‘Our neighborhoods are changing’: More diverse candidates than ever for Jackson County
With the 15 and the Mahomies Playground at Kansas City’s Martin Luther King Jr. Square Park as her backdrop, Megan Marshall announced her candidacy Monday for the 3rd District at-large seat on the Jackson County Legislature. She’s the first Black woman to run for the seat held by Kansas City lawyer Tony Miller since 2014.
Marshall’s candidacy is part of a broader effort to make the nine-member county legislature the most diverse it’s ever been.
And while term limits are a discussion for another day, the need for new and different leadership to address problems that particularly impact people of color is obvious.
Justice Horn, a 23-year-old University of Missouri-Kansas City grad and community activist, is the first Black man to run for the county’s 1st District. That seat is currently held by retiring legislator Scott Burnett, who has held the position since “the year I was born into the world,” Horn said. “I think that what we are seeing is a reaction to a lot of the social justice issues that we’ve not seen being addressed here over the last few years.”
Latino Kansas City School Board member Manny Abarca is also running for that seat. Abarca, treasurer of the Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education and executive board member for the Missouri Democratic Party, said candidates of color have an opportunity to empower a part of the county that hasn’t been represented well over the last decade: “From Latino representation to true progressive leaders … the opportunities are endless.”
According to candidates who’ve already started campaigning and others who say they are gearing up to run, there could be a dozen or more candidates of color vying for a county seat this year.
“Our neighborhoods are changing. Our districts are changing. This new generation has shown they are more engaged in the political process, so it would not surprise me if we have a majority-minority filing,” said Dee Evans, the county’s Democratic Committee chairwoman.
Seven of the county’s nine districts are strongly Democratic and two are Republican. Filing for the Aug. 2 primary election opened on Tuesday; candidates seeking a four-year term have until the March 29 deadline. The general election is on Nov. 8.
Marshall, who plans to continue her service on the Lee’s Summit school board even if she wins a seat in the legislature, expects this to be a year for “real change,” in county government. She’s running on lowering crime in the county, “putting violent criminals in jail, protecting women and helping our planet. The change we are seeking in Jackson County will never be realized by following those who have a vested interest in things staying the same.”
That’s the case always and everywhere. But as a county named in honor of former president and famous bigot Andrew Jackson looks toward building a detention center that prioritizes something other than just incarceration rates, the legislature has a rare and important opportunity to do things differently, focusing on career placement, mental and physical health and family support.
That won’t be easy, and it will require an enormous amount of support from the public. We’re glad that so many diverse and committed first-time candidates are stepping up to serve.