Mulvany Henry & Watson sweep KCK mayor primary election to face off in November
.png "Rose Mulvany Henry (left) and Christal Watson (right) won Tuesday’s primary election and will compete in the November general election to become the next mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.")
Rose Mulvany Henry and Christal Watson get to spend a few more months on the campaign trail as they head toward a general election to decide who will lead the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
Voters in Tuesday’s 2025 primary named Mulvany Henry and Watson as their top choices among a pool of six people — including activists, former and government officials and community leaders — that initially filed to replace Tyrone Garner as Mayor/CEO.
Garner last November announced he would not seek a second term as mayor, opening the field for candidates early on.
Mulvany Henry’s 3,619 votes and Watson’s 3,031 bested those garnered by competitors Tom Burroughs (2,910), Mark Gilstrap (833), Gwendolyn S. Thomas (691) and Janice Witt (495), according to unofficial results from the Wyandotte County Election Office.
Overall, 11,663 people cast ballots in the county’s primary election, according to unofficial results. That accounted for about 12% of the county’s 92,606 registered voters.
Mulvany Henry is a local attorney, a former business owner, a member of the Board of Public Utilities and vice president of regulatory and legislative affairs for internet provider Metronet.
She quietly watched election results come in as she and her husband kept an eye on the Kansas City Royals’ evening game against the Boston Red Sox, she told The Star. She celebrated at home with close friends and family.
“I’m obviously pleased that we got through this and that it was successful,” Mulvany Henry said. “But the job’s not finished. Work still needs to be done.” She added she’s grateful to the voters, volunteers and local unions that supported her in the months leading up to the primary.
Mulvany Henry said she’s feeling energized. She’s excited for her competition and to have an opportunity to serve.
“We can reach our full potential in Wyandotte County, and that’s what people are believing,” she said.
Watson, the executive director of the Kansas City, Kansas, School Foundation for Excellence, will join Mulvany Henry in the general election.
She told The Star on Wednesday morning that she’s excited for the next few months leading up to the general election, and that her priority will be sharing her message, vision and plans for Wyandotte County.
“Now the real work begins,” she said. Watson added that she has plenty of respect for Mulvany Henry and their fellow primary candidates.
“Wyandotte County will be in good hands with either of us, but one of us will be the better.”
Whichever candidate wins in November will be the second woman to serve as KCK’s mayor. Former Mayor Carol Marinovich, who led the effort to unify the city and county governments, was elected in 1995.
Out of the race
Burroughs, the current at-large District 2 commissioner, has been on the Unified Government board since 2017. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday evening.
Gilstrap is a former state senator and retired from the Unified Government’s finance department after more than 30 years. He told The Star on the morning of Election Day that he would not be available for contact.
Thomas recently retired as program coordinator at the Unified Government and had worked for the UG in different roles since 1997. She said she was satisfied with the outcome of the race, because her candidacy was based on what the community wanted.
“I ran my race the best way I felt my race should be run,” Thomas said. “It was for the people.”
Thomas said she’s not going anywhere. She plans to stay involved in the community and help out however she can. She said she plans to pay attention to whether the eventually-elected mayor does what she said she’d do while campaigning — and that she’ll shine a light on her when she does and doesn’t.
Witt is a longtime local business owner and activist who has served the community for more than a decade. She told The Star on Tuesday evening that the amount of corruption in Wyandotte County is unclassifiable, and she’s “tapping out” for now. She said she’s “standing back and watching God.”
*This story was updated at 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 6 to include new information from Christal Watson.
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 9:47 PM.
