KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Several municipalities in the Kansas City area are set to elect new city leadership, including a handful of mayoral races and numerous city council or board of aldermen contests, on Tuesday in special elections across Missouri.
It will be a busy Tuesday for Lee’s Summit voters, who will be asked to weigh in on the mayor and city council as well as a possible tax increase on the upcoming ballot.
Lee’s Summit’s mayoral race pits incumbent Bill Baird against challenger Diane Forte.
RELATED | School board races heat up for many Kansas City-area districts
RELATED | 9 Kansas City-area school districts have tax issues on Tuesday’s ballot
RELATED | Will your taxes increase? Several Kansas City-area cities voting on tax questions
Baird was elected in 2018, while Forte is wrapping up her second term on the Lee’s Summit City Council representing District 1.
Three candidates — Kirk Sonnichsen, Mia Prier and Robert Dye — are vying for the term-limited Forte’s open seat.
District 2 also features three newcomers — Storm Dillenschneider, John Lovell and Lorenzo Harrison — vying for the seat being vacated by term-limited council member Trish Carlyle.
District 3 councilmember Jose “Beto” Lopez is up for re-election against challenger Ted Diehl, while District 4 councilmember Bob Johnson is up for re-election against Faith Hodges.
Lee’s Summit Municipal Judge Dana Altieri, who has served three terms since her April 2010 election, is up for re-election against challenger Josh Peter.
Independence voters also will elect a new mayor.
Technically, two-term incumbent Eileen Weir, who finished second in a February mayoral primary, remains on the ballot, but she dropped out of the race shortly after losing the primary.
Missouri State Rep. Rory Rowland won the primary and also will be on the ballot.
There are also four candidates vying for two open at-large seats on the Independence City Council, including incumbents Mike Huff and Karen DeLuccie.
Jared Fears and Marcie Gragg are challenging DeLuccie, who was elected in 2014, and Huff, who was elected in 2018.
Two of three races for Blue Springs City Council are contested.
District 1 councilmember Galen Ericson is running unopposed, but District 2 voters will choose between incumbent Chris Lievsay and challenger Anthony Viglaturo while District 3 voters will choose between incumbent Susan Culpepper and challenger Taylor Beller.
In Platte County, Parkville will elect a new mayor to replace Nan Johnston, while Smithville Mayor Damien Boley faces two challengers — Mary Ann Becker and Ali McClain — in his re-election bid.
Here are other contested races of note:
- Two of four Belton City Council races are contested;
- Grain Valley Mayor Chuck Johnston, who was elected in the pandemic-postponed June 2020 election, is bidding for re-election against challenger Michael Todd;
- Two of three Grain Valley Board of Aldermen races, Wards 2 and 3, are uncontested, while Dale Arnold and Chris Bamman are vying for a Ward 1 seat;
- Only one of three races for Grandview Board of Aldermen — Ward 3, where incumbent Ron Brownless faces challenger Thomas Rousey — is contested;
- There are three contested races for the Greenwood Board of Aldermen — Ward 1 incumbent Shaun Dugan faces a challenge from Marvin Megee; Ward 2 incumbent Kyron “K” McClure faces two challengers, Andrew Tracey and Michael Marchand; and incumbent appointee Jody Bishop faces Scott LaMaster in a Ward 2 runoff for an unexpired term;
- North Kansas City voters in Ward 3 will elect a new city council member, while Ward 4 voters will see incumbent Ana Pellumbi and challenger Janice Taylor on the ballot;
- Three of four races for the Oak Grove Board of Aldermen are uncontested, but incumbent Jim Shrout faces a challenge in Ward 3 from Tracey Newcomer;
- Three candidates are running for mayor in Peculiar, including the incumbent’s spouse.
There are several other contested races in Clay County — including Excelsior Springs City Council, Gladstone City Council and the Kearney and Smithville boards of aldermen races — as well as several in Cass and Platte counties.
Many local elections in Jackson, Clay, Platte and Cass counties are uncontested.
