Kansas City school board seat and two Missouri House seats up in special election

When Kansas City voters go to the polls on Tuesday to pick a new member of the public school board they will see two names on the ballot but only one person is actually vying for the seat.

Some other jurisdictions, including Independence and Oak Grove, will offer tax questions.

The Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners’ sample ballot shows two candidates, but Lindsay Mathews suspended her campaign and has withdrawn.

So Matthew Oates actually is not challenged in his run to fill the Sub-District 2 seat left vacant by former board member Gunnar Hand, who left Kansas City to work in Los Angeles. The term runs until 2019.

Oates, a 2003 Paseo Academy graduate, works for Burns & McDonnell Engineering.

He would be joining the board in the midst of a national search for a new superintendent. Former superintendent Steve Green left this summer after four years in the position to head the Atlanta-area DeKalb County School District.

Two Missouri House races also are on the ballot for the Tuesday special election.

The District 36 seat is up for grabs with four vying to replace Democrat Kevin McManus. On the ballot are DaRon McGee, a Democrat and program administrator for Jackson County’s COMBAT program; Nola Wood, a Republican and insurance agent; Mary Ann Drape, an independent candidate and a lawyer, and Timothy E. Peterman, a Libertarian.

District 29 is the other legislative race on the ballot to replace Republican Noel Torpey of Independence, who resigned last year.

Vying for that seat is Rory Rowland, a Democrat and financial consultant; Brian DeMoss, a Republican and Raytown business owner; and Richard W. McKie, who ran last year for Jackson County legislator and is running on the Constitution Party ticket.

This story was originally published November 1, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Kansas City school board seat and two Missouri House seats up in special election."