Wyandotte County voters choose Christal Watson to make history as mayor of KCK
At the close of a highly anticipated mayor race, voters ultimately chose Christal Watson to lead the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
Watson will be the second woman, and the first Black woman, to lead the Unified Government since its establishment.
Watson bested her competition, Rose Mulvany Henry, by 1,406 votes and will replace outgoing Mayor Tyrone Garner when his term expires this year.
Watson is the executive director of the Kansas City Kansas School Foundation for Excellence, the foundation serving Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools students and staff. Before joining the foundation in 2019, she worked in the Unified Government as deputy chief of staff in the mayor’s office during David Alvey’s term. She also led the Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce for several years.
Watson took in election results among friends and family who packed John’s Java and Jazz in KCK.
“I’m just excited and thrilled to be able to represent Wyandotte County,” Watson said after results came in. She added it’s her life mission to champion Wyandotte County and be a voice for its residents. And, she has the utmost respect for Mulvany Henry, and she’s excited to build on their working relationship with Mulvany Henry on the public utilities board, she said.
Watson won 9,465 votes in the race. About 8,050 voters chose Mulvany Henry. Both ran campaigns centered on addressing budget constraints, making residents’ bills and housing more affordable and accessible, rebuilding infrastructure and local business and building trust among residents, government staff and county commissioners.
Mulvany Henry is a local attorney and member of the Board of Public Utilities.
At the end of the evening, Mulvany Henry gathered attendees and told them that she called and congratulated Watson on her win in a voicemail. She thanked everyone who supported her and who cast a ballot in the election.
“We came up short today, but that’s not going to dampen how we ran this campaign,” Mulvany Henry said. “We ran it above board and we ran it authentically, and genuinely.”
Mulvany Henry said she doesn’t currently foresee another mayor run.
Both women swept the crowded August primary election, beating candidates Tom Burroughs, Gwendolyn S. Thomas, Mark Gilstrap and Janice Witt out of the race.
Watson, newcomers Andrew Kump, Jermaine Howard and Carlos Pacheco III and incumbents Andrew Davis and Chuck Stites will serve on the eleven-member board of commissioners that governs the Unified Government and sets county policies. They are scheduled to be sworn in on Dec. 15
Issues affecting Wyandotte
Residents across the county on Tuesday voted in a string of local elections, including for their local school boards, community college board, public utilities board and the Unified Government Board of Commissioners, among others. About 20% of the county’s 92,300 registered voters cast a ballot in this year’s general election, according to the county election office.
Newly elected candidates, including Watson, will take on leadership roles during a time when the cost of housing, health care and most goods and services are expensive and when utility costs and property taxes are high. Also, access to assistance services, like food stamps, are limited by federal action and an ongoing government shutdown.
As a county with a median household income of about $60,500, among the lowest in the Kansas City metropolitan area and in the lower-half among Kansas counties, many Wyandotte residents and businesses are struggling to pay their bills and are calling on local leadership for support.
In recent years, the local government has needed to confront its own strapped budget and has had to make tough choices between raising residents’ property taxes or cutting back on services.
With many of the county’s residents being initially from another country, residents will also be paying attention to local decision making in response to President Donald Trump’s crackdowns on immigration policy, asylum for refugees and diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices.
Loved ones weigh in
During a spirited evening of dancing and live music, attendees who joined Watson to watch election results come in described her as someone with strong integrity and the ability to tackle the issues facing Wyandotte County.
Pamela McKnight, a longtime friend who has worked with Watson on and off over the years, said Watson would bring much-needed change to the government if elected.
“I know her integrity, and I know she has a good heart,” McKnight said. “There are challenges and we need change in this county.”
Friends Steven Hooks and Carl Dantzler said they’ve known Watson for several years. Hooks said he trusted Watson to “take Wyandotte to the next level.” Dantzler called Watson someone who would fight for the community.
Watson took a moment to step outside John’s Java and Jazz and speak on the energy in the room.
“Just a bunch of love and fellowship, and it‘s really what Wyandotte County is all about,” she said.
Out in western Wyandotte, Mulvany Henry’s supporters packed a ballroom in the new Margaritaville resort, and many of them sported t-shirts with her name on them.
Amy Malloy, a longtime family friend, told The Star she’s the “least political person ever,” but that she still came out to support Mulvany Henry. Abigail Malloy, another family friend, called Mulvany Henry kind at heart, which is important in a leader, she said.
Lisa Kelly, a former co-worker who lives in Johnson County, said Mulvany Henry was highly organized and an outstanding attorney who would be qualified to lead.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 9:32 PM.
