After switching parties, moderate Johnson County commissioner advances in primary
Johnson County Commissioner Shirley Allenbrand, who is seeking a second term to represent the county’s large western district, and challenger Mike Storm were the top vote-getters in their Aug. 6 primary race.
The winners will advance to the Nov. 5 election to compete for the seat in the booming district transforming with residential and industrial growth. The incumbent Allenbrand won 5,831 votes, followed by newcomer Storm with 3,062 votes, and Tony Bergida, with 2,835, according to unofficial final results reported at about 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Allenbrand, an Olathe native who previously owned senior care facilities, won her first term in 2020, defeating the conservative now-Kansas GOP Chairman Mike Brown. A longtime moderate Republican, Allenbrand recently switched her political affiliation to Democrat after splintering with the local Republican party, which has moved further to the right.
In her campaign for a second term, she is running on the promise of helping the county appropriately manage its economic growth, which includes the development of the $4 billion Panasonic plant in De Soto, while keeping property taxes low. She has touted that she’s voted to lower the mill levy each year of her term.
Both of her primary opponents campaigned on a more conservative approach to county governance. The commission races are technically nonpartisan.
Storm, a Johnson County native and business owner who previously ran for the community college board of trustees, called for the most extreme change. He promoted eliminating or “privatizing” the county’s mental health center, the homeless shelter under development and other programs, plus taking extra money out of reserve funds, to slash taxes.
Bergida, a small business owner who serves on the Olathe Planning Commission, argues Johnson County’s budget has increased by too much too quickly, and commissioners should take greater action to provide tax relief to residents. He also opposes the use of tax incentives for many projects, including large apartment complexes.
The candidates also disagreed on the county working to establish a permanent homeless shelter, by converting a hotel off of Interstate 35 in Lenexa. Advocates have long pleaded for such a resource in the county that has some beds for women and families, but no permanent shelter for adult men.
The county has used federal COVID-19 relief dollars for the purchase and conversion of the hotel, a project that is now estimated to cost more than $10 million. Officials selected reStart, the Kansas City-based homeless services organization, to own and operate the shelter. But the county and each of its cities are also being asked to contribute annual funding in its first years to help it get started.
Allenbrand said the county was wise to use federal funding to finally bring a permanent shelter to Johnson County, and has pushed back against misinformation and fear-mongering about the project. She said she would like municipalities to only be asked to contribute annual funding for a few years, and then hopes the project will be self-sufficient, with the help of donations and grants.
“People living here need help because they don’t have a home in Johnson County right now. They may be working here, but they don’t have a home. That’s why they need help,” she said. “There’s so much misinformation out there. I feel there’s so many people committed to getting this done that I feel it’s going to be very successful.”
Storm criticized the project and its price tag.
“I think we can claw some money back, put that to rest and use our money wisely,” he said during a candidate debate.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 9:43 PM.
