Now that we’re past the primaries, campaigning will step up on other races where a primary wasn’t required.
In Sedgwick County, primary races are held when four or more candidates file to run in a race. The primary reduces the number of individuals in each race to two.
Wichita City Council Races
There are two other Wichita City Council races up for election.
Incumbent Mike Hoheisel is seeking reelection to his District 3 seat on the city council. The district covers much of southeast Wichita. Running against him is Genevieve Howerton. We could not find any additional information about Howerton.
Before being elected to the city council, Hoheisel worked in construction for more than 20 years and was involved in several social justice causes, including voting rights and criminal justice reform.
Incumbent Maggie Ballard is also seeking reelection to her District 6 seat, which covers parts of north Wichita. Running against her are Margaret Wheeler Shabazz and Brett Anderson.
Before joining the council, Ballard founded the nonprofit Paxton’s Blessing Box to address food insecurity. She also owned several businesses, including Maggie’s Scotch and Soda and the Riverside Perk.
Shabazz, who has been an activist since she was a teen as part of Hope Street, is running to address safety and homelessness in Midtown Wichita.
Anderson, who has a degree in engineering technology, has lived on the north end since 2006. His platform focuses on property tax reform and a focus on core services.
School Board Races
District 2 of the USD 259 school board covers parts of east and southeast Wichita. Incumbent Julie Hedrick is seeking reelection to the seat and is being opposed by Brent Davis and Valerie Most. Hedrick retired from USD 259 as director of facilities and has been on the board since 2018. Her top priority is advocating for teachers and other employees in USD 259. She also supports funding a bond issue to improve district facilities.
Brent Davis owns Complete Education, an educational services business that helps students get their best scores on standardized tests. He ran against Hedrick in 2021 and against Melody McCray-Miller in 2023. His focus is on increasing student performance and getting the district’s finances in order.
Most was a high school teacher for USD 259 for 29 years. She supports the bond issue and believes transparency in the district is important.
Incumbent Hazel Stabler is seeking reelection to represent District 6. She is running against Amy Warren. Stabler was a para-educator in the schools and sees herself as an outsider. She initially didn’t support the bond issue but eventually supported putting it on the ballot.
Warren is a clerical substitute in the district and served on the state board of education’s blue ribbon task force on cell phone use in classrooms. She has three children in the district and thinks it’s important to get a parent on the board.