Meet the candidates running for Wichita City Council in 2025

Three seats on the Wichita City Council are up for reelection this year — all currently held by Democrats.

The District 1 race will decide who replaces council member Brandon Johnson, who faces term limits after eight years on the council. 

City council races are nonpartisan, meaning parties do not hold primaries or caucuses and party affiliation does not appear on the ballot. Members are elected for four-year terms by district. Council member pay was recently raised to $57,985.20 a year. 

The election is Nov, 4.

District 1

District 1 includes the core of Wichita, with parts of downtown, and generally stretches north to city limits and east to Rock Road. 

LaWanda DeShazer

Position: Community engagement specialist

Previously: Retired from Sedgwick County Fire District 1

Education: Southeast High, Southwestern College, and Wichita State University mini-MPA

Party registration: Democrat

Substantial interests: DeShazer lists the Greater Wichita YMCA as an employer in the past 12 months and lists memberships on several organizations or businesses: Wichita Branch NAACP Youth executive board, H.O.P.E. Inc executive board, Wichita Racial Profiling Advisory Board, Sedgwick County Citizens Community Council, District 1 Advisory Board and Kansas 4-H State Program Development Committee. 

This is DeShazer’s first run for elected office – but she’s not unfamiliar with government work and setting budgets.

DeShazer, 59, retired in 2019 from Sedgwick County Fire District 1, where she was in charge of its $20 million budget. 

“I helped create, manage, the budget throughout the years. That was my baby,” DeShazer said. “Twenty years worth of experience with government that I walk through the door with.”

A lifelong resident of District 1, DeShazer said she’ll focus on affordable housing and economic development in the district if elected.

“District 1 is huge, it’s amazing,” she said, “and so we need to strategically put things where people can get to them. You know, we always say ‘meet people where they are,’ and so I think we need to do that better.”

Joseph Shepard

Position: Chief of staff at Lead for America

Previously: Sedgwick County Democratic Party chairman, Director of multicultural engagement and campus life at Newman University, Kansas Leadership Center

Education: Wichita State University, doctoral candidate in education leadership

Party registration: Democrat

Substantial interests: Shepard lists places of employment in the past year as Lead for America and Kansas Leadership Center. He also reported board membership for Humankind Ministries, The Kansas African American Museum and Phillips Fundamental Learning Center. 

Shepard, 32, said he has learned a lot since running for school board in 2019 and is ready to hear from District 1 residents as he campaigns.

“I’m trying to understand the non-sexy things. That’s what’s different this time, is that I’m getting into the weeds,” Shepard said. “I think I’ve matured, and I think that I’ve been exposed to different people in different environments that have allowed me to grow in my leadership.”

Although the city should focus on bringing in more affordable and transitional housing, as well as economic growth, he said, it needs to also focus on root causes of homelessness.

“I grew up homeless. ... I know what it is like when you have the ability to find shelter in your own community, where wraparound services are also available,” he said. “I know that you can bring shelter all day long, but if you’re not addressing the root causes, then you’re not solving the issue.”

District 3

District 3 encompasses much of south Wichita, mainly south of Kellogg between Seneca and I-35.

Two candidates have filed for the seat, including current city council member Mike Hoheisel and first-time candidate Genevieve Howerton. Both names are familiar to those who follow Kansas politics as both have relatives in the Statehouse. Hoheisel’s brother, Nick Hoheisel, is the Republican House Majority Whip, while Howerton’s mother, Cyndi Howerton, is a Republican representative who chairs the Child Welfare and Foster Care committee.

Mike Hoheisel

Position: Current District 3 City Council member

Previously: Small business owner/handyman

Education: West High, Wichita State University, Fort Hays State University

Party registration: Democrat

Substantial interests: Hoheisel lists his city of Wichita employment and his wife’s employment at Walgreens on his campaign filings. 

Hoheisel, 42, said he’d like to see some initiatives he started in his first term cross the finish line if re-elected to his current seat. 

Those initiatives address some issues for the south Wichita district including homelessness, mental health, addiction and safety. 

“We’ve done a lot of good things over the past four years, but there’s still a lot of work that still needs to be done,” he said. “We didn’t get to the position where we are in my district overnight, and the problems aren’t going to be solved overnight, but I want to make sure that we’re continuing to move in the right direction.”

During his current tenure, Hoheisel has worked on some major projects for his district in south Wichita, including the city’s biological nutrient removal project, which is expected to reduce sewage odors in the area. 

“I grew up on South Broadway, and I would say, ’One day we’d wake up and smell the bread plant nearby, and the next day we’d wake up and smell the result of the bread plant.’”

Genevieve Howerton

Howerton, 23, filed June 2 to challenge Hoheisel for his seat. She did not respond to a request for comment. Her campaign treasurer is her mother, Rep. Cyndi Howerton, with whom she shares an address in south Wichita.

The first-time candidate is a registered Republican. Her statement of substantial interests filing shows she has received payment or been employed by Canvass America, a political canvassing firm, and Heritage 1st Realty, in the past year. It also lists her husband, Philip Pettit, as the grassroots engagement director for Americans for Prosperity. The Eagle will update with more information as it becomes available.

District 6

District 6 covers parts of central and northwest Wichita generally located between I-135 and I-235 with parts of downtown, Delano and up to Valley Center. 

Maggie Ballard

Position: Wichita City Council member

Previously: Small-business owner, co-founder of Paxton’s Blessing Boxes

Education: Wichita North High School, attended University of Kansas

Party registration: Democrat

Substantial interests: Ballard lists her employment with the city and as a founder of Paxton’s Blessing Box. 

Ballard, 42, was sworn into office in 2022 after defeating incumbent Cindy Claycomb. She is often an outspoken opponent of Wichita Mayor Lily Wu. The two have clashed over a Transgender Day of Visibility Proclamation, which Ballard presented in Wu’s stead; downtown Portland Loo restrooms, which Ballard championed but Wu opposed; budget priorities; and the use of city parks. 

She said she would use the next four years to continue to advocate for the issues that are important to her district and to complete projects the city has started since she took office, including the Multi-Agency Center, or MAC, that serves the homeless.

“Our city is finally set to address long-time problems in a meaningful way,” Ballard said. “But we can’t take our foot off the gas now. My goal would be to see the MAC transform into our vision for a one-stop shop with transitional housing units on site, continue making City Hall more customer service friendly, and complete a Family Justice Center to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence.”

Margaret Shabazz

Position: Process assurance trainer at Vestas

Previously: Co-founded STOP Cards Initiative for Hope Street Youth Development

Education: WSU Tech associate’s degree in supply chain management and logistics, Bishop Carroll High School

Party registration: Unaffiliated

Substantial interests: None filed. 

Shabazz, a 40-year-old military widow and mother of two, oversees staff development and leads process improvements for a global wind energy company. She said she attends Holy Savior Catholic Church. 

Shabazz said she would like to prioritize economic revitalization along the Broadway corridor. Her campaign focuses on three issues: affordable housing, access to mental health care and addressing the root causes and investing in the long-term support services of homelessness.

“We can’t criminalize poverty,” Shabazz said. “We need permanent, humane solutions — housing, mental health care, job pathways — not just temporary shelters.” 

“I’m running because I believe District 6 deserves a leader who listens, leads with integrity, and fights for every neighbor,” Shabazz said in a news release. “This is my home. I’m raising my daughters here. I’ve seen the beauty and the challenges of our community, and I’m ready to be a voice for the people.”

Brett Anderson

Anderson did not respond to a request for comment after the filing deadline. His campaign filings show he will be his own treasurer and he works in inventory for Ebay Sales. He is a registered Republican. The Eagle will update with more information as it becomes available.

This story was updated after the Aug. 5 primary.

This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 1:39 PM.