Tuesday is Election Day in Wyandotte County. See ballot for KCK mayor, BPU & UG
Wyandotte County voters will select their front-runners in a series of local races when they hit the polls next week.
Tuesday, Aug. 5, is the county’s 2025 primary election ahead of the November general election.
In the primary race, residents will narrow the pool of candidates running for Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas; one at-large county commission seat; three in-district commission seats; an at-large position on the Board of Public Utilities; and for county sheriff.
Unified Government seats are non-partisan. The top two front runners in each race will move on to the November election.
Election Day polls open at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. Early voting began July 26 and will end at noon on Monday.
As of Friday morning, about 2,134 of the county’s more than 92,000 registered voters had cast early ballots, according to the Wyandotte County Election Office.
People who wish to vote in-person on Election Day may find their local polling place by visiting the Kansas Secretary of State’s website or by calling the Wyandotte County Election Office. Voters can check what district they live in by searching the government’s commission map.
Residents will have the option to choose among the following candidates in their respective races. Candidates are listed in the order of the date they filed to run.
Mayor
Tom Burroughs, the current at-large District 2 commissioner. Burroughs has served in the role since 2017 and before joining the Unified Government’s board represented District 33 as a Democrat in the Kansas House of Representatives for 26 years.
Christal Watson, executive director of the Kansas City, Kansas, School Foundation for Excellence. Before that role, which she has held for six years, Watson worked for the Unified Government as deputy chief of staff in the mayor’s office during David Alvey’s term.
Janice Witt, a business owner and activist. Witt has advocated for accountability within the Unified Government and law enforcement agencies. She co-founded the Reola Grant Center for Family Life Development to serve and feed families in the Kansas City area.
Rose Mulvany Henry, a local attorney and member of the Board of Public Utilities. Mulvany Henry has worked in telecommunication and communications law for more than 30 years.
Gwendolyn S. Thomas recently retired from the Unified Government as a program coordinator. She has worked for the Unified Government in different roles since 1997.
District 2 at-large
Jordan Michael Tiner Mackey, a former Bonner Springs councilmember who has previously sought the District 2 seat; Philip Lopez, the current District 6 commissioner; Luis “Captain Lou” Madrigal, a former KCK fire captain; Kalla “Kallie” McLaughlin, a former Unified Government employee who worked in planning and zoning; Andrew Kump, an attorney with Shamrock Trading Corporation.
District 1
Korri Hall, a student services director at the University of Kansas’ GEAR UP program;
Victor A. Harris, owner of a lawn care and snow removal service; Darnell Busch, an information technologies director at Jade Alarm Company and former mathematics teacher;
Jermaine “Jae” Howard, who owns a local delivery service and founded a youth mentoring program;
Lisa Walker-Yeager, who runs the National Historic Soul Jazz Blues Walker Foundation and served as a local neighborhood association vice president. She’s also running for an at-large seat on the Board of Public Utilities.
District 5
Alma D. Hall, who works in athletics at Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools;
Carlos Pacheco III, a local physician;
Lavert A. Murray, a former economic development advisor and business liaison in Mayor Tyrone Garner’s office.
District 8
Andrew Davis, an incumbent seeking a second term. He also works as a senior program manager at Community Capital Fund.
Jacob Handy, a director at a faith-based mentorship program; Madella Henderson, who has advocated for justice for survivors and family members affected by alleged misconduct from former KCKPD officer Roger Golubski;
Nanette Tucker, who provides transportation services to students receiving behavioral support or special education services.
BPU District 1 at-large
Gary Bradley-Lopez, a theater teacher in Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools;
Michael N. Paulson, a financial planner;
Alex Sanchez; who The Star was not able to find contact or campaign information for;
Lisa Walker-Yeager, who is also seeking a seat on the county commission.
Sheriff
Daniel Soptic, currently the county’s sheriff, was first elected in December 2021;
David Kearney, a retired police sergeant who is now a security director for a local business;
Celisha Towers, a former sheriff’s deputy that sued the department for discrimination.
