The filing deadline is still six months away, but a few Johnson County races are already shaping up to be hotly contested.
The contests for Johnson County’s sheriff and district attorney each have attracted two candidates to challenge the incumbent office holders, as has the sixth district county commissioner seat.
Not all of the candidates, including some current officeholders, have filed yet, but many have announced their intentions to run as the new year begins.
The deadline to file to run this year is noon, June 3. State office hopefuls, including judges and the county district attorney, must file with the Secretary of State’s office. County and other local office candidates file with the Johnson County Election Office.
The list of candidates changes often as more people sign up. Here’s what we know about who’s running so far, as of mid-December:
Sheriff
Perhaps the county’s highest profile race this year is the one for sheriff. Two people have filed to challenge incumbent Calvin Hayden for the spot, and Hayden has said he intends to run for re-election in this partisan race.
This year will be the first time Hayden, a Republican and former county commissioner, has had a general election opponent for sheriff.
The sheriff’s office has a long history of single-candidate elections. The last time there were two candidates was in 2004, the same year George W. Bush and John Kerry ran for president.
Hayden was first elected sheriff in 2016, replacing longtime Sheriff Frank Denning, who retired. Hayden ran without an opponent in both 2016 and 2020.
In the past four years, Hayden has drawn attention and criticism for casting doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election results and for keeping open an investigation of county election practices that has so far produced no evidence of malfeasance. He has said he will continue to look into allegations of illegal storage of poll workers’ data by a company contracted with the county.
In a recent speech at a right-wing conference in Kansas City, Kansas, he voiced a number of other opinions about county commissioners, communist influence on American social issues and other topics.
Hayden does not appear to have a campaign page up and running yet, but has said he will file papers to run early in 2024.
Former Johnson County Undersheriff Doug Bedford will challenge Hayden in the Republican primary. On his website, Bedford says he is running to “bring back the people’s confidence in public safety by focusing on strengthening relationships between all city, county and state agencies, ensuring a safe and wholesome community for all.”
He stresses his experience in law enforcement with the sheriff’s office and the Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Control arm of the state Department of Revenue, as well as his training as a Navy SEAL.
Prairie Village Police Chief Byron Roberson has filed to run as a Democrat and will face whoever wins the Republican primary.
In announcing his candidacy late last year, Roberson called for “a change in leadership in the sheriff’s office.” He also has stressed the endorsements of four former local police chiefs – Ellen Hanson and Tom Hongslo both of Lenexa, Tim Burnett of Merriam and Ben Hadley of Mission.
Roberson pledged to open up the lines of communication between the county and local departments.
“As police chief, I’ve seen firsthand the lack of collaboration between municipal police departments and leadership at the sheriff’s office,” Roberson said in the release.
District Attorney
Three people, including current District Attorney Steve Howe, have noted their intentions to run for the county prosecutor’s spot, but so far none have been listed on the Secretary of State website as candidates. However, all three have opened campaign websites.
Howe was elected to his first four-year term in 2008 but has had only one challenger since then. That was in his most recent race, against Zach Thomas, a trial lawyer in private practice with a background as a defense lawyer. In that election, Thomas got 48.16% of the vote to Howe’s 51.73%, according to final official results.
Howe’s campaign website headline reads, “Justice. Not politics” and he reiterates that in a short film, saying “I’m a prosecutor, not a politician.”
The film also touts Johnson County’s reputation as a safe place to live and Howe’s work pursuing abusers of the elderly, de-escalating violent domestic abuse and addressing addiction and mental health.
Thomas returns again this year to challenge Howe. Starting his private practice in 2014, Thomas was in the Johnson County Public Defender’s office for two years before that.
His website says he emphasizes evidence-based, progressive prosecution policies that relieve the burden on the court system. He also highlights drug court, mental health and diversion and says keeping low-level criminals from turning to violent crime should be a priority, along with focusing more resources on violent crime.
With former assistant prosecutor Vanessa Riebli also announcing her intentions, the race will have at least three candidates.
Riebli has been a defense lawyer and prosecutor in Johnson County for 25 years, with 21 years of that as an assistant district attorney. She is now a partner in a private law firm.
Her website stresses experience in a wide variety of cases including white collar crime and advocacy to prevent elder abuse. She also emphasizes a timely disposition of cases, transparency and a more consistent approach to assigning prosecutors that keeps the same prosecutors in contact with crime victims throughout the case.
In her announcement, Riebli said, “as the next Johnson County District Attorney I’ll reform the office and reinstate the level of professionalism necessary to get outcomes that keep our community safe.”
The district attorney contest is also partisan. Howe ran as a Republican and Thomas as a Democrat in the last race. Riebli has not yet indicated her party preference.
County Commission, 6th District
Incumbent Commissioner Shirley Allenbrand will have at least two challengers in this year’s election. Commission races are nonpartisan.
Allenbrand was first elected four years ago to represent the largely rural district covering western and southern Johnson County. She has not yet filed, but said she expects to early this year.
Her campaign website says public safety, fiscal responsibility, quality of life and transparency are among her top priorities in running for another term.
One challenger has filed so far, Tony Bergida, an Olathe planning commissioner and former chair of the Kansas Young Republicans.
In a short video on his campaign Facebook page, Bergida calls out high property taxes, tax incentives for developers and “squandering our resources on social engineering and leaving law enforcement out to dry,” by the current commission. He says his campaign will be about quality of life, a strong economy and schools.
Former Gardner mayor and current city councilmember Steve Shute also has said he intends to run but has not yet filed the papers. Shute has said he intends to get petition signatures before filing. A campaign Facebook page exists for him, but is not yet up and running.
County Commission, 3rd District
Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara also will have a challenger in the general election. Julie Brewer, former head of the nonprofit United Community Services of Johnson County, has filed to run in the nonpartisan race.
UCS is a local resource center focused on community-wide planning and human services. Additionally, she’s been involved in many advisory boards and advocacy committees.
On her website, Brewer says she will prioritize fiscal responsibility, public safety, quality of life, housing and healthy civic engagement.
O’Hara is nearing the end of her first term in office. Since joining the commission, she was instrumental in calling attention to the derelict former Kuhlman Diecast plant, which has since been razed.
She has also been a vocal opponent of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and has criticized “critical race theory.”
She does not appear to have a campaign website or Facebook page up yet.
Other races
This year will also have elections for all the Kansas Senate and House seats. Candidate filings can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.
Roxie Hammill is a freelance journalist who reports frequently for the Post and other Kansas City area publications. You can reach her at roxieham@gmail.com.
