wednesday. As KMUW’s Carla Eckels reports, mayors from a 10-county region are expected to share ideas about how to stimulate the economy in south-central Kansas.
Mayors from Wichita, Derby, Mount Hope and Goddard are coordinating the summit, which is expected to attract close to 30 mayors from across south-central Kansas.
Keith Lawing, the CEO of the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas, says local government leaders recognize the need for a collaborative approach in recruiting and expanding businesses, as well as providing a better quality of life for citizens.
He says Wichita State University President John Bardo will be one of two speakers.
"We’re going to have Dr. Bardo talk a lot about Innovation Campus and his vision for that, but also how do we live on this I-35 corridor," Lawing says. "We’re going to have Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, and we’re going to talk about the partnership that maybe Wichita and Oklahoma City has, and could have, as a regional economic development strategy."
The summit agenda also includes a discussion about a passenger rail service.
The event will take place in the Pavilion at Madison Avenue Central Park at 512 E. Madison Avenue in Derby. It will begin at 11:30 a.m. with lunch and adjourn by 1:30 p.m.
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Carla Eckels is assistant news director and the host of Soulsations. Follow her on Twitter @Eckels.
To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.
