These candidates will advance to Nov. 4 election for Wichita City Council District 1
Joseph Shepard and LaWanda DeShazer will face off in the November general election for the open District 1 Wichita City Council seat.
Shepard led decisively with 1,745 votes. DeShazer followed with 743 votes, according to unofficial results on election night.
“I’m proud to be Black, I’m proud to be LGBTQ. I’m proud to be a man of faith,” Shepard said to a small group of supporters at his downtown Wichita apartment building.
“I’m going to use the intersectionalities of my identities to open the doors of City Hall to everyday people, but our work is not done.”
Former District 1 council member Lavonta Williams and current council member Brandon Johnson were among the small group at Shepard’s watch party.
“I did my best to build upon Lavonta’s work, and I believe Joseph will build upon the work that we’ve done,” Johnson said at the watch party to supporters.
When the final batch of results dropped around 8 p.m. on Tuesday night, DeShazer’s watch party erupted in cheers and hugs.
“Tomorrow, I’m sleeping but after that, it’s back on the trail. It’s back to letting the voters know the difference between me and the other candidate,” DeShazer told The Eagle at her watch party at Love & Co Kitchen and Cocktails. “It’s back to knocking on doors, making phone calls, and letting the citizens know what’s at stake, because we are two different candidates.”
“The major difference is I would not accept funds from anybody that has a proposal with the city,” DeShazer said.
Shepard raised $39,683 since he announced his candidacy earlier this year, according to campaign finance reports. DeShazer brought just over a quarter of that, $10,048.
Some of those donors are developers who have done work with the city, including Crystal Prairie Lake area developer Jay Russell.
Shepard said his results showed clear support from the community.
“People are resonating with our message and our message is this: We’ve got to come together to solve the kitchen table issues that matter to everyday people,” Shepard said. “We’ve got to fix our infrastructure, we’ve got to challenge the economic challenges, we’ve got to work on building out communities, and we’ve got to build trust between people and local government.”
District 1 includes the core of Wichita, with parts of downtown, and generally stretches north to city limits and east to Rock Road.
Keith Reynolds voted at Risen Savior Lutheran Church in District 1 on Tuesday. He cast his vote for Shepard.
“I’m familiar with Joseph Shepard when he was the student president at Wichita State,” Keith Reynolds said. “I’ve heard him speak as well, and I firmly believe he would be open for all people. And that’s what my primary concern is [that] I want people in those offices that have the concerns and the ear and the heart for all people.”
Phyllis Simmons, a voter at Atwater Community Center, said she “voted for DeShazer because I’ve done some things with her, and I like her background in Christianity.”
Other candidates in the primary race were Chris Pumpelly, with 601 votes, Aujanae Bennett with 405 votes and Darryl Carrington with 145 votes.
Pumpelly has already endorsed DeShazer for the general election.
“While I regret I did not move forward today, [I] am honored to fully endorse Lawanda DeShazer to be our next city council member!” Pumpelly said in a Facebook post. “Wichita stands at a crossroads, and we only get one chance at this folks.”
Seats for District 3 and 6 also are up for election in the general election on Nov. 4. In District 3, incumbent Michael Hoheisel will face Genevieve Howerton. In District 6, incumbent Maggie Ballard will face Brett Anderson and Margaret Shabazz.
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 recently was raised to $57,985.20 a year.
Contributing: Ainsley Smyth of The Eagle
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 7:30 PM.