Skoog-McKenney Announce THRIVE Kansas Plan

Overland Park is Thriving Under the Leadership of Mayor Skoog; As a Fredonia Physician and Businesswoman, Dr. McKenney Knows Rural Communities Can Thrive

OVERLAND PARK, KS, UNITED STATES, June 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As Mayor Curt Skoog (D-Overland Park) and Dr. Jennifer Bacani McKenney (D-Fredonia) begin just their third week on the campaign trail, they are announcing their “THRIVE Kansas” plan, articulating their priorities as the next Governor and Lt. Governor of Kansas.

“Overland Park is thriving today because we actively engage and listen to residents and stakeholders, confront tough issues, and build consensus between different perspectives,” said Mayor Skoog. “Overland Park is thriving, in part, because we don’t have time for culture wars or legislative bickering. On city council and as Mayor, my focus is on making progress -- and the results are clear.”

“I grew up in Fredonia and took over my father’s medical practice, built two businesses of my own, served nine years on the school board, am active in my faith community, and launched an annual cultural festival, Sausage Fest (August 29, 2026), so I understand small town life from every angle,” said Dr. McKenney. “Curt and I want to combine our experiences building thriving communities to ensure Kansas continues to prosper.”

Overland Park has 208,000 residents, three times larger than state senate districts, and is diverse in opinion, background, economic status. It has only 3.2 percent unemployment and the median salary is $60,000. More than 5000 major employers find the city a good place to do business. Overland Park maintains the lowest property taxes in the state.

The candidates are releasing the THRIVE Kansas Plan on Wednesday and will be in Wichita for the Kansas Chamber of Commerce candidate forum on Thursday. They are available to media by phone or in person in Overland Park and Fredonia on Wednesday, and in Wichita on Thursday afternoon.

The Skoog-McKenney THRIVE Kansas Plan

Thriving Communities -- Build thriving communities by focusing on the essentials. We will prioritize policies that increase attainable housing, deliver high-quality public schools, improve access to health care, increase opportunity for jobs and business creation, and address affordability and lower property taxes.

Healthy Kansans – Expand Medicaid to help decrease the risk of hospital closures and increase access to health care coverage to more Kansans. Increase medical training and create incentives for medical professionals to live in every part of Kansas. Create support for biomedical medical center innovation in mid-size and major cities while preserving hospitals and full service care in all rural communities.

Rural Roots -- Enact comprehensive economic development, agro-business and water policies in all regions. Prioritize stabilizing family farms, fostering entrepreneurship, and encouraging sustainable farming. Increase opportunity in small towns by helping each community expand on unique strengths and leverage shared values to guide investments. Ensure fair school funding formula and support for teachers so all Kansas families have access to high quality public education.

Innovating the Future -- Face and make progress on current challenges like water and education funding to create a business-friendly environment, attract new jobs, industry, tech start-ups, aerospace. Create new opportunities for small businesses to start and thrive through incentives or streamlining regulation where feasible.

Voice and Vote -- Strengthen democracy by elevating the importance of every Kansan’s equal voice and equal vote in our future. We must end the divisive political games and work together to build on the strength of Kansas -- our people. We will prioritize modernizing democracy reforms to ensure secure and accessible elections no matter what zip code you live in.

Everyone is Welcome -- Build community by focusing on our shared values. Whether you live or work here, or are just passing through, we want to get to know you and share our passions with you. Strong immigrant stories, strength in diversity, be proud of who we are, regardless of status, how we pray, what you look like, how much is in your wallet, or where you find the community you love.

Molly Albers
Skoog for Kansas
+1 913-488-2203
email us here

SKoog McKenney for Kansas

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.