About David
Our Westwood Story
Hello, and thank you for visiting Waters for Westwood!
I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to serve as the next Mayor of Westwood, Kansas. As I take this step, I have been blessed with the support of my family, friends, neighbors, so many Westwood citizens, and Westwood View families. It has been my honor to serve you and our community and I hope to be able to continue to do so as Mayor.
My wife, Mandy, and I have lived in Westwood since 2003 and we've loved growing our family here. It was in our first Westwood home, on Booth Street off of 47th Street, where we welcomed our oldest son in 2007. Like many couples with growing families, we soon needed a bit more room, but we knew Westwood was where we wanted to stay. In 2010 we moved into our current home on the Southwest corner of 48th Terrace and Belinder. We now have two boys attending Westwood View Elementary and all four of us truly love our city, our neighborhood, and our school. We are privileged to be part of this vibrant and growing community, where we know and spend time with our neighbors, where we can walk to a growing number of businesses, and where we benefit from our first-rate city services.
Professionally, I am a partner with the Lathrop Gage law firm in Kansas City, Missouri, and Overland Park, Kansas, specializing in municipal law, real estate, transactional/business law, planning and zoning, health care, and, construction/architecture projects. I graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Political Science and Modern Languages (Spanish). I then attended the University of Kansas School of Law. After spending nearly 15 years as a manager at Lidia’s Restaurant in Kansas City, Mandy has been the general manager at the new Boulevard Brewing Company Beer Hall since 2016.
The Right Kind of Experience
Above all, I am called to service for our City, and I consider it among my greatest privileges and responsibilities. I currently serve on the Westwood City Council, am Chair of the Public Works Committee, and am a member of the Public Safety Committee. Prior to that, I was a member of the Westwood Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals for eight years, and I was one of Westwood's representatives on the 47th and Mission Road Area Development and Management Committee (with Roeland Park and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas) for five years.
My additional community experience includes:
- Board of Directors (2012-present)
- Leadership Northeast Class of 2009
- Kansas State Affairs Committee (Vice-Chair, 2019)
- 2019 Kansas City, Kansas, Land Use and Zoning Law "Lawyer of the Year"
Progressive Leadership
I support equality, care for our environment, and education, and I believe our City can be a catalyst for these initiatives. I have been a member of the steering committee for the Metro KC Climate Action Coalition, and have helped author nondiscrimination ordinances for local municipalities. I am committed to Westwood View and promoting the right kind of quality residential and business development that will help our City retain its charm, while meeting the needs of future residents and growing families, of all kinds. I will work for policies and programs that promote safe, walkable, and bikeable neighborhoods, streets, and parks.
I would be proud to represent you as Mayor, and I would ask for your support in 2019. Please join me in making Westwood a friendly, collaborative, and vibrant community! Ask me how you can help, and feel free to contact me.
Hello, and thank you for visiting Waters for Westwood!
I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to serve as the next Mayor of Westwood, Kansas. As I take this step, I have been blessed with the support of my family, friends, neighbors, so many Westwood citizens, and Westwood View families. It has been my honor to serve you and our community and I hope to be able to continue to do so as Mayor.
My wife, Mandy, and I have lived in Westwood since 2003 and we've loved growing our family here. It was in our first Westwood home, on Booth Street off of 47th Street, where we welcomed our oldest son in 2007. Like many couples with growing families, we soon needed a bit more room, but we knew Westwood was where we wanted to stay. In 2010 we moved into our current home on the Southwest corner of 48th Terrace and Belinder. We now have two boys attending Westwood View Elementary and all four of us truly love our city, our neighborhood, and our school. We are privileged to be part of this vibrant and growing community, where we know and spend time with our neighbors, where we can walk to a growing number of businesses, and where we benefit from our first-rate city services.
Professionally, I am a partner with the Lathrop Gage law firm in Kansas City, Missouri, and Overland Park, Kansas, specializing in municipal law, real estate, transactional/business law, planning and zoning, health care, and, construction/architecture projects. I graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Political Science and Modern Languages (Spanish). I then attended the University of Kansas School of Law. After spending nearly 15 years as a manager at Lidia’s Restaurant in Kansas City, Mandy has been the general manager at the new Boulevard Brewing Company Beer Hall since 2016.
The Right Kind of Experience
Above all, I am called to service for our City, and I consider it among my greatest privileges and responsibilities. I currently serve on the Westwood City Council, am Chair of the Public Works Committee, and am a member of the Public Safety Committee. Prior to that, I was a member of the Westwood Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals for eight years, and I was one of Westwood's representatives on the 47th and Mission Road Area Development and Management Committee (with Roeland Park and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas) for five years.
My additional community experience includes:
- Leadership Kansas (Class of 2017)
- Northeast Johnson County Chamber of Commerce
- Board of Directors (2012-present)
- Leadership Northeast Class of 2009
- Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
- Kansas State Affairs Committee (Vice-Chair, 2019)
- Kansas State University College of Arts & Sciences Young Alumni Award (2015)
- Kansas State University College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Advisory Council (2016-2019)
- The Best Lawyers in America® in Real Estate (2013-2020), Construction Law (2018-2020), Land Use and Zoning Law (2018-20120), and Municipal Law (2018-2020)
- 2019 Kansas City, Kansas, Land Use and Zoning Law "Lawyer of the Year"
- Super Lawyers® Missouri & Kansas "Rising Star" (40 years old and younger) (2012-2017)
Progressive Leadership
I support equality, care for our environment, and education, and I believe our City can be a catalyst for these initiatives. I have been a member of the steering committee for the Metro KC Climate Action Coalition, and have helped author nondiscrimination ordinances for local municipalities. I am committed to Westwood View and promoting the right kind of quality residential and business development that will help our City retain its charm, while meeting the needs of future residents and growing families, of all kinds. I will work for policies and programs that promote safe, walkable, and bikeable neighborhoods, streets, and parks.
I would be proud to represent you as Mayor, and I would ask for your support in 2019. Please join me in making Westwood a friendly, collaborative, and vibrant community! Ask me how you can help, and feel free to contact me.