Matt Turner was elected to the Harrisonville Board of Aldermen in 2016. He currently serves as the park board liaison and the secretary/ treasurer of the Cass County League of Cities. Since being elected, he has served on various committees such as public works, community development, safety, and as the planning and zoning liaison. Turner earned his Certified Municipal Official certificate from MML’s Municipal Governance Institute in 2017. He is currently enrolled in the advanced program and serves as a member of the MML Municipal Administration Intergovernmental Relations Committee. Turner currently serves as a trustee on his church board, member of the finance committee, and financial recorder for the church. He grew up in Harrisonville and has always contributed to his community. He volunteered with the Harrisonville Fire Department for several years and served on the Board of Zoning Adjustments until becoming elected to the BOA. Turner is an industrial electrician and has worked with General Motors at the Fairfax assembly plant for 21 years. He has been married for 17 years to his wife, Kim, and they have two children, Kaylee and Kaden.
Cemal Umut Gungor was appointed city administrator of Grandview, Missouri, in 2018. Gungor first joined the city of Grandview as director of finance and city treasurer in 2014. In 2015, the Kansas City Business Journal named Gungor a “Next Gen Leader,” and in 2017 honored him again by naming him “CFO of the Year.” Prior to joining the city of Grandview, Gungor worked as a financial manager for the city of Kansas City, Missouri. Gungor graduated in 1996 with an economics degree from Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon, Turkey. He earned his MBA in from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is a member of the Missouri City/County Managers Association, Government Finance Officers Association, president of the Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center Board, a member of the Grandview Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the Grandview Arts Council Board of Directors. Gungor loves traveling, playing volleyball, tennis, basketball and reading. Cemal lives with his wife Katherine, and Dobby, their giant Great Dane.
MEMBER News Joe Lauber Honored with Missouri Municipal Attorney Association’s Lou Czech Award Joe Lauber, attorney with Lauber Municipal Law, LLC, was honored with the Lou Czech Award at the Missouri Municipal Attorney Association (MMAA) annual meeting in Osage Beach, Missouri, in October. The award honors the memory of Lou Czech, who served as city attorney in Berkeley from 1954 to 1994 and Hazelwood from 1970 to 1994. Czech was a founder of the MMAA. The award recognizes public service by municipal attorneys that displays the same high standard of accomplishment, professionalism and ethical conduct as exhibited by Czech. Lauber was nominated and chosen by his peers in MMAA. Lauber has been in practice since 2003 representing numerous cities and other political subdivisions as general counsel and as special counsel on a wide range of matters
including general municipal law, economic development law, public works contracts, annexation, land use planning and zoning, and appellate law.
Kim Nakahodo Recipient of Richard R. Noll Award Kim Nakahodo, assistant city administrator for the city of North Kansas City, was chosen as the 2020 Richard R. Noll Outstanding Assistant Award by the Missouri City/County Management Association (MCMA). Nakahodo provides administrative support services to the city administrator, mayor and city council. She is responsible for several special projects and serves as a point of contact for the business community and economic development projects. She also oversees the city clerk, municipal court, and serves as the staff representative for multiple boards and commissions. www.mocities.com
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