Johnson County voters appear to prefer to keep incumbent officers on the county commission, according to unofficial final results posted by the Johnson County Election Office on Tuesday night.

If results hold, Commission Chair Mike Kelly, 1st District Commissioner Becky Fast and 5th District Commissioner Michael Ashcraft are each returning for another term.

Kelly, who is at the end of his first term as chair, prevailed over challenger Karen Crnkovich with 57% to her 43%. In the 1st District, Fast will have an apparent third term, having outpolled challenger Ben Hobert, 72% to 28%.

And although the first unofficial reports coming in showed a close race between longtime 5th District Commissioner Ashcraft and challenger Greg Mitchell, Ashcraft ended up with an apparent 52% to 48% victory when the last batch of results was turned in. That will give a fifth term to Ashcraft, who has represented the district since 2011.

Although the races are officially nonpartisan, both county parties have put out lists of candidates they support. Kelly and Fast are on the Democratic list, and Ashcraft is on the Republican one.

In the 4th District, which comprises Overland Park, Teresa Erb ran unopposed. Her unofficial total was 36,526 votes. That spot was left vacant by two-term Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick, who opted not to run again.

The county commission races this year have focused on the interweaving of county spending, property taxes and whether the departments are meeting public expectations for services they pay for.

In the chair’s race, challenger Crnkovich, a plumbing and HVAC contractor, ran on a platform of cutting county spending and providing property tax relief, saying she would work to reduce non-essential spending and waste while promoting single-family home ownership and property tax cuts.

Kelly, a lawyer, stressed his record as his first four-year term is ending. He has pointed to positive citizen satisfaction surveys as well as new Med-Act stations, infrastructure improvements and the county’s leadership in the World Cup planning.

“I’m just very grateful that the people of Johnson County put their trust in me for another four years,” Kelly said. “I’m proud of the results we’ve garnered over the last four and very excited to continue that progress for the next four.”

Kelly said this was an unusual election in that attention on the national and statewide races somewhat drowned out what was happening at the local level. “That makes it that much more challenging to not only educate people about a non-partisan downballot race but to make sure people can identify the right candidate,” he said.

Crnkovich expressed gratitude to the nearly 115,000 voters who cast ballots for her. “I believe that I started good conversations that we need to continue to have here in the county,” she said.

She also said that given the mood at the national level, she was happy to have held Kelly’s margin to roughly the same as when he won against Charlotte O’Hara in 2022. “The fact that he made no ground is something I’m really proud of.”

“I hope that he listens to many of the criticisms that I had of him as chair and takes them seriously and decides to lead our county in a more transparent way,” she added.

5th District

Ashcraft, a public and private sector consultant, said he is “tickled pink to be able to continue to serve,” on the commission, a job he enjoys.

Ashcraft has frequently mentioned “return on investment” in spending matters during his tenure on the commission. He has also been a consistent skeptic of tax incentives for developers, urging the commission to do a more thorough review of how incentives granted by the cities could affect the county budget.

Mitchell, a semi-retired holder of director-level supply chain positions at hospitals and current trustee at Johnson County Community College, supported budget cutting through the elimination of redundancies in spending, as well as diversifying revenue sources.

1st District

Fast, director of the Kansas Social Work Alliance, listed healthcare, senior services, affordable housing and a fiscally responsible budget as her priorities.

Fast texted a statement to the Post. “I’m honored by the confidence voters have placed

in me. I’m committed to leading with our shared values and ensuring every voice is heard,” she wrote.

“You can count on me to work hard, listen, and never stop fighting for all Johnson County residents.”

Hobert, a retired lawyer, has been a frequent critic of the commission’s spending patterns during the commission’s public comment time. He has also criticized tax abatements and argued that the county holds excess reserves.