Mayor & Council
Melanie Hepperly (Mayor)
Melanie is a retired CPA with a 44-year business career in the Kansas City metro area. She retired from Sosland Publishing Company in 2016 as Vice President and CFO, a position she held the entire 31 years of employment with the company. She currently serves on the Kansas/Missouri Regional Board of Thrivent Financial Services, a Fortune 500 company. Since her election to that Board in 2015, she has served as Executive Chair of the Board. She is also currently serving on the Advisory Council of Wayside Waifs. Her past community service includes Chairman and Treasurer of Wayside Waifs Board of Directors, United Way Regional Coordinator, Chairman and Treasurer of the YWCA Board of Directors and a CASA volunteer. She also had served in leadership roles for many years for Atonement Lutheran Church.
Mayor Hepperly was first elected to the Fairway City Council in 2009 and served two four-year terms before being elected Mayor. During those eight years, she served as the City Council President (7 Years), the Finance Committee Chair (8 years) and also served on the Administration Committee, the Parks & Recreation Committee, and the Public Works Committee.
Kelly-Ann Buszek (Councilmember Ward 1)
Email: kbuszek@fairwaykansas.org
Phone: (913) 340-5458
Education: University of Massachusetts (Music Education); Boston Conservatory at Berklee (Musical Theater and Performance); B. S., Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture, Kansas State University.
Professional Background: Councilwoman Buszek is a Grant Coordinator, Office of Research, University of Kansas. Prior to her current position, Kelly-Ann held various appointments at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, including Assistant Director of Medical Education (Integrated Administrative Support Core), and other positions in various departments and medical education programs.
Political Background: Councilwoman Buszek was first elected to the City Council in 2017. She currently serves on the Administration & Finance Committee, Police Committee, and the Tree Board. Previously Kelly-Ann served on the Public Works, Administration, and Parks and Recreation Committees.
Personal: Councilwoman Buszek and her husband Dr. Keith Buszek have lived in Fairway since 2003. She and her husband are active in various American Kennel Club and Therapy Dog International programs by making visits to hospitals, nursing homes (especially to Alzheimer’s and dementia specialized care centers), rehabilitation facilities, schools and universities throughout the Kansas City area with their certified therapy Labrador retriever Scout. Kelly-Ann enjoys singing, musical theater, reading, traveling, ballet, concerts; Royals, Chiefs, KC Sporting, K-State/KU athletics.
Lee Story (Councilmember Ward 1)
Term Expires December 2027
Email: lstory@fairwaykansas.org
Phone: (913) 733-1554
Education: B.S. Finance & Marketing, University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce
Professional: Owner, Route 40 Inc. – Consumer Packaged Goods consulting helping small and medium sized startup companies develop & launch new products and brands into the national and international retail marketplace.
Political Background: Councilman Story was elected to the City Council in November 2023 and sworn into office at the City Council Meeting on December 11, 2023.
Personal: Councilman Story and his wife, Julianne, have lived in Fairway since 2005 and have one daughter, Emily. His interests include reading, writing, crossword puzzles, and old movies. Lee is dedicated to serving the interests of Ward 1 and the entire Fairway community, particularly emphasizing community engagement, transparency, and responsiveness.
Emily Snyder (Councilmember Ward 2)
Email: esynder@fairwaykansas.org
Phone: (816) 715-2250
Professional Background:
Emily is the Employee Relations and Development Coordinator at Electrical Corporation of America (ECA), a Kansas City–based union electrical contractor. In this role, she supports employee growth, training, and engagement across the organization, helping strengthen the region’s skilled trades workforce.
Previously, Emily served two terms as President of Heartland Women in Trades (HWIT), a nonprofit dedicated to recruiting and retaining women in union construction careers. She also served a term as Vice President of the Missouri chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), a nonpartisan constituency group of the AFL-CIO that advocates for working women statewide. Her leadership in both organizations has contributed to expanding opportunities and support systems for women in the skilled trades.
Personal: Outside of her professional and civic commitments, Emily enjoys spending time with her loved ones. She is the proud mother of a 21-year-old daughter and loves reading, traveling, and savoring a great cup of coffee.
She brings a strong background in workforce development, labor advocacy, and community engagement to her role in public service.
Jerry Williams (Councilmember Ward 2)
Term Expires December 2027
Email: jwilliams@fairwaykansas.org
Phone: 720-234-5850
Education: Texas Southern University - BS Chemistry 1984, Rice University - BS Chemical Engineering 1984, and The University of Texas at Austin - MBA 1988.
Professional Background: Councilman Williams is a 30+ year executive at T-Mobile where past roles included Global Care Operations and Value Creation, Staff Operations / Office of the CEO, and Collections Operations. Williams is planning to retire in early 2024 and is currently working in a part-time role as a DE&I practice manager.
Political Background: Councilman Williams was elected to the City Council in November of 2023. Committee assignments TBD.
Personal: Councilman Williams and his wife Debbie Williams have lived in Fairway since 2012 and have two sons, Jeremy and Jordan. Williams currently serves on several boards including The Ewing Marion Kauffman School (Board Chair), Swope Health, The Menorah Heritage Foundation, and Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey. Jerry enjoys getting out in the community and can often be seen on his daily 3-mile walks.
Joseph Levin (Councilmember Ward 3)
Email: jlevin@fairwaykansas.org
Phone: (913) 515-7484
Education: Engineering Physics Cornell University 1957-1958, B.A. Mathematics St. Ambrose College 1958-1961
Professional: Retired from Employers Reinsurance Corporation as Senior Vice President and Chief Actuary after 28 years there. Major responsibilities included Long Range Planning and Mergers and Acquisitions. Prior to that spent two years as Deputy Director of the Illinois Department of Insurance. Began career working as actuarial assistant for two large insurance companies in Illinois. Is a member of the Casualty Actuarial Society, the American Academy of Actuaries and the International Actuarial Association.
Political: Served three years as Treasurer for the City of Fairway. Currently, Councilman Levin is entering his third term as Councilman. He currently serves on the Administration & Finance, Public Works, and Police Committees.
Personal: Married to Suzanne Aron and have six children and four grandchildren. Have been a resident of Fairway for over 39 years at the same address. Have served as Trustee for Baker University and on the Board of William Henry Insurance, a subsidiary of J. E. Dunn Construction Co. Both my wife and I are involved with the Kansas City Art Institute, Nelson-Atkins Gallery and various art and non-profit organizations in the Kansas City Area. Hobbies include golf, photography, and crossword puzzles.
Jim Hafner (Councilmember Ward 3)
Term Expires December 2029
Email: jhafner@fairwaykansas.org
Phone: (816) 509-1617
Education: B.A. Psychology and Sociology-University of Missouri-Columbia. M.A.
Counselor Education-University of Missouri-Kansas City. Master Social Work-University of Kansas School of Social Work
Professional Background: Retired Clinical Social Worker in health care for 30 years providing clinical services for patients with kidney failure requiring treatment. Was engaged in leadership roles within
the local professional chapter as well as national legislative chair. Prior background in mental health with experience in both adolescent and adult in patient care as well as most emphasis and time in community mental health work. Simultaneous 43 year Kansas City landlord/manager
Personal: Councilman Jim and his wife Jane moved to Fairway 30 years ago with their two children, Elizabeth, today aged 42, residing in Fairway, and Eric aged 37, residing in Corvallis, OR with his wife Tessa and their nine month old son. Jim has been active in church activities at St. Francis Xavier parish and in Grandparents for Gun Safety organization. Jim enjoys travel, hiking, photography, working in the yard, exercising, and watching movies.
Whitney Henley (Councilmember Ward 4)
Term Expires December 2027
Email: whenley@fairwaykansas.org
Phone: (913) 494-3777
Education: B.S. Psychology, Kansas Statue University and Masters of Public Health, Saint Louis University
Professional: Working as a researcher at the Kansas University Medical Center, Councilwoman Henley focuses on telehealth and clinical provider education research.
Political Background: Councilwoman Henley was elected to the council in February of 2025 and serves on the Parks and Recreation and Public Works committees.
Personal: Whitney grew up in the metro area and moved to Fairway in 2016. She enjoys cooking and spending time outdoors, especially hiking with her family.
Tanya Keys (Councilmember Ward 4)
Email: tkeys@fairwaykansas.org
Phone: (913) 677-4999
Education:
- Bachelors in Social Work, University of Kansas, 1990
- Master’s in Public Administration, University of Kansas, 2000
Professional Background: Councilwoman Keys is Deputy Secretary for the State of Kansas Department for Children and Families.
Political Background: Councilwoman Keys was first elected to the City Council in 2013. She was re-elected to her third term in November of 2021. Currently, Councilwoman Keys serves on the Administration & Finance Committee, Parks & Recreation Committee, and the Tree Board.
Organizational Memberships:
- Volunteer, Overland Park Arboretum, 2009 to present
- Volunteer, Great Plains SPCA Shelter, 2013 to present
Personal: Councilwoman Keys has lived in Fairway for 20 years. She grew up in Johnson County and her parents remain in the Kansas City metro area. Her brother and his family live in Columbia, Missouri. She lives for gardening season and spends a number of hours planning and nurturing flower beds and buds at her home and the arboretum. Trail or park walking with her puggle Ruger and swimming have her in great spirits year round.