ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The Liberal City Commission has new yet familiar leadership after the commission selected a new mayor and vice mayor Tuesday evening.

Jeff Parsons and Janeth Vazquez were ultimately unanimously voted as mayor and vice mayor, respectively, and both said they are excited to get to work.

“I feel really good. The responsibilities of the mayor really aren’t too much different from a commissioner,” Parsons said. “I’m excited about being able to continue being part of this commission and working with everyone.”

“I absolutely agree with Jeff – yes, we have the official titles, but at the end of the day, I feel like each of us commissioners contributes in our own unique way,” Vazquez added. “I feel like we’re a really strong team all together, and we were able to accomplish a lot in 2025, so I’m looking forward to continuing the great work we have on the agenda for 2026. Our commission is definitely headed in the right direction.”

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The 2026 International Pancake Day Race will be here before everyone knows it, and there will be a big change coming.

As Pancake day Board President Mike Brack tells it, there had been some discussion about the change before.

“Between Liberal and Olney, we've always tried to maintain the same rules when it comes to the International Pancake Day Race so everything's fair – there has been some minor flexibility in some areas, but for the most part, all of the rules are the same here as they are in Olney,” Brack said. “With how we have everything in Liberal, we have to set a deadline roughly 30 days before the race in order to make sure we have women signed up to run in the International race, while in Olney, women had the opportunity to sign up for the race the day of, and they always have more than 15 racers. With Olney being a small community, they've allowed women from the surrounding areas, if they're employed in Olney, to run in the race – and in Liberal, we have people driving in from Hugoton and the Oklahoma Panhandle for work. So starting with the 2026 race, ladies who don't reside in Liberal but work here are eligible to participate in the race, and they still have to follow all the other race rules and everything else. In years past, it's been a bit disappointing to not have a full slate of racers in the International Race, so we're hoping this change will help motivate not only Liberal ladies to run in the race and sign up earlier, but also women from other communities in the area.”