KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Merriam Mayor Ken Sissom will retire from the Merriam City Council come Oct. 31. His last council meeting will be Oct. 25.
Sissom spent 12 years as part of the council and was first elected as mayor in April 2009.
Since 2009, Sissom helped collaborate on projects like the development of IKEA, merging the Merriam and Overland Park fire departments and adopting the Merriam 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Before his time as mayor, Sissom was part of the Merriam Police Department for 25 years. From 1992 to 2005, he served as the chief of police.
Sissom looks back on his time as mayor fondly, saying that it was a “tremendous pleasure being mayor for such a great city,” according to a Merriam news release.
“Having retired as a city employee, I already formed a deep appreciation for our fine residents, businesses, and city staff,” Sissom said in the release. “The great honor of being mayor for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. In retirement, my wife Cathy and I plan on staying right here. We wouldn’t think of living anywhere else.”
With Sissom’s departure, council president Bob Pape will become the new mayor of Merriam on Nov. 1 in accordance with city code.
Pape is also running for mayor in the Nov. 2 general election.
