Focus on Liberal, Kansas | Mayor Jose Lara

Founded in 1888, Liberal, Kansas, is a small town of about 20,000 residents. The oil and gas industry carried the local economy in the past and now there is a struggle to keep local residents, particularly the younger residents, to stay in the community.
Mayor Jose Lara says the city is working on its Launch Liberal 2035 Comprehensive Plan and hopes it will stop the brain drain. Lara says when he visits the high school he asks “how many plan to leave town when they graduate?’ It's always about 80 to 90% of the hands go up."
He adds, "The ones who want to stay always say that they want to make the community better and then we can always flourish a conversation around them. We should always be looking at, ‘What would it take for me to want to stay?’”
The interview is part of our WorkingNation Focus On series, in which we take you to cities and towns around the country to share the ideas and initiatives that are creating jobs and putting residents on the pathway to family-sustaining jobs and economic mobility.
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