What is at stake in the April 7 KC-area elections? A recap of our endorsements | Opinion
April 7 is a busy day at the polls in the Kansas City area, and if you are registered, I encourage you to get out and vote! From mayor, to city council, to school boards, to bond issues in KC, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Hickman Mills and beyond, decisions will be made that affect residents.
The Kansas City Star Editorial Board endorsed in several hotly contested races. Here is a complete roundup of our recommendations. Go to our Election Recommendations page to see all our full stories.
Kansas City 1% earnings tax
The biggest KC issue this election cycle is the earnings tax. On April 7, voters will be asked whether to renew the 1% earnings tax on the wages of people who live or work in Kansas City. There is only one answer to Question 1 on the ballot. Yes, the tax must be reauthorized. It pays for nearly half of the city’s general fund. To jettison it would mean drastic, immediate cuts to law enforcement, firefighting, street maintenance and much more. Voters are likely to approve it, as they have by huge majorities since it was first required to go on the ballot every five years in 2010. It’s an indispensable part of how Kansas City works.
While Kansas City’s earnings tax is far from perfect, and the Editorial Board has some ideas how to recast it, rejecting it without a solid plan to replace its revenue would be catastrophic for a city that is clearly on an upward trajectory. We strongly recommend a yes vote for Question 1 on Election Day.
Independence city council race
Four candidates are vying for two at-large seats on the Independence City Council in the April 7th general election. Voters there will choose between incumbent Jared Fears, former Councilwoman Lucy Young, and political newcomers Cody Atkinson and Jackie Dorman.
Independence, the fifth-largest city in the state, is at an inflection point: New City Manager Troy Anderson will take the reins April 13; and the much-maligned police department still needs a permanent chief that we hope will implement some very important reforms within the agency. Because of recent turnover in city government, in addition to the aforementioned vacancies — a new mayor will also be seated next month — Independence needs representatives with financial expertise and public service experience to hold new leaders accountable and to oversee economic development opportunities that will help grow a stagnant tax base.
Jared Fears, a certified financial planner, and Lucy Young, a retired accountant and bookkeeper, have the requisite backgrounds that include years of civil service. They are our recommendations in this race.
Independence mayor
On April 7, Independence voters will choose between Bridget McCandless, a sitting councilwoman, and Kevin King, a former high-ranking union official and roofer, as the city’s next mayor. McCandless and King are vying to replace outgoing Mayor Rory Rowland, a former Missouri state representative who chose not to seek reelection for a second term.
Whoever wins the election will take the mayor’s seat at a critical time in the city’s history, as we have mentioned above. Economic development and growing a stagnant tax base are priorities for both candidates, as is public safety. Both candidates wouldn’t commit to supporting a more restrictive pursuit policy for Independence police, and both support a recent decision by the City Council to provide $6.2 billion in tax breaks to Dutch company Nebius to build an artificial intelligence center in Independence.
The Board believes Bridget McCandless’ time on the Independence City Council outweighs Kevin King’s lack of experience. She is our choice in this race.
Independence school board race
There’s no question that the Independence School District Board of Education will have two new members after the general election April 7. Incumbents Denise Fears and Blake Roberson did not seek reelection. It’s way past time for new leadership on the ISD board. The four candidates running to replace these long-serving board members are: Justin Durham, Jeff Jewell, Zac Harmon-McLaughlin and Sarah Wimberley. We found each of this candidates’ passion for school children and the community they serve admirable.
Harmon-McLaughlin is assistant vice president of academic affairs at Iowa-based Graceland University and dean of the Community of Christ Seminary, Graceland’s graduate school of theology.
Durham, an architect, is a partner at Kansas City-based design firm Hollis + Miller. Durham said he has worked with several metro area school districts in the past.
Wimberley is a pastor at Saint Mark’s United Methodist Church in Independence and runs a youth group there. Working with students in fifth through 12th grades has shaped some of Wimberley’s campaign strategies.
For more than 30 years, Jewell has worked in public safety. He is a former police chief in Lone Jack and he is the current fire and EMS chief of the Inter City Fire Protection District in the unincorporated Jackson County township of Blue Summit.
In July, Independence will welcome its third superintendent since last year. In this race, we see Harmon-McLaughlin and Durham as the best candidates to join the board as it transitions to new leadership.
Independence school district bond issue
On April 7, voters will be asked to approve a $60 million no-tax-increase bond issue that would fund major facility improvements at more than 20 sites throughout the district. If approved, revenue from the bond would be used to remodel three elementary schools. Renovations at each site would include: Reconfigured classrooms, safer and more accessible buildings and updated plumbing and electrical systems. Interior improvements would be made to the schools’ floors, ceilings and other fixtures, according to the district.
Because all ISD students deserve a safe and modern learning environment to thrive in, and the proposal would not raise the tax rate in the district, we recommend a yes vote on the bond question in Independence.
Hickman Mills school district bond
The Hickman Mills C-1 School District has been stuck in a financial, managerial, and academic quagmire for some time. Still, with the return of a former superintendent, cuts to spending, and lots of voter support, it may be able to see its way through. To save the district, we suggest that voters get behind the two ballot questions that are up for a vote on April 7.
The first is a proposed $20 million, no-tax-increase, general obligation bond issue. The second is a measure that would allow the district to change how it uses some tax dollars to pay salaries, support building improvements, and afford other operating expenses. The Hickman Mills district, which has been partially accredited since 2012, has a K-12 enrollment of about 5,000 students and can ill afford to shutter and leave so many without a public school district in their area.
A yes vote to both ballot questions will give district leaders a chance to prove they can be trusted to steer this troubled district in the right direction and soon get the state to restore full accreditation. We recommend voting yes.
Hickman Mills school board race
Three incumbents are among five candidates running for three open seats on the Hickman Mills School Board. On April 7, voters will choose from Byron Townsend, April Cushing, Irene Kendrick, Evelyn Hildebrand and Matthew E. Williams. While Townsend, Cushing and Kendrick are all seeking reelection, Hildebrand is a former board member and Williams is running for school board for the first time.
At this critical juncture, the school board needs consistency to help clean up the financial crisis it’s in and to regain full accreditation. In this race, we recommend voters keep in place the incumbents, Townsend, Cushing and Kendrick, to right the ship. Three years from now, if the district hasn’t made significant progress on any of these fronts, Hickman Mills stakeholders should call these leaders to task. For now, we feel the returning board members are best suited for the positions.
Lee’s Summit district bond
On the April 7 ballot in Lee’s Summit is a property tax rollback proposal known as Proposition C, a statewide 1% sales tax approved in 1982 to support Missouri school districts. Under Prop C, school districts are required to reduce or rollback their local tax levy unless voters approve a proposition waiving the mandate. On Tuesday, voters in Lee’s Summit will be asked to approve a full waiver of the rollback to recoup between $3.2 million and $4.5 million the district said it loses annually because of a partial waiver approved in 2008.
Lee’s Summit’s base salary ($44,180) for starting teachers this school year ranked 13th out of 22 Kansas City-area school districts. If approved, Prop C would allow district officials to address the disparity in pay and other employee benefits.
While the waiver would come at a slight cost to homeowners (a home valued at $100,000 this year would see a yearly tax increase of about $23.90, or just $2 more per month.), we recommend voters say yes to a full waiver of the district’s Prop C tax levy rollback on Tuesday.
Yvette Walker is Vice President and Editorial Page Editor at The Kansas City Star.
This story was originally published April 5, 2026 at 5:08 AM.
