Johnson, Kinard advance in Wichita’s 1st District election

Community activist Brandon Johnson dominated round one of the race for the District 1 seat on the Wichita City Council, gathering more than half the votes in Tuesday’s four-way primary and more than doubling the tally of his nearest rival, Mike Kinard.

The primary results set up a Nov. 7 showdown between Johnson and Kinard, a former Wichita school board member. November’s winner will replace council member Lavonta Williams, who couldn’t run because of term limits.

Johnson took the early lead and held it, finishing with 52 percent of the vote to Kinard’s 22 percent.

John Stevens, president of the Republican Pachyderm Club, placed third with 14 percent and neighborhood activist Janet Wilson rounded out the field at 10 percent.

Johnson credited his strong showing to listening to voters’ concerns and developing a platform centered on addressing their needs.

"We were out talking to the voters, making sure their voices were heard," he said. "I think the difference in this race was just the message, the vision."

Kinard said he recognizes he has a lot of work to do between now and November. But he relishes the underdog role.

"I've always been a fighter,” he said. “I've always been too small to play football and too short to play basketball. I still made the team and did very well."

Kinard served on the Wichita school board from 2001 to 2005 and cited his experience as an advantage in the race. He called Tuesday’s outcome "a lifetime achievement" award.

"They know me," he said of the voters. "They know what I stand for. They look back at all I have done for the community."

His voters often cited his public-service record as the reason they support him.

“He has the experience – he was on the school board,” said voter Eric Hutcherson. “I just think we need to have that representation (at city hall).”

Johnson, co-founder/executive director of Community Operations Recovery Empowerment, relies on a core group of young volunteers, many of whom developed a taste for politics in Democrat James Thompson’s special-election congressional campaign early this year.

Thompson, edged out by Republican Ron Estes for the 4^th District congressional seat, is gearing up for a rematch. He threw the weight of his volunteer “Thompson Army” behind Johnson in the council race.

“I met Brandon during my campaign and knew immediately he was somebody we needed to have in our City Council,” Thompson said. “He has a gravitas about him that just screams he needs to be in a leadership position.”

Johnson said key issues going forward include community policing, rescuing the closed McAdams Park pool and addressing the “food desert" in northeast Wichita by bringing in farmers' markets and quality produce.

His stances resonated with voters.

Voter Mellissa Duncan said she wants to see more and better food choices. “He (Johnson) has been the one who’s most outspoken on how he wants to change things in our community,” she said. “We do need something new. New views, new voices.”

Tuesday’s voting was low-key. Polling sites reported a steady but slow stream of voters.

There was at least one Election Day glitch. At the polling site at the Sedgwick County Health Department building on 9th Street, the doors locked themselves at the regular 5 p.m. quitting time.

A handful of voters had to wait outside about 10 minutes until election workers inside could be contacted to come open the door.

This story was originally published August 1, 2017 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Johnson, Kinard advance in Wichita’s 1st District election."