The Star’s endorsements in WyCo’s district 1 primary election | Opinion
Editor’s note: Read the races The Star Editorial Board will endorse and why we’re focusing on Wyandotte County’s future.
District 1 of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, sits in an economically distressed northeast area of KCK. But the future prospects of the district will fall on the shoulders of a newcomer to public office.
Of the five candidates vying to replace outgoing District 1 Commissioner Gail Townsend on the county’s 11-member Board of Commissioners, none have held public office before. The top two finishers in the Aug. 5 primary in Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, will advance to the general election later this fall.
Two of the candidates — Lisa Walker-Yeager and Victor Harris — ran for commission seats in 2021 and 2013, respectively, but didn’t win. Another — Korri Hall — once ran for school board but wasn’t elected. The others — Darnell Busch and Jermaine “Jae” Howard — are new to the political arena but are well-versed in the history of northeast Wyandotte Country.
Busch is an information technologies director at Jade Alarm Company. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Busch said he has resided in Wyandotte County for the last 10 years. He is president of KCK’s Oak Grove Neighborhood Association, he said.
Hall, a former educator, is student services director at the University of Kansas’ GEAR UP program for urban youth. In that role, she leads a program that helps guide young people on the path to higher education or trade school. Hall is also a member of the KCK Public Library Board, she said.
Another candidate, Harris, owns a lawn care and snow removal service in KCK. He said he ran for the same seat 12 years ago but wasn’t elected.
Howard owns D&B Limited LLC, a delivery service in KCK and is founder of nonprofit A Loving Space Foundation, a youth mentoring program. He was born and raised in District 1 and is a 2005 graduate of F.L. Schlagle High School.
Walker Yeager, founder and executive director of the National Historic Soul Jazz Blues Walker Foundation in Kansas City, is currently vice president of KCK’s Historic Parkwood Neighborhood Association. Four years ago, she ran for District 1 Commissioner but came up short. This go around, she is not only a candidate in this race but is also on the ballot for a seat on the Unified Government’s Board of Public Utilities.
Of note: Walker Yeager is due in Wyandotte County District Court on Aug. 14 for a preliminary hearing related to a criminal case. Last fall, she was charged with aggravated battery and unlawful discharge of a weapon within city limits, according to court documents.
She is accused of shooting a man during a dispute over an unpaid construction job, court records indicate. Walker Yeager said she shot the man after he attacked her daughter and claims she did so to protect herself and her daughter.
“I was acting in self defense of others,” Walker Yeager said “I was saving my child’s life.”
While these accusations are serious, Walker Yeager is afforded the right to due process.
District 1 issues
Rising property taxes and utility bills are a concern among candidates we spoke with. Not too far behind were issues related to affordable housing, accountability and transparency from elected officials and county leaders, and restoring trust to help mend a fractured relationship with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department.
Other hot-button issues candidates focused on during interviews with each included sustainability of resources, beautification of neighborhoods, and finding new and creative ways to generate revenue and fostering economic development opportunities in an often forgotten part of town.
The task to uplift this area won’t be easy and the job is not for the faint of heart. Townsend, the current District 1 Commissioner, was first elected to the board in 2013 but chose not to seek reelection. Whoever voters chose to replace her must be up for the challenge.
In this race, we believe Hall and Howard are the best candidates to represent the district. These two political newcomers are our recommendations for the Aug. 5 primary.
Korri Hall
As director of KU’s GEAR Up program, Hall sai she manages a $3 million budget. The federally-funded initiative’s current cohort of students are in the 2030 and 2031 graduating classes. She said she’s been in that position for 15 years. Prior to that, she was a biology and American history teacher for 10 years at Schlage High — one of her students there was Howard, a fellow District 1 candidate.
“I must have done something right,” Hall said.
Hall said she once ran for school board in KCK but did not fare well because she “ signed up and waited for the votes,” she said. “I did not know what I was doing.”
Hall said from that experience she learned she needed to be more vocal about the things she’s done for the community. Hall, 49, began her teacher career in 2001.
“I was an educator for almost 30 years,” she said. “I’ve been out here teaching our children. I just don’t toot my own horn. But I am qualified for this position.”
For the last eight years, she has served on the KCK Public Library Board, an appointed position. Because of her experience, she said she understands the budget process and other related functions of government.
“I understand what it means to vote on a mill levy for our community,” Hall said. “We are an actual board that decides on a tax levy.”
Hall was born and raised in KCK and has a fundamental understanding of the challenges within the district that makes her a viable candidate for office. She said if elected, one of her goals is to introduce creative ways to generate new tax revenue for the district.
“District 1 has been historically underserved and is in urgent need of equitable investment in infrastructure, youth resources, affordable housing and public safety,” she said. “Our streets need repairs, our neighborhoods deserve consistent city services, and our families need access to basic amenities and opportunity.
There’s also a pressing need for inclusive economic development in the area that does not displace longtime residents but uplifts them, Hall said.
“We need leadership that centers community voice and ensures our tax dollars work for all residents,” she said.
Jae Howard
One of the strengths we saw with Howard’s platform is that of economic empowerment. The candidate wants to focus on supporting small, local businesses, affordable housing and different creative strategies to improve the tax base there.
As the founder of a youth mentoring nonprofit, Howard said he would like to see more programs and events to engage youth. He also spoke of environmental initiatives that focus on pollution, harmful chemicals and green sustainability.
One idea Howard said he had for small businesses is providing more resources for them to be successful.
“There should be a resource,” Howard said. “I call it ‘business in a box.’ They should be able to put together a plan to bring more foot traffic in. How can we attract people to those unique shops?”
Although this is Howard’s first run for public office, he has secured important endorsements for major unions in KCK. That support, he said, was earned not given.
“The way I connect with people,” is a major plus, he said.
He added what he has learned on the campaign trail is that people expect accountability, transparency and human decency from their elected officials. Howard, 38, is prepared to offer that and more, he said.
“We want to be heard,” he said. “We want to be treated like humans and we want to be delivered all of the services that we pay for every day.”
More than 20 years after Howard graduated high school, he said he still remembers the impact Hall had on him and other students. Her being a political opponent hasn’t changed the fondness he has for his former teacher.
“It’s been fun for me to come full circle,” he said. “As a kid, you dream about doing great things. Standing toe to toe with someone you share history with — I’m thankful for that.”
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 12:13 PM.