Long-time Grandview resident runs against sitting mayor

By Kathy Feist

Leonard Jones, Jr.

It was 10 years ago when Alderman Leonard Jones, Jr. was appointed Grandview mayor after then mayor Steven Dennis was sentenced to federal prison for stealing $35,000 in contributions from the International House of Prayer. It was a bad time for Grandview.

But times have changed.

“Life is good,” exclaims Jones.

Jones’ charm, positive outlook and get-things-done attitude has kept him in office for the past decade.

Lately, his hard work has paid off for Grandview. This year, the Kansas City Business Journal awarded the City of Grandview the Capstone Award, which honors the region’s best construction and development projects.

The reasons noted by the publication included Grandview’s new Department of Motor Vehicles, the total renovations of City Hall and Police Department, and the Main Street expansion, all part of a $21 million no tax increase bond package passed overwhelmingly in 2022.

The “Building Up Grandview Bond,” approved by 80 percent of voters, has been a feather in Jones’ cap and one he is particularly proud of. “It’s been transformational for the city,” he says.

In addition to the building improvements, the bond has funded other infrastructure improvements, including streets, fire stations, parking lots and sidewalks.

Jones says he’s excited about the remaining bond projects that are underway. This year Blue Ridge Boulevard will be reconstructed from Prospect to 3rd Street (Phase 1). In 2026, the upgrades continue under the bridge from 3rd Street to Grandview Road (Phase 2). The final push will be from Grandview Road to I-49 Hwy. The improvements include expanded and repaved roads, new sidewalks and a new train trestle. “It’s the largest infrastructure project Grandview has done,” says Jones.

Another project Jones says he is proud of is the conversion of the one-way roads into two-way lanes along I-49. “Traffic moves, and property values along the route have skyrocketed,” he says.

Jones also has overseen improvements in all of Grandview’s parks during his terms. He says in 2026/27, it will be time to start park updates again.

Jones has overseen a lot of progress in Grandview and hopes to address issues with litter and economic development.

But first, he has a race to win.

David Robinson

One day David Robinson was taking a leisurely walk along High Grove Road when he came across a broken sidewalk. “It had been like that for many, many years,” he said. He didn’t like that.

He began to think of other things that had been neglected around the city: the caved-in metal sewers, the slow snow removal near his home, the trash on the sidewalks, the lack of new businesses and restaurants.

Robinson decided to make a difference and run for mayor.

“I love Grandview,” said the life-long resident. “I love the people.”

Robinson, age 61, graduated from Grandview High School and entered the military. He then spent the next 33 years working for Johnson County, Kansas, at the Tomahawk Wastewater Treatment Plant in Leawood. The facility has won several awards during his employment, including a Platinum Award won while he ran operations there.

Robinson retired in 2023 soon after his father passed.

In his spare time he is taking college courses.

Robinson would like to see Grandview run more like government branches he’s seen in Johnson County. He says he’s watched their board meetings for years in order to learn their style of government. “They listen to each other,” he says. “Even if they disagree, they listen.”

Robinson says he has only been to one or two Grandview Alderman meetings. But he feels he has attributes that would help Grandview become a better place.

“I’m really good with money,” he says. “I like to watch a budget. I watch it like a hawk.”

Robinson says he would like to make Grandview a better place for businesses and restaurants, although he’s not sure how. “I’m open to options,” he says.

Already Robinson is taking steps to make Grandview better by running for mayor rather than being an armchair critic.

“I’m gonna do my best,” he says. “I want to be the best mayor Grandview has ever seen in my lifetime.”