In a race of current Lenexa city councilmembers, Julie Sayers defeated Joe Karlin to become the city’s next mayor.
Unofficial final results from Tuesday showed Sayers winning 53% of the vote to Karlin’s 47%.
Out of a total of 11,682 ballots cast, roughly 600 votes separated the candidates on Tuesday.
Sayers has been on the city council since 2019 and will replace the long-serving Mike Boehm, who did not seek reelection this year after holding the position for two decades.
Sayers said that Boehm leaves a big legacy to follow and helped lead the city in the right direction.
“It was very important that someone from our current council step up and try to keep Lenexa moving in the same trajectory that it is,” she said.
Karlin is a city council veteran, representing Ward 1 since 2009. He ran on a platform that supported public safety, responsible community development and quality streets and upkeep.
Sayers said the race between the two councilmembers was competitive, but she saw that as a good thing.
“The citizens used their voice to elect their next leader. It’s just so very flattering and amazing that they chose me. I’m looking forward to getting started,” she said.
Sayers ran on a platform that emphasized collaboration, prudent financial management and active engagement with the public. She viewed those as reasons that Lenexa continues to grow and its city government works well.
“I think that our residents feel a great quality of life here, and they want things to stay the same and that was absolutely my motivation for doing this,” she said.
Karlin could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
Here’s how races for Lenexa City Council played out:
Ward 1
Incumbent Councilmember Courtney Eiterich soundly defeated challenger Bethany Griffith, the current chair of the Johnson County Library Board.
As of Tuesday, Eiterich took home 65% of the votes, leading her opponent by 919 votes.
Eiterich was first elected to the Lenexa City Council in 2019. She is also a substitute teacher in the Olathe Public School District.
Both could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.
Ward 2
Mark Charlton defeated Jermaine Jamison in the race to replace Councilmember Tom Nolte, who did not run for reelection this year.
Charlton earned about 51% of the votes. On Tuesday night, he had a 66-vote lead over Jamison.
Neither candidate could be reached for comment.
Ward 3
Newcomer Chelsea Williamson snagged 54% of the vote, defeating incumbent Councilmember Dan Roh by approximately 251 votes on Tuesday evening.
This will be Williamson’s first term in office. She is also an attorney in private practice with over 20 years of experience.
Ward 4
In the race for Sayers’s vacated seat, property manager Chris Herron defeated Michael Elliott, a real estate appraisal firm owner, with 58% of the vote.
On social media, Elliott said he was proud of his campaign and wished nothing but the best for Lenexa.
“I hope we brought some issues to light that aren’t often discussed in Lenexa. I wish Chris Herron well in representing Ward 4 because I want nothing but the best for our city going forward,” he wrote.
The vote will not become official until after the Nov. 14 canvass by the county election office.
