Kelly wins second term as Johnson County commission chair

Incumbent Mike Kelly won a second term as Johnson County Commission Chair, collecting 57% of the vote against challenger Karen Crnkovich's 43% in Tuesday's general election.

Kelly received 153,121 votes to Crnkovich's 114,933, according to unofficial results reported by the Johnson County Post from the Johnson County Election Office. Overall turnout in Johnson County reached 62%, with 297,292 total votes cast across all races.

Source: Johnson County Election Office via the Johnson County Post, as of the evening of Nov. 3. Results are unofficial. The county canvassing board is scheduled to certify final results on Friday, Nov. 13.

The nonpartisan seat carries a four-year term through 2031, according to the Johnson County Election Office. Kelly will continue to lead the seven-member Board of County Commissioners.

Kelly, who was first elected in 2022, told the Johnson County Post he was grateful for voters' trust. "I'm proud of the results we've garnered over the last four and very excited to continue that progress for the next four," he said.

Crnkovich, an Olathe business owner who runs DMC Service, Inc., a commercial HVAC and plumbing contractor, expressed gratitude to the nearly 115,000 voters who supported her. "I believe that I started good conversations that we need to continue to have here in the county," she said, according to the Johnson County Post.

Where they differed

Property taxes split the two candidates during the campaign.

Kelly said the county must diversify its revenues to become less reliant on property taxes. He pointed to a potential sales tax, fees for service and shared services with cities as alternatives, according to the Kansas City Star.

Crnkovich said the county is budgeted to hold more than $500 million in reserves and called for evaluating every spending category, including staffing levels, construction costs and outside contracts, according to her candidate questionnaire. She pledged that if she could not deliver property tax relief during her first term, she would not run for reelection in 2030.

High turnout

The Johnson County Election Office reported that close to 190,000 voters cast ballots during the early voting period, either in person or by mail, according to the Johnson County Post. That represented nearly 40% turnout, a new record for early voting in a non-presidential year, the Post reported.

The county canvassing board is scheduled to certify final official results on Nov. 13.