Hi there, I'm Cole. My roots in Prairie Village run three generations deep. My three brothers and I were raised in the same house my mother grew up in. We walked to Tomahawk Elementary, played countless baseball games at Porter Park, and read all the books in Corinth Library.
After graduating from Shawnee Mission East and the University of Kansas with a business degree, I spent my 20s and early 30s building an unconventional career, first as a professional poker player and then as a trader of various financial markets, living and working across Europe and Asia. I've always been self-employed with an entrepreneurial bent, making a living by finding creative ways to solve complex problems.
When my wife and I decided to move back to America in 2016, we knew Prairie Village was where we wanted to raise our growing family. Now with four kids, we appreciate everything that PV has to offer: a vibrant community where kids safely walk to school, friendly neighbors chat in the driveway, and there's always time to grab a drink at the Village Shops.
Raising my four children in the same community where I grew up has given me a strong sense of responsibility toward our city’s future. We don’t just plan budgets and pass laws, but we also aim to guide and protect a community that people move here specifically to be a part of. I want to ensure that the next generation of Prairie Village families enjoys the same safe, dynamic, well-run city that was an integral part of my childhood.”
Since moving back to Prairie Village, I've been deeply involved in this community and local politics. I've worked with a number of elected officials across Johnson County, including Rep. Sharice Davids, Rep. Jerry Stogsdill, Johnson County Chair Mike Kelly, Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog, Lenexa Mayor Julie Sayers, and Kansas Board of Education member Melanie Haas.
That experience building coalitions, working with residents, and turning ideas into results is exactly what I've brought to the Prairie Village City Council since first being elected in 2021. Last fall, I was grateful to be re-elected with 63% of the vote and a vocal opponent of the ballot measure that would have dissolved the city’s current form of government, which voters rejected 65%-35%.
These results send a clear message: residents want us to stop the drama and work together to make sure Prairie Village continues to be the great community we all love. If elected Mayor, you will have that commitment from me as we write the city's next chapter together.
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