Six-Month Citizen Review of the Independence City Charter

The Charter work was sustained citizen study of the document that defines the structure, powers and limits of Independence government. Over roughly six months, Leigh and 12 other citizens worked through provisions closely, raised questions, compared language with how City government actually operates and identified areas that required additional research. The value was not memorizing clauses; it was learning to use the Charter as a working governing document.

Leigh also helped turn that study outward through public education. Proposed Charter changes can sound technical while changing who holds authority, how government is structured or what protections voters retain. Her role included helping explain provisions and proposed changes in ordinary language so residents could ask better questions and make their own decisions.

That six-month project became a foundation for later work involving Council procedure, utility powers, voter-approval questions, legal protests, Charter amendments and the distinction between what staff recommends and what the governing document authorizes. This is citizen-led Charter work; it should not be described as official Charter Commission membership unless separate documentation establishes that.