Here’s who Wyandotte County elected to fill 5 seats on the UG commission
Three new people will join the board that leads Wyandotte County’s local government next year, and two will stick around for another term, voters decided Tuesday.
Voters across Wyandotte County decided to bring on Jermaine Howard, Carlos Pacheco III and at-large member Andrew Kump to join the board serving the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. They also re-elected Eighth District Commissioner Andrew Davis and Seventh District Commissioner Chuck Stites.
They will join newly-elected Mayor Christal Watson and commissioners Melissa Bynum, Bill Burns Jr., Christian Ramirez, Philip Lopez and Evelyn Hill in serving on the 11-member Unified Government Board of Commissioners. They will be sworn in next month.
Half of the commissioners’ seats on the board opened in Tuesday’s election, and four of those races were contested. Stites ran unopposed.
On the board, eight commissioners represent specific geographic areas within the county and two represent the county at-large. They’re tasked with setting city and county rules and regulations, making zoning decisions and setting the government’s budget.
District 1
In District 1, which encompasses the county’s northeast corner, voters chose Jermaine Howard to replace outgoing Commissioner Gayle Townsend. Howard beat his opponent, Lisa Walker-Yeager with 1,344 votes. Walker-Yeager had 530 votes.
He did not immediately return a call from The Star on Tuesday evening.
Howard owns a delivery service, D&B Limited and founded a youth mentoring program and nonprofit. He ran on supporting small business, attracting economic growth, expanding housing access and connecting seniors to financial relief programs.
Walker-Yeager also ran for an at-large position on the board that governs the Board of Public Utilities. She’s a local neighborhood association vice president and has previously sought local office.
She said she wanted to bring institutional accountability and transparency to both boards.
Walker-Yeager is also facing criminal charges of aggravated battery and unlawful discharge of a weapon after shooting her contractor, Noble Bey, more than a year ago. She will be arraigned next week. Although Walker-Yeager claimed the shooting was out of self-defense, District Court Judge Michael Russell denied a motion to grant her immunity on the basis of self-defense.
District 5
In District 5, the county’s northwest corner, voters elected Carlos Pacheco III, a local physician, over former government employee LaVert A. Murray. Pacheco will replace outgoing Fifth District Commissioner Mike Kane, who held the seat since 2005.
Pacheco, whose 3,176 votes bested Murray’s 1,621, campaigned on smart spending and stronger public engagement.
Murray worked for the Unified Government for decades on its economic development team. He then served as an advisor during Garner’s administration.
Murray wanted to use his experience in economic development to strengthen Wyandotte’s economy and find tax relief for residents.
District 8
Voters in District 8 decided to keep Commissioner Andrew Davis in office for another few years. The Eighth District encompasses north-central Wyandotte County.
Davis, first elected in 2021, beat newcomer Jacob Handy with 1,197 votes. Handy had 1,025 votes.
Davis said it was an honor to serve and that this was not an easy campaign. He congratulated Handy for a strong candidacy, and he said he’s grateful voters in District 8 offered him another four-year term. “I think it proves a big point of people wanting leadership that’s honest and forthright and someone that’s trying to make our community better, and I don’t want to take that for granted,” Davis said. And, there’s work to be done and tough decisions to be made on finding property tax relief for residents while also ensuring residents get the local services, like public safety and quality bridges, that they need.
Davis is a senior program manager at Community Capital Fund. On the board, he wants to promote local development on land bank property and find new ways to improve development without increasing residents’ property taxes, among other goals.
Handy, a documentarian, wanted to reinvest commissioners’ funds into the city general fund and ensure the elected mayor chooses what’s on meeting agendas in an effort to reduce infighting and increase financial accountability.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 10:04 PM.
