KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The city of Lenexa announced Wednesday that longtime City Council member Joe Karlin died Tuesday at his home.
Karlin, 57, was surrounded by family at the time of his death.
Former Lenexa Mayor Mike Boehm appointed Karlin to the city council in 2009 to fill the term of Jane Klein, who died while in office.
Voters elected Karlin to the Ward 1 seat in 2013 and he was re-elected in 2017 and 2021.
He also served five years on the Lenexa Planning Commission.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Council Member Karlin,” Lenexa Mayor Julie Sayers said in a statement from the city. “In his decades of service, we have appreciated that Joe was steadfast in his commitment to servant leadership, a long-term steward of the vision of our community and a friend to all of us. We will miss his compassion, bright sense of humor, and dedication to our mission of transparent, thoughtful and inclusive governance.”
Karlin moved to Lenexa in 1992 and operated a small business with expertise in banking, according to the city's news release.
He also worked for 14 years in management for U.S. Central Credit Union and three years for Deloitte & Touche.
Karlin represented the city on the United Community Services of Johnson County’s Drug and Alcoholism Council, was an active member of the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce and graduated from Leadership Lenexa.
Karlin was co-founder and executive director of the Tom Karlin Foundation.
The foundation works to improve the lives of teenagers and to reduce suicides through awareness and education.
“Joe Karlin was a statesman,” Boehm said in the statement from the city. “Throughout his appointed and elected service to the City of Lenexa, he was a thoughtful team member, considered the views of everyone and sought common ground on issues before the Planning Commission and City Council. Joe kept a watchful eye on decisions impacting his ward yet reviewed those decisions in the context of what was good for the city at-large.”
The city code mandates vacancies on the council be filled by mayoral appointment, subject to confirmation by the city council, according to the city's statement.
No date has been set on when the city will release information on how to apply to fill Karlin's council seat.
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