Alex Curnes stands in front of Eudora City Hall, where he was sworn into the City Commission in June.
Following the retirement of former City Commissioner Ruth Hughs, Alex Curnes was sworn into the commission in June.
Curnes, a Eudora resident since 2016, is married and has three daughters. He said his family originally moved to Eudora because of the schools and neighborhoods. Curnes has a bachelor of arts in history from the University of Kansas, and has worked as a manager at Nebraska Furniture Mart since 2014.
Curnes spoke to The Eudora Times about his new role as commissioner and what his hopes are for Eudora within the next few years.
Q. Why did you want to become a commissioner, and what is your main focus while you serve in the role?
A. I wanted to become a city commissioner to make sure that there’s someone representing the different voices in the community. To make sure that the focus of the commission remains on bridging those traditional Eudora values while also having a desire to grow the community.
To me, traditional Eudora values means a place for families, a place for great schools, a place for our senior citizens, a place where people want to be shopping, working, living.
What should Eudora residents know about the commission and your job?
The commission works very hard to make sure we’re representing those different voices. We’re really trying to make sure that Eudora is a great community to live in now but also a great community to live in in the future.
There’s a lot of things that go into that, whether that’s making sure the streets are in good shape or that our infrastructure is the way it should be. Some of that is probably mundane to some folks, but I know we have an excellent staff. I’ve spent a lot of time over these past few months meeting with different staff members at the different departments. We have some excellent folks working for the city.
How will you address the rapid growth associated with the new Panasonic plant?
I think it’s an amazing time to live in Eudora. We have a tremendous opportunity that’s been placed before us. I had no idea this was coming when I became a commissioner, but I’m excited to be a part of it. If everything ends up going as it’s been reported, we’ll potentially welcome new residents and visitors to the city. It certainly has the prospects of opening up some great opportunities for the community.
I think it’s important to remember that while it’s an exceptional opportunity for the city and for our overall growth, we’ve got to remain attentive to our community. We need to make sure we’re providing the quality infrastructure — water, electrical, streets, etc. — to the current community members.
There will be growth, but if there is going to be growth in this area, it needs to be worked out. I would like us to make sure we don’t lose the focus on what makes Eudora a great place to live right now, though.
What is the role of local government?
Engaging our citizens is key to a local government’s success. Obviously we want to make sure we’re representing those voices I was talking about earlier. One of the things I’m striving to do is build those bridges. I’ve had some excellent opportunities. Former Commissioner Hughs invited me to the Eudora Senior Foundation, for example. I’ve had the opportunity to visit with the local historical society. I was invited to visit a Habitat for Humanity house.
I’ve really enjoyed engaging with people where they’re at. I want to make sure the community is aware we welcome public comments. We welcome emails. We enjoy that discourse, and I think it’s important for people to remain as engaged as they can.
Reach reporter Abby Shepherd at [email protected]