Marge Vogt elected MARC Board Chair

Marge Vogt, councilmember for the city of Olathe, Kan., was elected chair of the MARC Board of Directors at its board meeting Jan. 22. Vogt replaces Independence Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Schultz, who completed a two-year term in the position.

Vogt has served on MARC’s board since August 2006. She served as 1 st Vice Chair for the past two years and is a member of the board’s Budget and Personnel Committee. She has co-chaired MARC’s Total Transportation Policy Committee and Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

“While I’ve been honored to serve as board chair for the past two years, I know I’m passing the gavel into capable hands,” said Schultz. “Marge is highly qualified to take on this new role, and she will be a strong voice for regional cooperation.”

First elected to represent Olathe’s Ward 4 in April 1997, Vogt is currently serving her sixth term on the city council. She also works as a nurse practitioner. She is an alumnus of Leadership Kansas and a member of the Johnson County Transportation Coordination Council, and chair of the Olathe Comprehensive Plan Committee.

“I look forward to serving the Greater Kansas City region in this new role,” said Vogt. “It has been my honor to serve on MARC’s transportation committees for the past 10 years, and I look forward to working with my fellow board members on the broad range of issues that require regional collaboration.”

Other officers elected at the meeting include:
1 st Vice Chair — Councilmember Jan Marcason, Kansas City, Mo.
2 nd Vice Chair — Commissioner Ed Peterson, Johnson County, Kan.
Treasurer — Mayor David Bower, Raytown, Mo.
Secretary — Councilmember Curt Skoog, Overland Park, Kan.

The Mid-America Regional Council serves as the association of city and county governments and the metropolitan planning organization for the bistate Kansas City region. MARC is a voluntary association that strives to foster better understanding and cooperation in addressing issues that extend beyond the jurisdiction of a single city, county or state, such as transportation, emergency services, environmental issues and a host of other regional issues. Through MARC’s leadership, area jurisdictions and diverse community interests address the region’s problems and its opportunities. These efforts also enhance the effectiveness of local government.

The MARC Board of Directors consists of 33 locally elected leaders from the nine member counties and the six largest cities in the region, as well as representatives from other cities in the area. The member counties are Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte and Ray in Missouri and Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte in Kansas. The six largest cities are Kansas City, Mo., Kansas City, Kan., Overland Park, Kan., Olathe, Kan., Lee’s Summit, Mo., and Independence, Mo.