Early voting in Johnson County is in full swing and Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7, is upon us.
As Johnson County residents head to the polls and mail in ballots, we’ve put together election primers for each of the local races in the Post’s coverage area to give readers and residents in those communities an easy way to find out more about the candidates and where they stand on the issues important to you.
SHAMELESS PLUG
No other news outlet devotes as much attention to giving Shawnee Mission area voters a way to find out where candidates running for local office stand on the issues facing our community. If you value having a news outlet provide this kind of coverage, we hope you’ll consider becoming a subscriber if you aren’t already. Your first month of full access is just $1.
See who’s on the ballot
Ward 1
- Incumbent Councilmember Jason Rogers
- Small business owner Lee Story
Ward 2
- Engineer and consultant Jerry Williams
- Incumbent Councilmember Jonalan Smith
Ward 3
- Health care social worker James Hafner
- Incumbent Councilmember Joseph Levin
Ward 4
- Incumbent Councilmember Jenna Brofsky is running unopposed
Read what candidates say on key issues
- Property taxes
- Housing affordability and “missing middle” housing
- Shawnee Indian Mission future
- Recent developments along SM Parkway
Watch the Post’s candidate forum
Below is video from the Post’s in-person forum on Thursday, Sept. 28, held at Cedar Roe Library in Roeland Park.
After that is video from Post editor Kyle Palmer’s recorded Zoom conversation for the Ward 3 candidates.
Following that are the questions each candidate answered during Thursday’s forum. Timestamps are included in bold to help you navigate to specific questions.
Sept. 28 forum
The Ward 3 conversation between Post Editor Kyle Palmer and the two candidates is embedded in a link directly below. (If the embedded video below doesn’t work, you can find the video at this link.)
Questions
- Candidate’s opening statements [4:00]
- If elected or reelected what will be your biggest priority entering office next year? [8:50]
- Even with holding the mill rate flat or decreasing it, cities’ annual revenues are going up as are homeowners property values because of the rising valuations. Should the city consider cutting its mill rate in the future? If yes, what would you cut from the budget to account for any lost revenue? If not, are there other forms of tax relief the city can provide residents? [13:22]
- Some of our readers say they want to see their cities in Johnson County explore ways to encourage the development of so-called “missing middle” housing, like duplexes, townhomes and small starter homes. This is in response to skyrocketing housing costs in Johnson County. Fairway is small and landlocked, meaning there are not very many places for new developments. Are there any feasible ways for Fairway to add or make room for “missing middle” housing? Are there other ways you’d like to see the city address housing affordability? [20:25]
- A couple of you have mentioned the Shawnee Indian Mission. It’s the state’s most historic site right here in Fairway. Just earlier this week, the Shawnee Mission Post reported that the city and state met with representatives from several tribal nations including the Shawnee Tribe. What is your stance on what the city’s role should be with the Shawnee Indian Mission going forward? [27:22]
- How do you attract more businesses to Fairway? What’s something that can be done about that? [33:59]
- Do you support partisan political parties involving themselves in local elections which are nominally nonpartisan, including publishing lists, encouraging support for or against certain candidates based on political affiliation? [38:14]
- I want to go back down the table and ask each of you, have you been endorsed by any organizations, are your names on any list? Do you identify with any particular organizations or groups that you want the public or voters to know about? [41:54]
- Candidate’s closing statements [43:24]
