Jenna Paige Brofsky is excited for the opportunity to run for Ward 4 on the Fairway City Council against incumbent Adam Dolski. She feels her experience as an attorney, nonprofit board member, community volunteer and new mother would be helpful to the council.
“I’m very diligent and organized and as an attorney I’m used to being an advocate,” she explained. “I have the drive and the passion for public service. I’ve done a ton of pro bono work so I have that experience of giving back to my community and I have the professionalism to do the job well.”
In addition, she said the perspective of someone who is younger and is a working mom isn’t represented on the council, so she would bring diversity, which would make the council stronger.
Brofsky is a newcomer to Fairway, but has become very involved in her community, as well as the Jewish community. She grew up in a suburb of New York City, similar, she said, to Fairway, where she attended a Conservative synagogue.
The 30-year-old new mother of baby boy Isaac and her husband, Ethan Corson, have lived in Fairway for about a year-and-a-half. Prior to that, they resided in Prairie Village. The couple met on the east coast, but Corson is from this area, so they decided to move here and start a family, Brofsky said.
Brofsky is an attorney with the Husch Blackwell law firm on the Plaza.
“I’m in the employment group; I do advising and litigation,” she said. “We work a lot with HR and businesses and different clients to understand what the needs are and when an issue arises with an employee, that’s when we get involved.”
Brofsky is just completing her term as president of the Young Professionals board at Jewish Vocational Service and is on the planning committee for their big fundraising event, Global Table, which celebrates the diversity of refugees in Kansas City.
She volunteers with Jewish Family Services where she is planning their fall event, geared toward millennials. And she is the chair of the advisory council for the Kansas City chapter of AVODAH, which strengthens the Jewish community’s fight against the causes and effects of poverty in the United States.
Prior to law school, she participated in AVODAH’s yearlong Service Corps (2010-2011) in Washington, D.C.
She’s also involved in community volunteer work. For the past four seasons Brofsky has coached an extracurricular activity for girls through the nonprofit organization called Girls on the Run® at a local elementary school.
“It’s a program that seeks to help elementary age girls build confidence, learn about topics like bullying and peer pressure, and they do it through a curriculum that’s based around running, so we train to run a 5K at the end. We set goals and everyone participates in the run; it’s really fun,” she said.
Brofsky said she wants to serve on the Fairway City Council because she values local government.
“I think it’s a great place to get things done and to have a direct impact on my community,” she said. “I’ve always been an advocate by profession and as an advocate it’s a way for me to make sure that the voices of the residents in my ward are heard. And I think it will be fun as an attorney to have some expertise that I can contribute on the council as well when we’re deciding budget, we’re reviewing contracts, we’re making personnel decisions — those are all things that I have some background in.”
The city did a community survey and found that Fairway has a very high satisfaction rating so there are no immediate issues that need to be addressed, Brofsky said. But as a council member, she would find out more about what the residents of Ward 4 need and make sure they have all the information to fulfill those needs.
She said each time she talks to the mayor or attends a council meeting, she learns of a service Fairway provides that she wasn’t aware of. She wants residents to have access to that kind of information in a way that makes sense to them and if they have questions, to be a resource for them.
She’s getting feedback already by going door to door asking people what they care about. She said she wants to see “an information flow both ways,” to have some kind of communication, be it electronic or by letter; somehow letting the residents know what the council’s talking about and, if they’re interested, helping them get involved.
The city has a website and is on Facebook, but Brofsky said there’s room for improvement and she understands there is money in the budget for that.
“We want to maintain the loving and welcoming and inclusive place that Fairway is,” she said “We also see neighborhoods changing, and maintaining the character of the neighborhood is something that’s a big deal as we see different houses being built. I think this is a challenge in a lot of places.”
Since Fairway is the “City of Trees,” Brofsky said the city needs to make sure that the trees are kept up — both for looks as well as keeping them trimmed away from power lines, which are all above ground. Power outages can be a problem.
Also, she said, her understanding is that Fairway’s infrastructure is a bit old, so the city needs to stay on top of that.
As well as going door-to-door, Brofsky sent a letter and photo to all the homes in Ward 4.
“It was worth it because I’ve gotten a really positive response. I think people appreciate getting to know more about me on a personal level, seeing my family so they can recognize us,” she said. “People want to know who their representatives are.”
She will also be doing some social media advertising and she has a Facebook group where she’s been posting updates. Plus she has yard signs.
Brofsky posted on Facebook that her campaign has been endorsed by MainPAC, which supports candidates who stand for common sense, are responsible and have compassionate ideals.
“Part of the challenge is getting people out to vote and having them realize why it’s important to have good local officials and why they should care,” she said.
Her opponent was appointed to the city council in May 2017, fulfilling a vacant seat. The four-year term expires this year.
The Fairway City Council general election is Nov. 5.
