photo by: Contributed

Gerry Cullumber was elected as Baldwin City's mayor during the November 2025 election and sworn in on Jan. 1, 2026. He hopes to proactively work on issues facing the city and promote transparency as mayor.

A 30-year law enforcement career brought Gerry Cullumber to places all over Kansas, but Baldwin City had a pull on him.

Cullumber, who grew up in Leavenworth County, worked for police departments across several communities in Johnson County — his longest stint in Lenexa for 24 years — but since he and his family moved to Baldwin City in 2000, there was not another place he called home. Even when he served as police chief in Norton — way out in northwest Kansas — for six years, he “maintained his residency” in Baldwin City, coming back about once a month to see his family and “take care of business.”

“I always kept my roots here,” Cullumber said.

And the town with his roots suddenly found itself in an awkward situation in 2025, when the city council had to increase the electricity costs by an average of 20%. Cullumber said that move made “a lot of citizens mad,” and he felt moved to find a solution, which was to run for mayor in the 2025 election.

“I spent my entire life in community service,” Cullumber said. “It was something I thought I’d try.”

Cullumber beat the incumbent mayor Casey Simoneau by 95 votes during the 2025 election in the town of about 5,000 people, and he began his first term in Jan. 1 this year. Though he is just a month into his four-year term as mayor, Cullumber said with his prior experience, he hopes he can lead the city forward to be more proactive to challenges and find itself in a good place to capitalize on the region’s growth.

CULLUMBER WANTS TO FOCUS ON PROACTIVITY, TRANSPARENCY

For around 8-10 straight years, Baldwin City did not increase its electrical rates, according to Cullumber, instead using some of the electrical reserve funds to cover any increased costs.

Cullumber said it was only last year when the city suddenly was not making enough to replenish those reserves, and the money was running out. That realization was what sparked the City Council to vote to increase the electrical rates by an average of 20% “in one fell swoop,” Cullumber said.

While he did not fault the City Council for the decision — saying “there was no other way around” the need for a huge increase — he was frustrated that the city at the time did not act sooner to address the potential issues with the reserve funds. Cullumber said as a police chief, he was always thinking about how to respond for the “devil to visit (his) community.” If something bad did happen, he wanted to ensure that his force would be able to handle the situation, and he wants to take that mindset with him as he serves as mayor.

“You have to look down the road and be proactive and not reactive,” Cullumber said. “Let’s not let it fester.”

Already, Cullumber said the city is working to address the potential concerns with the electrical rates. He noted the previous city leadership had authorized putting in a “brand new” electrical substation right off U.S. Highway 56, and that will come online in the fall. Once that new station is up, Cullumber said the city will “shutdown and overhaul” the other substation south of the city. Those upgrades will ensure there is “redundancy” for the city and be there for future growth.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A Baldwin City welcome sign is pictured on July 10, 2025.

Cullumber also noted the city will have to address its water situation. He said that Baldwin City relies on a water pipeline that comes from Lawrence. That line was “supposed to last 50 years” and is now in its 70th year, Cullumber said, and tackling that issue will be the “number one priority” because it’s the city’s lone source of water.

“If that goes down, Baldwin is going to be living off of bottled water,” Cullumber said.

Cullumber said he also wants to ensure the government has transparency, and make sure he is accessible to the public. During the next city council meeting set for Feb. 3, Cullumber said the first hour will include a community discussion that addresses the current status of electric rates, explaining how the city got in the current situation of hikes and what the city plans “to keep us on track.”

Along with those immediate goals, Cullumber said he aims to find a way to ensure residents are in the loop of what’s going on. He said people can often go through life in their “own little universe,” and when something happens that suddenly bumps into their view, they might have not been aware of it.

To bridge that gap, Cullumber said he hopes to host a “State of the City” address once he has more insight as mayor. He also plans to have quarterly “office hour” type sessions, where he and the City Administrator, Russ Harding, will “set up” at a local business for a couple hours and allow residents to come in and talk with them about city issues.

Cullumber said he knows that Baldwin City is facing the same concerns as many other communities across the country — like increasing prices and aging infrastructure — so he wants residents to feel they can come to him and talk about whatever their issue is.

“I want (to have) a more open and transparent government… (to be) approachable to anyone,” Cullumber said.

AS THE CITY GROWS, CULLUMBER WANTS TO WORK WITH OTHERS TO MANAGE IT

Although the city will be facing some future challenges, Cullumber said it does not have to worry about attracting growth.

As the Journal-World reported, Baldwin City last year had lots ready for 120 houses, with the goal of selling about 30 newly-constructed single-family homes. If you assume an average family of three move into those homes, by Cullumber’s estimation, that could mean that at least 300 people will move into the city. With those developments, it increases the demands of everything the city offers — from sewer service, water, electrical and public safety.

“We are facing (higher demand),” Cullumber said.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A pair of construction workers build a roof on a new home under construction in Baldwin City on July 10, 2025.

But that growth can also be an opportunity for Baldwin City. Cullumber recalled a conversation with the then-mayor of Lenexa Rich Becker, who served the city in the 1980s and 1990s, while he worked in the city as a police officer. During that time, Lenexa was seeing an explosion of growth, and he said Becker told him his philosophy about growth was if you fought it, growth is still going to come “but not in the way you want.” If you accept growth is coming, you can find a way to make sure the growth happens in the way that is beneficial for everyone. Cullumber wants to use that philosophy in managing Baldwin City’s growth

“Let’s benefit from it — for the person who comes into the community and the city itself,” Cullumber said.

Along with that past wisdom, Cullumber said he wants to look to other communities in a similar spot and develop relationships. He said he wants to reach out to city leaders in Eudora who are facing similar challenges to hopefully share ideas, and Cullumber said he will work to have good ties with the Douglas County Commission, especially Commissioner Erica Anderson who represents the area.

Recent developments in northeast Kansas could mean Baldwin City is in line for more attention. Not only is the development of the Panasonic Plant in De Soto expected to house 4,000 employees — almost the size of Baldwin City itself — but Cullumber wonders how the Kansas City Chiefs’ plan to build a stadium in Kansas City, Kansas could lead to more interest in the city.

Cullumber said it could be a “pie in the sky” thought, but Baldwin City would be about a 45 minute drive from the stadium. For people looking for a small town setting, maybe Baldwin City could get a spill over of growth.

“Are these things that will happen? I don’t know,” Cullumber said. “But it’s good to monitor and watch it.”

WANTING TO SHOW THE SPECIAL COMMUNITY

Though Baldwin City faces similar challenges to many communities, Cullumber made clear it is a unique place.

The town is home to the oldest university in Kansas in Baker University and is now home to a National Historic Landmark in Black Jack Battlefield, which came under county and city control in 2025 as the Journal-World reported.

But more than that, Cullumber said it’s a “nice, close-knit community” that is appealing to many people. While it will likely always be a “bedroom community,” Cullumber said it’s what he called a “bicycle town,” where a kid can safely ride their bike during the day and be safe. He also noted the town is also very involved in the arts, with the Lumberyard Arts Center anchoring much of that programming, and has lots of programming to get the community together in the summer months.

“We have a lot to offer for a community our size,” Cullumber said.

Part of the current focus for the city is to “spruce up” its downtown area, Cullumber said. Projects are underway to help replace or restore some of the brick sidewalks or roads in the downtown area and repaint some of the crosswalks to make it more “presentable.”

Although it is still early days for Cullumber’s time as mayor in Baldwin City, he said he is seeking out ways to deal with problems that might come up running a city. Cullumber said he is a “doer,” and finds it hard to just sit around when something can be done. He hopes that with the city’s charm, growth opportunities and his desire to proactively help the residents, more people will be able to set down roots in Baldwin City just like he did.

“I just think it has a lot of things people want,” Cullumber said. “It’s just a good community.”