JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. — Voters in Johnson County, Kan., sent all three incumbents in contested county commission races back for new terms on Tuesday, led by Commission Chair Mike Kelly, according to unofficial final results from the Johnson County Election Office.
Kelly, a lawyer finishing his first four-year term as chair, defeated challenger Karen Crnkovich, a plumbing and HVAC contractor, by 57% to 43%. Crnkovich drew close to 115,000 votes on a platform of trimming county spending and cutting property taxes.
Kelly ran on his record, citing strong resident satisfaction surveys, new Med-Act ambulance stations, road and infrastructure work and the county’s role in planning for the World Cup. The win was one of the top local results on a busy night in the Kansas City area.
In the 1st District, Commissioner Becky Fast appears headed to a third term after beating challenger Ben Hobert 72% to 28%. Fast runs the Kansas Social Work Alliance and campaigned on keeping the budget in check while backing housing people can afford, care for older residents and access to health services.
The 5th District race tightened early in the night before longtime Commissioner Michael Ashcraft pulled ahead of challenger Greg Mitchell, finishing with 52% to 48% once the final batch of returns was counted. A win would give Ashcraft, who has held the seat since 2011, a fifth term.
In the 4th District, which covers Overland Park, Teresa Erb had no opponent and collected 36,526 votes. She will fill the seat held by two-term Commissioner Janee Hanzlick, who did not seek reelection.
The commission races are nonpartisan, but both county parties circulated lists of favored candidates. Democrats endorsed Kelly and Fast, and Republicans backed Ashcraft. Spending, property taxes and the quality of county services dominated the campaigns.
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