All three Sedgwick County commissioners up for re-election will face challengers
A majority of the Sedgwick County Commission seats are up for grabs this year, offering voters an opportunity to keep or replace three elected officials who oversaw several big issues in the past four years, from hiring a new county manager to setting public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the county commission races won’t feature any primary challenges, barring any write-in campaigns. Wednesday’s candidate filing deadline passed with one Republican and one Democratic candidate in each district.
The lack of party competition will allow the candidates to focus fundraising and spending on the general election but could hurt local turnout for the Aug. 2 primary.
Incumbents Peter Meitzner, Lacey Cruse and Jim Howell are all running for re-election. In November, they’ll face two political newcomers and a former Derby City Council member: Kelli Grant, Ryan Baty and John McIntosh.
It’s unclear how much county commission races affect voter turnout in the August primary. On the ballot is a measure that will decide whether the right to an abortion remains in the Kansas Constitution. It will likely be the nation’s first statewide referendum on abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down half-century-old protections as expected based on a leaked draft of an opinion first reported by Politico last month.
The five-member Sedgwick County Board of Commissioners is the governing body for county government, setting policy direction and approving the county manager’s budget for vital services such as EMS, 911, Comcare, corrections and the sheriff’s office. Commissioners also serve as the board of health, hearing panel on tax appeals, board of canvassers of elections and oversee Fire District 1.
The general election is Nov. 8.
District 1
District: Northeast Sedgwick County, including east Wichita, Kechi, Bel Aire and Eastborough.
Candidates: Peter Meitzner, Republican; Kelli Grant, Democrat. Both are from Wichita.
Meitzner took office in 2019 after defeating Democratic challenger Renee Duxler to fill a seat vacated by longtime Commissioner David Unruh. Before that, he spent eight years on the Wichita City Council after a private-sector career in banking, telecommunications and data services.
Grant is a former Sedgwick County employee who now sits on the Sedgwick County Corrections Advisory Board and the Wichita State University Institutional Review Board.
Meitzner’s statement of substantial interest filing lists ownership interests in two businesses: consulting firm Meitzner & Associates LLC and oil and gas company Cetane Oil Partners LLC. Grant has not yet filed a financial interest disclosure.
District 4
District: North-central Sedgwick County, including north Wichita, Park City, Maize and Valley Center.
Candidates: Lacey Cruse, a Wichita Democrat; Ryan Baty, a Maize Republican
Cruse took office in 2019 after defeating incumbent Commissioner Richard Ranzau. Before that, she was a hospice consultant and singer.
Baty is a newcomer to politics and government. A former KU baseball player, he owns the Mattress Hub and is part of an NIL collective group that works to compensate student-athletes at the University of Kansas. He is also an evangelical pastor at Family Church in Wichita.
District 5
District: Southeast Sedgwick County, including southeast Wichita, McConnell Air Force Base, Derby and Mulvane.
Candidates: Jim Howell, a Derby Republican; John McIntosh, a Derby Democrat
Howell is the longest-serving member of the Sedgwick County Commission. He has been in office since 2015. Before that, he was in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2010 to 2015.
McIntosh is a former Derby City Council member from 2016 to 2021. He also previously served on the Derby Public Library and Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. His statement of substantial interest shows he also works at ICS Collision Center.