Gary Klaphake, City Administrator of the City of Lafayette has been in that position since 1998. He has been a City Manager for the past 35 year in Colorado, Iowa and Minnesota. Gary has a Masters degree in Management. In 2010 he was named City Manager of the Year by the Colorado City and County Management Association. More recently Gary has spearheaded an effort to revitalize an area that includes and old Wal-Mart, a closed Albertsons and a closed Ace store. The $18M investment includes a new Sunflower Market, JAX Store, a new Flatiron Church etcÖ with a total of 250 †plus new jobs. The City, through a series of economic development agreements, helped make it happen all in the middle of a recession.