Prairie Village rejects question, candidates backed by group aiming for overhaul
Prairie Village voters signalled relative content with how their city is operating on Tuesday when a majority voted against abandoning the city’s current form of government.
The initiative came to the ballot following a push from a group of residents largely opposed to development and change, known as PV United, but it raised a lot of questions because it didn’t outline what came next if it passed.
“The past three years, Prairie Village has been the most toxic political environment in Johnson County and it’s been incredibly difficult,” incumbent Cole Robinson told The Star on Tuesday night. “You just knew things were going to come to a head on this November election.”
PV United also backed a slate of candidates, who largely fell behind in tallies in Tuesday’s election.
Voters cast their ballots in all six wards in Prairie Village, with 12 candidates total, alongside the petition question.
Unofficial election results show that 5,690 residents voted against the initiative, keeping the city’s current form of government in place.
A little over 3,000 residents voted in favor of abandoning the government.
In Ward 1, incumbent Robinson was one of the two incumbents running who kept their seats. Unofficial election results show Robinson received 966 votes against PV United-backed candidate Daniel Garrett, who received 573 votes.
“I’m really excited. I think residents are going to have with these six, they’re battle-tested, battle hardened ” Robinson said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how everybody works together in the coming months and just kind of see how everything unfolds.”
In Ward 2, fellow incumbent Ron Nelson faced PVU candidate, Edward Boersma. Unofficial election results show that Nelson won, with 779 votes. Boersma garnered 420 votes. Nelson was not immediately available for comment.
Ward 3 is one of several races that had two newcomers, Amy Aldrich and Shelby Bartelt.
Bartelt received 770 votes, beating PVU-backed candidate Amy Aldrich by 169 votes. Aldrich earned 601 votes
In Ward 4, Nathan Vallette earned 1,046 votes — beating PVU-backed candidate Kelly Sullivan Angles, who earned 734 votes according to unofficial results.
Newcomer Betsy Lawrence came out on top in Ward 5 against PVU-backed candidate John Beeder by nearly 200 votes. Lawrence earned 924 votes and Beeder earned 725.
In Ward 6, Jim Sellers received 784 votes against Dan Prussing, a PVU-backed candidate who earned 443 votes.
The votes show that the majority of voters are comfortable with the decisions and direction the current council is headed, including with the recent decision to approve a $30 million project to build a new City Hall and renovate the current building for the police department.
These results are not final. The Johnson County Board of Canvassers has to certify elections by Nov. 17, according to the Kansas Secretary of State’s office.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 9:25 PM.
