Message from Mayor McCullagh - July 2026

Hello Lake Quivira!

2026 Has been flying by. I appreciate the dedication of our staff at city hall who make the city run smoothly through all the surprises that have come our way. As we roll through the second half of the year, I have updates on initiatives and news on our new Chief of Police.

LQPD Update

We are excited to announce our new police chief, Roy Owens. If that name sounds familiar it is because Roy and his wife, Tiffany, have lived at Lake Quivira for 21 years, raising two children in the process. Additionally, Roy previously served as a part-time LQPD officer.

Roy comes to LQPD from Leawood PD where he most recently served as a corporal in the patrol division with experience in leadership, mentorship, and management. Roy has served as a Field Training Officer, Drug Recognition Expert, Motorcycle Officer, Public Information Officer, Honor Guard member, and Virtual Use of Force Instructor.

We interviewed several candidates and Roy distinguished himself through his strong dedication to the community, his clear strategic planning vision, and his deep understanding of the importance of balancing safety and freedom: values we hold dear at Lake Quivira.

Chief Owens’ start date is Monday, August 3. We appreciate all the extra shifts and work our LQPD officers have taken on while we completed the search. And we appreciate the patience of the community.

2026 Goal Updates

Goal 1: New revenue sources to offset property tax payments for homeowners

We have been working with Q, Inc.to determine if there is a path forward to developing land on the north side of Holliday for a self-storage facility. I appreciate all the work put in by councilmember Mike Pasley and resident Tom Hall. It is a complex situation involving HOA bylaws, municipal codes, and legal interpretations. Any additional revenue we can generate as a city will help to reduce property taxes for homeowners.

Goal 2: Improve safety inside and outside the gate

In addition to hiring Roy Owens as our new Chief of Police, we have been chasing down the best solution to get the big trucks off Holliday Drive. We have met with the Kansas Department of Transportation, the Mid America Regional Council, Unified Government, and the city of Shawnee regarding the problem of large trucks adding wear and tear as well as heighted safety concerns. It’s been a challenging process, but I am committed to prioritizing the safety of Lake Quivira.

Goal 3: Building Codes Update

Thank you to the more than 300 respondents who provided input for our building code survey. These responses helped guide our July 6 planning meeting with our building official, planning commission, city council, city attorney, city administrator, and Shockey Consulting (our consultant on the project). We reviewed preliminary findings from the resident survey and discussed improvements to the codes.

An open house is scheduled for Thursday, August 6, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, in the Lakeview Terrace Room at the Clubhouse. Please plan to attend. While there will be no formal presentation, the project team will have display stations to show what’s being considered and will be available to answer your questions.

July 4 recap

While our unlikely union’s*declaration of independence turned 250, we had an unlikely day of rain. Despite the rainy weather, our community withstood the elements to participate in, and cheer on, the golf cart parade. A big thank you to Maive Sojka for her amazing rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner! And to Captain David Prather and KC Flight Formation for the flyover! We have amazing traditions here.

Unfortunately, the weather caused a delay in the fireworks show. The quality of the show suffered due to the weather as well. The show was a bit like the sitcom Seinfeld: a very entertaining show, but the finale was not good. We have negotiated with the vendor to provide a fireworks show for the Beach Bash as compensation for the issues.

Shout outs!

To the garden club, especially Sandy Allen, for their work on our new Veterans Memorial Garden. The new flagpole is the gift of an anonymous donor, so this is more of a “whisper out.” The new space looks amazing. Thank you to all involved.

To councilmember Chip Zimmer, and city administrator, Kathy Bounds, who found a way to save money on our municipal insurance renewal. This may be the only documented case of something costing less in 2026 than 2025!

To LQPD Deputy Chief of Police, Shannon Trevino, and Lieutenant Leif French for their work on the June 4 IceCream Social and Public Safety Event. It was a great event as usual.

To resident Micah Hydeman who helped with our golf cart and bike safety event at The Q and hosted a winter water rescue event for KCKFD at Lake Quivira.

Thank you!

If you want to chat about anything to do with the city, send me an email and I’ll reply as soon as I can. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as mayor of this wonderful city!

Dave McCullagh

dmccullagh@lakequivira.ks.gov

*The USA is often described as an Unlikely Union because the 13 British colonies were highly independent and distinct from one another. Their agreement to unite seemed improbable. (I like to “nerd out” on US history.)

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