Voters standing up and filling out ballots
Voters cast ballots in the November 2024 election at Rainbow Mennonite Church in Kansas City, Kansas. (Vaughn Wheat/The Beacon)

Christal Watson has been elected the new mayor and CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.

Tyrone Garner, who has held the position since his election in 2021, decided last year not to run for reelection. Watson will be sworn into office on Dec. 15.

The mayoral race was one of several choices on Wyandotte County ballots on Nov. 4.

Half of the Unified Government’s Board of Commissioners was up for election this year, including five seats. That board has served as the primary governing body for the city and county since they merged in 1997.

Four of those races, including Districts 1, 5, and 8 and At-Large District 2, were competitive. Chuck Stites ran unopposed in District 7, which includes Bonner Springs and Edwardsville.

To find out which district you live in, click here.

Here are the unofficial results. Winners are bolded.

Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government

  • Christal Watson, with 9,465 votes or 54%
  • Rose Mulvany Henry, with 8,050 votes or 46%

Unified Government Board of Commissioners

At-Large District 2 

  • Andrew Kump, with 8,872 votes or 53%
  • Philip Lopez, with 7,821 votes or 47%

At-Large District 2 covers the southern half of the county, including districts 2, 3, 6 and 7.

District 1 

  • Jermaine Howard, with 1,344 votes or 71%
  • Lisa Walker Yeager, with 530 votes or 28%

This district covers northeastern Wyandotte County.

District 5 

  • Carlos Pacheco III, with 3,176 votes or 66%
  • LaVert A. Murray, with 1,621 votes or 34%

This district covers northwestern Wyandotte County.

District 8 

  • Andrew Davis, with 1,197 votes or 54%
  • Jacob Handy, with 1,025 votes or 46%

This district covers north-central Wyandotte County.

Other elections

In addition, voters in Wyandotte County selected a sheriff and the first at-large position on the Board of Public Utilities.

Wyandotte County Sheriff Daniel Soptic won reelection with 11,141 votes, or 65%.

Voters also elected three people to the Board of Public Utilities. The winners are:

  • Gary Bradley-Lopez won the first at-large position with 8,108 votes, or 55%.
  • David Haley won the second at-large position with 7,947 votes, or 53%.
  • Chase Cook leads for the District 2 position with 3,056 votes, or 50.1%, as of 9:12 p.m. on Nov. 4.

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Josh Merchant is The Beacon's local government reporter in Kansas City. After graduating from Seattle University, Josh earned a master’s degree in investigative journalism from Columbia Journalism School...