New faces of City Hall leadership look forward to Leavenworth's future

The City welcomed three new leadership staff members at the end of 2024.

Scott Peterson

Scott Peterson began in November 2024 as the new Leavenworth City Manager. In his new position he will lead the day-to-day leadership for City staff and serve as liaison to the City Commission. Peterson comes to the City with 12 years of experience working in municipal government.

"My expertise is managing all the departments and helping them work together - I'm a good communicator and can get my message across effectively." He grew up in the Kansas City area and was inspired to consider local government by a class in urban management at Kansas State University. He was able to intern with a city manager. Following his bachelor's in political science, Peterson obtained a Master's of Public Administration at the University of Kansas. Peterson said he especially looks forward to having the expertise of professional staff at the City of Leavenworth. Some of his goals include encouraging a developer at the Leavenworth Business and Technology Park, filling downtown Leavenworth with businesses and helping develop a longterm plan for the wastewater treatment plant.

Peterson recently moved to Leavenworth with his wife and son and they look forward to being a part of the community.

Kim Portillo

Kim Portillo was hired in December as the City's Director of Planning Community Development. Portillo comes to the City of Leavenworth with 8 years of experience working in City government in Kansas. She holds two degrees from the University of Kansas -- a Master's in Urban Planning and a Bachelor's in Architectural Studies. Portillo grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, and joined the Kansas Army National Guard in 2009 after one year of college to avoid educational debt. Her military occupational specialty was radio communications, security and repair. She deployed for one year in 2011 with the 35th Military Police Company in the horn of Africa region providing security with a Navy unit that built wells and aided locals with animal husbandry. She served the National Guard until 2016. While attending KU and being inspired by a class on sustainability, Portillo was encouraged to consider Architecture and City Planning as a future career. She fast-tracked her career with a program that allowed her to complete her master's degree classes alongside her undergraduate classes. Her first job was working for a low income housing development builder.

Portillo was encouraged to consider Leavenworth because she liked the military connections and was impressed with the services offered by her department.

Mike Stephan Deputy Director of Public Works

Portillo was encouraged to consider Leavenworth because she liked the military connections and was impressed with the services offered by her department.

"Leavenworth is doing a lot of things other cities our size aren't -- Community Development Block Grant, historic preservation -- by doing it this way, we can have a greater impact on our citizens."

"Leavenworth is doing a lot of things other cities our size aren't -- Community Development Block Grant, historic preservation -- by doing it this way, we can have a greater impact on our citizens."

Mike Stephan

While not new to the City of Leavenworth, Mike Stephan was promoted to the Deputy Public Works Director after 7 years as the Project Manager. He comes to his new position with roughly 30 years of experience.

Stephan began his career with an associate's degree, but quickly transitioned to an autoCAD specialist. One of his first jobs was teaching CAD to engineers at Black and Veatch. He then did drafting for a local engineering company and was promoted to constructional observance. He spent roughly 20 years working for a civil engineering firm that did inspections for municipal government.

Stormwater fees began shortly after Stephan arrived in 2018, allowing the City a tool to fund collapsing infrastructure problems creating safety issues throughout the City. He looks to continue these projects.

Stephans' goal is to aid the Public Works Director Brian Faust in supporting its core functions - street repair, wastewater treatment, snow removal, trash removal and many others. Stephan said in his new position, he also looks forward to supporting grantwriting efforts for City engineering projects.