Kansas City Star’s endorsement in WyCo Board of Commissioners District 5 | Opinion
Editor’s note: Read the races The Star Editorial Board will endorse and why we’re focusing on Wyandotte County’s future.
District 5 in Kansas City, Kansas, is the northwesternmost district of Wyandotte County, just south of Leavenworth County. From its distant location, one might assume its politics are not at the heart of KCK.
But that person would be wrong, with two passionate newcomers inexperienced in politics vying against a veteran government worker for the Unified Government Board of Commissioners in District 5.
Alma D. Hall is a Texas transplant, in KCK for 30 years, where she works at the public school district. Carlos Pacheco III is a WyCo native and a family physician and partner/owner at Heartland Primary Care, located in District 5. They both are candidates against LaVert A. Murray, who is a longtime KCK resident and a retired UG director of economic development.
Other differences between the three: Hall immigrated from Mexico, and Pacheco is a child of parents who both were heavily involved in Wyandotte County (father, a firefighter, mother, in several WyCo organizations and a board member of El Centro). Murray has nearly 40 years of experience in Wyandotte County government.
Murray’s years of experience are not to be overlooked, “I still have a desire to help our community and help people, people in our community,” he told The Star’s Editorial Board. But the district should also consider new and fresh ideas to guide its future.
We recommend the experienced Murray and newcomer Pacheco for the District 5 primary.
We don’t take Pacheco’s inexperience lightly.
Pacheco said although he has never run for public office, “I’ve been a leader at every role; I’ve always kind of flocked to that,” he said recounting his experience as a chief resident and part owner of his health care company. “I’ve always been competitive with myself and wanted to do my best for the people that I serve.”
He certainly has convinced others, securing the endorsements of several union groups in WyCo.
Property taxes, new stadiums, infrastructure
Both Murray and Pacheco have said they agree with freezing property taxes for this already heavily taxed area, and both say no to increasing salaries for public officials.
They differ from there. Pacheco would use taxpayer money to fund a new stadium for the Chiefs and/or Royals. He also would favor a regional public transit sales tax. Murray is opposed to those choices.
Pacheco said being a bigger part of the regional transit system — even a hub — and drawing the stadiums is key.
“I would be in favor of any opportunity, even if it does involve some taxpayer dollars. There are opportunities to do this in such a way that even if certain tax dollars were used, the revenue that we would get back if we manage it correctly could still be brought into people’s pocketbooks.”
He believes that the role of Wyandotte County within the broader Kansas City region needs to be considered. “The county should be positioned as a leader in the entire metro and I don’t say that lightly. I think right now is the time where we can absolutely pounce on the opportunity (for) Wyandotte County to start winning some of the resources.”
Taxing and revenue ideas
Murray favors reinstating a tax lid that would impose a restriction on the amount that municipal property tax levies could rise.
“By imposing a tax lid, it forced our budget and taxing personnel to determine what was really necessary and what was fluff,” he said.
Murray also recommends practicing revenue neutrality — budgeting the exact same amount of property tax revenue for the upcoming budget year as for the current year. “That sounds rather simple, but if we cut out some of the things that we really don’t need, it makes a big difference. Then, of course, the pilot charge through the BPU has gotten out of hand as well. I think that if, in fact, we take the pilot back to what level it was intended, it would force us to do careful budgeting and meaningful budgeting to cut out the waste.”
Like Pacheco, Hall is a newcomer to politics, but she has fewer specific ideas than her opponent. When asked if she had run for public office before, Hall replied, “Never, never, never, never.” She recounted the day she filed for office after helping a woman translating foreclosure documentation.
“And she was in her 70s, limited English, lack of understanding and all that. As soon as I was done helping her, I didn’t even think twice. I just went and signed up. I didn’t even tell my husband. I showed up to the house, and he could tell that something was off. And I was like, ‘I signed up to run for commissioner, and that was it.’”
No doubt, Hall is passionate about KCK and Wyandotte County, but a lack of specific plans to fight her biggest issue, overtaxing, is troublesome. We recommend Murray and Pacheco as finalists in this primary.
This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 5:08 AM.