Wyandotte Primaries Are Next Big Metro Elections

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With the April elections on the Missouri-side of the Metro behind us, the election cycle switches to Kansas with municipal elections set for November. But, before we get to the general elections, the actions will really escalate leading up to the Aug. 5 primaries.  

In Wyandotte County, one at-large seat and four district seats on the Board of Commissioners are up for election. In WYCO’s unique unified government, there is a combined position of CEO & mayor – and that seat is up for election.  

That position, currently held by Tyrone Garner, who has chosen not to seek reelection, serves as mayor of Kansas City, KS, and the CEO of Wyandotte County.  

The deadline to file to run for office is June 2. Three candidates for a position triggers a primary.  So far, three candidates have filed for CEO/mayor and four candidates have filed for the District 1 seat that covers heavily African-American, Northeast Kansas City.  

District 1 Candidates

So far, incumbent Gayle Townsend, who was first elected to the position in 2013, has not filed for reelection. Here are the candidates who have already entered the race:  

Darnell Busch has a long history of work in the information technology arena. He currently serves as IT manager at Jade Alarm Company. He’s a graduate of Lincoln Academy and Alcorn State University.  

Korri Hall is a WYCO native who graduated from Schlagle and Kansas State University. After working as an educator for a number of years, for the past 13 years she’s served as director of KU Gear UP program in KCK.  

Victor A. Harris, is owner of Harris Lawn Care and Snow Removal and is active in the Wyandotte community and previously had an unsuccessful run for this seat in 2017.  

Jermaine Howard, a fresh young candidate for the position and KC native, has worked in the community for years as a “teacher, coach, housing navigator and advocate.” 

CEO / Mayor Candidates

When he made his retirement announcement via The Voice in November, Mayor Tyrone Garner indicated he was making the announcement early to allow time for prospective candidates to launch effective campaigns. So far, three candidates have responded and are off and running.

Tom Burroughs is the current District 2 At-Large representative on the Wyandotte Board of Commissioners. He is currently serving a second term in this position. He also represented WYCO in the Kansas Legislature, serving from 1996 to 2022.  

Christal Watson has held leadership positions in a number of nonprofit and for-profit organizations in the KC Metro, and currently serves as executive director of Kansas City Kansas School Foundation For Excellence, Inc. She gained valuable experience about the city’s operation when she served four years as deputy chief of staff for neighborhood/small business development under former KCK Mayor David Alvey.

Janice Witt is a perennial candidate for mayor in KCK. She ran for the position in 2013, 2017  and 2021, and she’s running again. She returns with her message about the need for major change in Wyandotte County.  

Garner says he will not endorse a candidate in the race to replace him.  

The top two candidates in the primaries advance to the general election on Nov. 4. 

Other Seats 

Among the seats up for election on the Wyandotte County Board of Commissions is District 5, occupied by Mike Kane, who’s served on the council since 2005. So far he has not filed for re-election to the seat that covers far west WYCO predominantly north of Parallel and west of 77th Street. Alma Hall, athletic director for the Piper School District, is the only candidate so far for that seat.  

Incumbents in the two other district seats, District 7 and 8, are the only candidates to file for those races. They are Chuck Stites and Andrew Davis, respectively. Both are completing their first terms on the commission.  

The District 2 At-Large seat, currently occupied by Tom Burroughs, is also up for election. One individual has filed for that seat, Jordan Michael Tyner-Mackey, who ran for the same seat in 2021. He was a former councilmember in Bonner Springs.

UPDATE: In a previous version of this story we identified Melissa Bynum as the current District 2 At-Large seat representative. We’ve corrected the story to correctly identify Tom Burroughs as the current District 2-At-Large commissioner.