Almost all of the Jackson County Legislature will turn over after this year’s election, with at least six newcomers winning seats in the county’s primary governing body.

That includes the 3rd District, where four candidates are competing to replace outgoing incumbent Charlie Franklin, who is not running for reelection.

Democrats will vote in a competitive primary for this district on Aug. 4, but this is the only district in the county that will also have a competitive Republican primary. The two winners will face off in the general election on Nov. 8.

The two Democrats are Dennis Rowland and Phyllis Hernandez, and the two Republicans are Tony Miller and Scott Qualls.

The 3rd District covers small portions of eastern Kansas City and most of Sugar Creek and Independence. You can see a more detailed map by clicking here. 

The county legislature is the primary governing body for Jackson County, which passes the annual budget and votes on laws affecting the county government. The county is also responsible for assessing property values and collecting property taxes on behalf of school districts and other taxing jurisdictions.

The Beacon reached out to all four candidates in the 3rd District primaries, asking them to answer a three-part questionnaire. All but Qualls responded.

The questionnaires include biographical questions, five short-answer policy questions and five lightning-round, multiple-choice questions. Some responses have been edited for length or clarity.

We published a candidate guide that includes five Democrats running for two at-large Jackson County districts this week. You can read it here. If you live in the 2nd District, you can find that district’s questionnaire here. 

Click on a link to jump to a section in the questionnaire:

• Meet the candidates.
• What would you do to make property taxes more fair?
• The 3/8-cent sales tax funding Truman Sports Complex will expire in 2031. When it expires, should the county ask voters to renew it? Or let it expire?
• What, if anything, should be done with Truman Sports Complex once the teams’ leases expire?
• How would you encourage a cooperative and collaborative tone among your colleagues in the legislature and with the executive?
• If elected, what issues will you make your own?
• Lightning-round questions.

Meet the candidates

Democratic primary

Dennis R. Rowland

Rowland is a semiretired attorney. He worked as a railroad engineer at Union Pacific for 40 years before retiring in 2013. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and became an attorney in 1994.

What organization in Jackson County is doing community work you admire? 

Newhouse/Hope House shelters. Church of Resurrection charitable endeavors, community property cleanups and repairs, hosting blood drives, meals for homeless.

Phyllis Hernandez

Hernandez is the executive director at Sala de Arte, an art gallery she opened in 2021 in the Historic Northeast featuring multicultural and multigenerational artists.

She has served on Kansas City’s Small Business Task Force and on the boards of Sheffield Neighborhood Association, Guadalupe Center Charter Schools and Northeast Arts KC.

She has also worked as a legislative assistant for Missouri state representatives Ray Reed and Wick Thomas and as an evening and weekend supervisor at the Kansas City Public Library.

You can learn more about Hernandez at her campaign website, on Instagram and on Facebook.

What organization in Jackson County is doing community work you admire?

I admire Sheffield Place, a nonprofit organization in Jackson County that provides trauma-informed housing for women and children. This organization not only addresses the housing crisis but also provides counseling services, case management and outgoing support.

Republican primary

Tony Miller

Miller is an attorney at Troppito Miller Griffin LLC. 

He previously served two terms as a Democrat on the county legislature representing the 3rd At-Large District before he was ousted by primary challenger Megan Smith in 2022.

He also has served on the COMBAT Commission and worked for a time as an assistant prosecuting attorney at both the Kansas City Municipal Court and at the Jackson County prosecuting attorney’s office. He was appointed by the presiding judge in 2013 to serve as a special prosecuting attorney in the Sixteenth Circuit Court.

You can learn more about Miller at his campaign website.

What organization in Jackson County is doing community work you admire? 

I truly admire the work of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). These are volunteers who advocate for children in the family court system.

Scott Qualls

Qualls was reached by phone but did not respond to The Beacon’s questionnaire before the deadline.

According to his website and his LinkedIn, he is a facilities coordinator at City Union Mission. He holds a degree in architecture and urban planning and has worked for 30 years in construction and facilities management.

You can learn more about Qualls at his campaign website and on Facebook.

What would you do to make property taxes more fair?

Rowland (Democrat): Assessed value is a fair barometer for property taxes. Reassessment is meant to equalize the tax burden as the dynamics of inflation, improvements, destruction, etc., change a property’s values. Reassessment is not meant to provide a windfall but to provide the actual values of properties to ensure a fair tax system. Implementation of this process has been problematic. The current system provides the mechanism for adjusting the tax rates of the various taxing authorities to prevent windfalls. However, this mechanism, in substantial part, has not been properly followed. I would ensure enforcement of the mechanisms to ensure compliance. Expand the assessment department to ensure accuracy.

Hernandez (Democrat): To address the continued issues of property taxes and to ensure fairness across the board, from residential to businesses, I would create a special task force. This board would consist of members from various residential communities as well as business owners. They would work with the various neighborhood associations to gather input directly from the community. Economic growth and development create opportunities and positive changes. However, we need to ensure that these changes do not force long-term property owners out of their homes and business. Creating a cap on yearly tax increases would also prevent drastic changes that can be detrimental to elderly and disabled homeowners.

Miller (Republican): Follow the law and actually do in-person inspections. The Assessment Department needs to be staffed, and they should build their own dataset. Until then, assessments should be rolled back, possibly to 2019 levels. The Board of Equalization should be able to be more independent and the assessor’s office (currently vacant) should not meddle in the appeals process.

The 3/8-cent sales tax funding Truman Sports Complex will expire in 2031. When it expires, should the county ask voters to renew it? Or let it expire?

Rowland (Democrat): Ask voters to renew the 3/8-cent sales tax for a new purpose. Expand the light rail system. Improve utility systems (expand capacity). Fund first responders to employ needed capacity. Fund educational programs focusing on improving or establishing job skills.

Hernandez (Democrat): I would ask voters to renew the tax. I propose the development of a new sports and entertainment district with the desire to bring a WNBA team to Kansas City. Seeing the success of the KC Current stadium and the nationwide attention it has brought for women’s sports, adding a basketball arena would bring Jackson County back to the forefront. This arena could also host exhibition games from the NBA. It would also be home to sports museums, art galleries and restaurants. Adding a park with outdoor courts could provide the opportunity to host yearly youth basketball tournaments. Students could earn the opportunity to gain sports scholarships through sponsorships.

Miller (Republican): I cannot forecast what the situation will be with the teams when the lease runs out, but I lean toward letting the tax expire without replacing it.

What, if anything, should be done with Truman Sports Complex once the teams’ leases expire?

Rowland (Democrat): Invite other teams to use the complex. Invite other entertainment to appear. Destruction should be a last resort unless absolutely necessary. If eventually removed, then invite light manufacturing focusing on the future of motor vehicle electrification (and charging stations). No legitimate idea is to be discounted.

Hernandez (Democrat): Rebuilt to host a WNBA arena.

Miller (Republican): I want to hear from the constituents before signing on to anything specifically. When I was on the Land Use Committee, we rezoned the area around the stadiums for development, but the leaseholders chose not to do anything with it. I had hoped that mixed-use development around the Rock Island Trail (privately funded hotels, homes, businesses) would lead to revitalization of the area, but the teams didn’t want that. They said that it was “not worthy” of development. It would be interesting to see what private business would do with that site instead of asking taxpayers to open their pocketbooks again.

How would you encourage a cooperative and collaborative tone among your colleagues in the legislature and with the executive?

Rowland (Democrat): A legislature of nine individual personalities will often conflict. The best way to avoid such is to have a relationship of compromise. I was once told that if both parties to a lawsuit are not pleased with the judge’s decision, then the judge made the right decision. This is valid no matter what the situation is. Therefore, never take an all or nothing attitude, but be ready to see the other person’s position and be willing to compromise without compromising your constituents’ concerns.

Hernandez (Democrat): My goal to create a successful legislature is to encourage collaboration and open dialogue. We need to respect that we will bring different opinions and we need to be willing to allow others to share the needs and concerns of their districts. We also need to create strict calendar rules so important issues are not left unaddressed past the deadlines. Weekly in-person roundtables with the legislators and the executive could prevent future delays in funding, projects and opportunities in Jackson County.

Miller (Republican): Be accessible, honest and communicative. People can disagree without being disagreeable.

If elected, what issues will you make your own?

Rowland (Democrat): Fiscal responsibility and accountability, primary, plain and simple. Compliance with the laws affecting the populace. Education to those who wish an explanation. This recent reassessment debacle is but one issue I have found that many do not fully understand. Hold conferences to explain, regardless of the issue. Fully inform, fully disclose, even if not pleasant. Address apparent or obvious misrepresentations. If any issue is properly explained, the populace is smart enough to figure it out. I’ve often seen issues which have not been fully disclosed in an attempt to pass legislation with a result dissimilar to that the populace had expected.

Hernandez (Democrat): When elected, my focus will be addressing mental health. With limited resources for mental health, our homeless community suffers from not getting the support they need. Substance abuse and mental health also affect our youth. Addressing the need for conflict resolution begins with addressing barriers that increase violent crimes in Jackson County. Supporting mentorship programs that provide positive results. I would also focus on more funding for organizations addressing developmental delays. Continuing support from youth to adults.

Miller (Republican): I would like to work on charter review as a vehicle to fix many problems at the county. I would also like to work on improving roads and parks again. Last, I would like to work with like-minded colleagues during the budget process to trim questionable discretionary spending and reign in mission creep.

Lightning-round questions

Candidates were asked for a yes-or-no position in response to these five questions:

1. If a question is put to Jackson County voters asking whether to impose a half-cent sales tax for public transportation, will you be voting yes or no?
2. Do you support or oppose refunding certain 2023 property taxes with tax credits, at the expense of the school districts?
3. Do you support or oppose the Missouri legislature’s proposal to eliminate the state income tax?
4. Do you support or oppose the use of public dollars (including potential property tax revenues in the form of tax abatement) for data center construction?
5. Who are you supporting for county executive?

Candidates were also asked which county executive candidate they are supporting.

Hernandez endorsed Manny Abarca for county executive. Miller endorsed Alan Rohlfing, the only Republican running for county executive. Rowland declined to make an endorsement, saying that he was undecided.