AWC 2006 Annual Professional Conference, September 14-16, 2006 Kansas City, MO
The Heart of It All
Carol Marinovich
Carol Marinovich
Senior Vice President, Fleishman-Hillard Kansas City
Panelist, "Kansas City: A City of Women Leaders"
Former Mayor Carol Marinovich recently completed 10 years of service as mayor and CEO of Kansas City, KS., and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, KS. The former schoolteacher has gained national recognition for her expertise in economic development and her proven skills in thinking big, forging partnerships, and moving visions to reality. After her tenure as mayor, she made the transition to senior vice president, Fleishman-Hillard Kansas City.
Elected the first female mayor of Kansas City, KS., Marinovich led the efforts to turn around the fortunes of that city. As a first step, she helped to consolidate the governments of Kansas City, KS., and Wyandotte County, pledging great efficiencies and lower costs. Voters approved the merger in 1997, and she kept her word, expanding services while, at the same time, decreasing the county’s tax rate by percent.
Among the vast list of her accomplishments is the creation of the Village West retail and entertainment development, which includes Cabela’s, Nebraska Furniture Mart, and a combination of local and national retailers. That development increased the area’s property tax base from $15,000 per year to more than $7 million annually, creating 4,000 new jobs. She also is credited as the driving force behind the Kansas Speedway, now a stop on both the NASCAR and IRL circuits. Village West and the Kansas Speedway bring 8 to 10 million visitors to Wyandotte County each year from throughout the Midwest region and beyond. Marinovich also made revitalization of the urban core a top priority, which resulted in new housing, an increase in the number of neighborhood groups from five to more than 130, and a decrease in violent crimes.
For these and other exemplary efforts, Marinovich has received numerous local, state, and national honors and awards. Last year, she received both the Community Leadership Award from the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Service National Network, and the Mayor of the Year award from Kansas Mayors' Association. In 2002, Governing Magazine named her one of the nation’s top 11 public officials. In 2005, the Mayor Carol Marinovich Good Neighbor Award was established by the University of Kansas Medical Center. She also received the Entrepreneurial Legacy Award from Kansas City Small Business Monthly, the L.P. Cookingham award from the Kansas City Chapter of the American Society of Public Administrators, the Regional Leadership Award from the Mid-America Regional Council, and the Alumni Distinguished Service Award from the University of Kansas School of Education.
Marinovich was elected to the City Council for Kansas City, KS., in 1989. Six years later, she defeated the incumbent and a host of other contenders to become mayor. Currently, she serves on the board of directors for the Children’s Miracle Network.
Marinovich holds a bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College, Leavenworth, KS., and a master’s degree from the University of Kansas.