Meet the candidates running for a seat on the Shawnee City Council
Two incumbents, two candidates each launching a second campaign and an all-female race for one seat highlight the four races for the Shawnee City Council.
Shawnee’s local government, including the City Council, has been blemished by controversy for more than a decade. Divisiveness among council members, and between the council and city staff, has caused several city staff to resign in recent years.
As the city works to move away from that era, candidates in these races have boasted campaigns of government transparency and improving the infrastructure of the city.
With two positions in four wards, city council seats are nonpartisan races, although local grassroots organizations are publically backing certain candidates.
The two incumbents, Tony Gillette and Mike Kemmling, along with Dave Myres, who are all running in Ward 3, and Laurel Stiffler, who is running for a seat in Ward 4, are listed on Johnson County Republican Party’s website as candidates.
The other four challengers are listed as candidates for the Johnson County Democrats.
Johnson County’s website lists all candidates running for election this year, and voters can see sample ballots on the Kansas Secretary of State’s website. Find more coverage of Johnson County politics on KansasCity.com, or sign up for a free newsletter with news for the county.
Ward 1
Steele Reynolds
Chief operating officer of a local logistics company, Steele Reynolds is running on a platform of bringing transparency to local government while hoping to smartly grow local economy, according to his campaign website.
Reynolds grew up in Overland Park and earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering at the University of Kansas and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Colorado.
Reynolds hopes to protect parks, support local businesses and expand housing options if elected, his campaign site says.
Tony Gillette (incumbent)
Seeking a second consecutive term on council, Gillette is notable on the council for his staunch conservative views, including supporting an anti-transgender sports ban voted in by the council in 2023. He also opposed the city’s police recruitment at KC PrideFest and through an LGBTQ+ magazine.
Before being voted to the council in 2021, Gillette was the chairman of the Northwest Johnson County Republicans and was vocal in local politics.
Gillette was reprimanded by the ACLU of Kansas last September for blocking Facebook comments.
Gillette supports limited government and lower taxes, voting to lower the city’s property tax mill levy three years in a row, according to his campaign site.
Ward 2
Eric Persson
Eric Persson is launching his second attempt at a Shawnee council seat, losing the Ward 2 seat by more than 200 votes to Mike Kemmling in 2021.
A Shawnee Mission West graduate, Persson earned dual degrees in business and art from Kansas State. He is currently a senior sales director for a payment processing company.
Persson volunteers for Climate Action KC and Kansas-based nonprofit Climate and Energy Project, his campaign site says.
His priorities are retaining local business, attaining affordable housing, and sustainable economic environmental development to make Shawnee a welcoming community.
Persson has received a number of endorsements from local groups and elected officials, including Kansas Democrat Rep. Cindy Neighbor, according to his campaign site.
Mike Kemmling (incumbent)
A fixture on the council since 2013, Kemmling recently ran for Shawnee mayor two years ago, losing to current mayor Mickey Sandifer by 322 votes.
During his mayoral campaign, Kemmling claimed the mostly conservative council lowered taxes and pushed back against advice from city staff.
A dentist by trade, Kemmling received his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, according to his LinkedIn.
Ward 3
Dave Myres
Dave Myres, an Army veteran and medical sales professional, ran and narrowly lost in 2017 to Justin Adrian.
Following Adrian’s resignation after an arrest, Myres was nominated by three councilors to replace him, but was not appointed.
Myres formerly served on a number of local boards, including the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. He was also previously chairman of the Johnson County Republicans.
Keeping taxes low, prioritizing single family neighborhoods, hiring more police officers and improving infrastructure is among his top issues to tackle, according to his campaign website.
Myres is endorsed by Kansas Republican Rep. Angela Stiens and Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe, according to his campaign site.
Morgan Rainey
A biologist by trade, Morgan Rainey is also running for Ward 3’ s vacant position.
Rainey went to high school at Shawnee Mission Northwest and graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s in cellular biology, her campaign website states.
Service runs in Rainey’s family. One of her grandfathers, Tony Soetaert, was one of Shawnee’s longest-serving mayors. Another grandfather, Marvin Rainey served as Shawnee’s city prosecutor while her father, Ellis Rainey, was previously the city attorney.
Rainey wants to bring common sense to local government by bringing in more businesses and housing, supporting infrastructure and communicating with citizens about who their local officials are, her campaign site says.
Ward 4
Erin Aldridge
Erin Aldridge is a senior project manager at local construction giant J.E. Dunn, according to her LinkedIn, now looking to be Ward 4’s representative.
A Corpus, Christi, Texas native, she graduated from the University of Kansas in 2007 with a bachelor’s in architectural engineering and earned her engineer license in 2014. Aldridge has served for a number of community organizations, including leadership roles with the Junior League in both Wichita Falls and Kansas City and planning fundraising events, according to her campaign website.
Aldridge also served as treasurer for Lindsey Constance’s Kansas State Senate District 10 run in 2020.
She hopes to attain housing options and advocate to address infrastructure issues while working to attract businesses to Shawnee, according to her campaign website.
Laurel Stiffler
Laurel Stiffler, who is president of the Kansas Federation of Republican Women, is looking to also join the Shawnee City Council representing Ward 4.
Stiffler is a graduate of William Jewell College with a bachelor’s in international relations and German, according to her campaign website. She earned a master’s in criminal justice administration from Oklahoma City University and a master of business administration degree from Baker University, according to LinkedIn.
She has worked in the national security industry for 25 years, volunteering with multiple organizations, her campaign site says.
Stiffler pleads to fight against tax increases, scrutinizing incoming land developers, and back law enforcement if voted onto the council, her campaign site says.
