FAMILY
Bill and Marci raised three children (Bill Nicks III, Staci Kassen, Emily Lambert) in Lenexa with the help of: The Great American Basketball League, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Johnson County Girls Athletic Association, Miller-Marley Dance Studio, The Shawnee Mission Schools, 3&2 Baseball and eventually Kansas University (Yes, all three of those children are Jayhawks. Pay Heed!) Bill and Marci have always kept an eye on the future—just as Bill has done on the City Council and as he did as Lenexa’s First Parks and Recreation Director.
(First Pitch on 3&2’s new artificial turf)
LENEXA EXPERIENCE
While he has served on the City Council and prior to that as Lenexa’s First Parks & Recreation Director, Bill has worked with mayors, city councilmembers, numerous city advisory boards, all city departments, churches, service clubs, The Chamber of Commerce, The CVB, schools, individual residents and volunteers. (Quality partnerships are found everywhere.)
During that partnership time, Lenexa has thrived. Bill knows how to deal with growth and change and how to preserve what has made Lenexa great. To name a few, Bill has been involved with community building festivals, a new police station, road re-constructions, acquisition of hundreds of acres of park land, fostering long-term budgeting outlooks, City Center, Vision 2040, jogging/walking trails and planning for the future. For all of this and more, Bill has been present at the table and from the dais.
BILL KNOWS HOW TO LISTEN
Bill knows Lenexa and Ward 2 (after all, he walked it with volunteer Park Board members identifying future park ground even before it was in the City Limits. See; Buffalo Meadows, Black Hoof, Centennial, Craig Crossing, Prairie Star Parkway/Canyon Creek, Freedom Fields). And he knows how to work with others to achieve agreed upon city goals to insure a great quality of life for Lenexans and for Lenexans yet unborn.
He knows you do that, primarily, by listening and by being ‘on’ 24/7. Bill returns phone calls, texts and emails, stands in backyards to chat, meets and drinks coffee with residents. He has hosted 22 ‘Talk to Bill’ sessions at Price Chopper, McKeever’s and Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park where residents come and tell him what is on their minds. He has been present at 177 of the possible 180 City Council meetings since being elected. In addition to all the social media that we use, Bill knows that there is a lot of valuable, civilized information that is passed in Face-to-Face communication. He is available and he listens and then makes sure that Ward 2 is represented and heard.
EDUCATION AND MILITARY
· Bill has a Bachelor’s Degree from Washburn University and a Master’s Degree from University of Kansas
· He was raised in Shawnee, KS and graduated from St. Joseph High School (now Aquinas)
· He is a military veteran, having been honorably discharged from the U.S. Army as a sergeant.
In Shawnee, Kansas
BILL’S DIVERSE INTERESTS
Bill studies and knows history and the value of how it informs decisions for the future. And he is one of Lenexa’s greatest ambassadors. When he performs his five-1st person historical re-enactments, including Lenexa’s own Octave Chanute, he always manages to give a plug about Lenexa.
When he takes those characters and his edutaining ‘Sunflower’ and ‘KC BBQ’ PowerPoints around the metro and the state, he sprinkles Lenexa references throughout. For seventeen 3-minute snippets of Lenexa History, go to YouTube and search ‘Living Lenexa History’.
Bill is often seen officiating basketball for The Great American Basketball League and The Catholic Youth Organization, and he runs, jogs? (ok! walks) in 5k races like the Lenexa Freedom Run.
THE FUTURE
Even while valuing history, Bill has always looked to the future. Acquiring parkland ahead of development, with the desired features, requires a peek in the ‘crystal ball,' just as considering questions that come before the Lenexa City Council that involve future safety, growth, maintenance, quality of life, building community, etc.
INVOLVEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
Bill serves on, or has served on various boards, such as;
· The Lenexa Historical Society Board
· The NAIA National Basketball Tournament Local Organizing Committee
· The Kansas Recreation and Parks Association Board
· The Great American Basketball League Sports Foundation
· The American Royal Barbecue Committee
· The Lenexa Convention and Visitors Bureau
· The Kansas City Interpretive Site Coalition
· Council Liaison to Lenexa Vision 2040
AND, his involvement and leadership has been recognized by various groups;
· Great American Basketball League Sports Foundation ‘Making A Difference’ Award
· Lenexa Chamber of Commerce Public Service Award
· Great Lenexa Barbeque Battle Founders’ Trophy
· Kansas City Historic Trails Association Outstanding Service Award
· Lenexa Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Service Award
· Shawnee KS Hometown Hero, U.S. Army Recognition
· KC Royals Folds of Honor, Military Service Recognition
New Police Station Ribbon Cutting
BILL NICKS: A NAME WE KNOW, A RECORD WE TRUST