Meeting of the Mayors, Greenwood’s Mark Myers Weighs In

Source: City of Greenwood

KANSAS CITY, MO.–Housing, public safety, and mental health are just three of many topics being discussed this week at the United States Conference of Mayors in Missouri.

This conference is a nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the U.S. today. One of the more than 200 mayors in attendance is Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers.

“We work to try to find resolutions that we can present to Congress that will better help serve our communities,” said Myers.

Myers says the communication line is always open between the Greenwood Police Department and other departments, especially the neighboring Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

“We have a really good working relationship with them. My chief and the new IMPD Chief Chris Bailey get along really well. They share information together. I am also on the State Law Enforcement Academy Board of Directors, so I work with the State Police Superintendent a lot,” said Myers.

Myers also works with other sheriffs across Indiana along with federal agencies to solve crimes and make arrests.

He says this collaborative conference is especially helpful in working with other mayors to figure out ways to get federal funding, especially when it comes to infrastructure.

On that front, there have already been several new townhomes and apartments built near Greenwood High School.

“There are more going up in the Center Grove area along State Road 135. There are some that have been proposed that are further south, but none of that is solidified yet. We are working with developers to get affordable housing into the community for our residents,” said Myers.

Other mayors have mentioned at the conference that people in their city and others in America are dealing with a surging mental health crisis. Myers says that never goes unnoticed with him.

“We have all of our police officers go through a 40-hour training on dealing with mental health issues and mental health patients to de-escalate the issue before it becomes a bigger issue,” said Myers.

There’s also 16 new pickleball courts open at Freedom Park in Greenwood. It will be open seven days a week from dawn until dusk. There is access to restrooms, and 120 parking spots were constructed as part of the complex.

“There’s now about 31 pickleball courts open in total across the city. For me, this is part of making Greenwood a healthier community. Getting people out to exercise is always good. We want to keep them healthy and active along with give them more options to be involved,” said Myers.

The conference runs through Sunday June 23.

You can hear the full interview with Myers below.

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