This Is
Home.

Romona “Mona” C. Smith is not a career politician. She is a neighbor. Since 2014, she has called District 33 home, walking the same streets, shopping at the same stores, and watching the same construction cranes reshape the community.

Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Mona was raised in a church community where service was expected, not optional. Her teachers instilled in her the belief that excellence was not the goal—it was the starting point. When her family moved to Kansas City, that same standard guided her path.

She graduated from Shawnee Mission West, began her higher education at Johnson County Community College, and went on to earn both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration from Park University. In her family, education was never a backup plan—it was the foundation.

I have always believed that where others see chaos, leaders find opportunity. That is not just something I say—it is how I have lived my life. It is how I have led in every boardroom, every clinic, and every community meeting I have ever walked into. And it is exactly the kind of leadership District 33 needs right now.

I am running because I live here. I have lived here since 2014. I am one block from where the Chiefs stadium will be built, and I feel what every neighbor in Turner, Bonner Springs, Kansas City, Kansas, and Edwardsville feels when they ask: What does this mean for us? Who is making sure we get a fair deal?

Those questions deserve real answers, not press releases. It is the responsibility of elected officials to provide clear, honest information about decisions that directly impact our lives. Full stop.

I am a healthcare professional, not a career politician. I have not spent years casting votes and avoiding accountability. I have spent 15 years solving complex problems, modernizing systems for the VA, the Department of Defense, and major health systems serving hundreds of thousands of people. I know how to read a budget. I know how to hold institutions accountable. And I know what happens when communities are ignored.

I know how to tell the truth.

Here is the truth about District 33: our schools are underfunded. Our uninsured rate is rising. Families with housing vouchers struggle to find landlords who will accept them. Access to healthcare remains out of reach for too many. Voting rights are being challenged in ways that make it harder for working families, seniors, and communities of color to be heard. Public education funding is being redirected while classrooms go without. Housing protections are being weakened, leaving vulnerable families with fewer options. And too often, decisions are made without transparency or meaningful community input.

I am not running against anyone. I am running toward something. I am running toward a healthy, thriving District 33.

• Toward economic opportunity—where major investments in our community benefit everyone, not just a few.
• Toward educational opportunity—where every child has a fully funded classroom and a clear path forward.
• Toward healthcare opportunity—where no one has to choose between prescriptions and rent, groceries or gas.
• Toward housing opportunity—where families can build stability and stay in the communities they love.
• Toward civic opportunity—where every vote counts, every voice is heard, and your representative answers when you call.

Where others see uncertainty, I see possibility. And I am Romona C. Smith—running towards this chaos to find opportunities for every family in District 33.

Change isn’t coming. It’s already here. This is our community. And I will fight for it with everything I have.