Commissioners and staff used the Nov. 12 meeting to publicly recognize Erin (Speaker 13), the city’s director of communications, after she received the 2025 Kansas Communicator of the Year award from the Kansas Association of Public Information Officers.

Daniela (Speaker 8) described Erin’s work as elevating municipal communications and building trust with residents: "Her outstanding leadership and integrity has led to the advancement of the city's public information mission for the last 20 years," Daniela said. Chad (Speaker 11) and a local journalist (Speaker 12) also praised Erin’s responsiveness and the trust she has built with local media.

Erin thanked colleagues for nominating and supporting her and said serving her hometown was important to her: "It's ... lovely to serve your hometown and ... feel like you're making a positive difference," she said. The commission joined in congratulating Erin before moving on to the next agenda item.