With what is likely an unprecedented number of candidates running for office in Wyandotte County, primaries are being held in all but three of the nine seats up for election in November.
The primaries will narrow the field of candidates in each race to two, which is down from as high as six in the race for UG CEO/mayor. The top two individuals from each race in the Aug. 5 primaries move forward to the general election.
We previously covered the candidates for mayor, and Wyandotte County Commission District 1 and 8. In this article, we’ll look briefly at the candidates for the WYCO District 5 race, the WYCO sheriff’s race and the Board of Public Utilities At-Large District 1 race.
Wyandotte County Board of Commissioners races are non-partisan, which means candidates run in a big pool, rather than by political party. Here’s who’s running.
To see our coverage on the previously covered races click here and here.
District 5
There are three candidates in the race for District 5 Wyandotte County Commission. The district is predominantly west of 77th Street, north of Parallel and west to 139th Street.
Candidate Alma D. Hall, PhD, is a self-described “proud Mexican immigrant, U.S. citizen, and lifelong registered Democrat.” She has lived in Wyandotte County for 30 years and has extensive experience in education leadership.
LaVert Murray retired from the Unified Government after 37 years. He worked as the UG community development department director and, until earlier this month, worked post-retirement as economic development adviser to Mayor Tyrone Garner. Murray said one person can make a difference if that person remains rational and independent-minded, practices good stewardship and cares about the concerns of other people.
Carlos Pacheco III, MD, is a certified family medicine physician. A WYCO native, he graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and previously served as chief resident of the UMKC Community and Family Medicine Residency at Truman Medical Center – Lakewood.
Wyandotte County Sheriff
Sheriff Daniel Soptic, who is completing his first term, is seeking re-election. He began his law enforcement career in 2004 with the Kansas City Kansas Park Rangers before it merged with the sheriff’s office in 2009.
Running against Soptic is David Kearney who is currently a master sergeant in the Kansas City Kansas Police Dept. We were not able to find out much more about Kearney, but he was active at the KCK Juneteenth, introducing himself to attendees. For the third time in a row, Celisha Towers is running for this position. She’s a former sheriff’s deputy who also sued the department for discrimination.
BPU At-Large District 1
Gary Bradley-Lopez, who previously had an unsuccessful run for USD 500 school board, is back. A full-time theater teacher and part-time debate coach in USD 500, Bradley-Lopez said he’s running “because it’s time for those who are truly impacted by our utilities to have a representative at the table — someone who has lived the experience and understands the needs of our community.”
Michael Paulson Is a financial advisor with Windsor Financial Group. He’s been active in politics for years, serving as regional organizing director and campaign manager for a number of candidates across the midwest.
We could not find much information on candidate Alex Sanchez. He unsuccessfully ran for the BPU in 2023. In addition to running for the BPU, Lisa Walker-Yeager is also a candidate for the Unified Government District 1 seat. She’s been active in the community, most recently as a member of the WYCO Commonwealth Advocacy Coalition that campaigned to defeat the $420 million school bond election.
