Karen Crnkovich, an Olathe business owner, is challenging incumbent Mike Kelly for Johnson County Commission chair in the Nov. 3 general election.
Crnkovich advanced from the Aug. 4 primary with approximately 30% of the vote, or 48,416 votes, according to Johnson County Post reporting. The commission chair position is nonpartisan.
In a questionnaire submitted to Surround Sound News, Crnkovich said she is running because "county government needs leadership grounded in accountability, transparency and results." She said rising property taxes are making it harder for families to stay in Johnson County.
Candidate information
- Residence: Olathe, Kansas; 20-year Johnson County resident
- Education: Bachelor of Science, University of Missouri-Columbia
- Party affiliation: Republican. Crnkovich said the commission chair role is nonpartisan and should focus on delivering services and measurable results rather than partisan politics.
- Family: Originally from Michigan. Lives with her stepdaughter and two Yorkshire terriers.
- Previous elected office: None
Experience and public service
Crnkovich is president and owner of DMC Service Inc., a commercial HVAC and plumbing service contractor based in Johnson County. She said she took over a four-person company generating less than $1 million annually and helped build it into a business with more than 20 employees and more than $5 million in annual revenue. The company has earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 list for five consecutive years, she said.
She also founded Strong Homes, Strong Families, a nonprofit that assists homeowners with critical home repairs. She previously served as president of the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, leading that organization during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the issues
Property taxes and budget: Crnkovich said the county is budgeted to hold more than $500 million in reserves and that right-sizing those reserves is one area she would examine for property tax relief. She said every category of spending should be evaluated, including staffing levels, construction costs and outside contracts.
She said she has made a public commitment: if she cannot deliver meaningful property tax relief during her first term, she will not run for reelection in 2030.
Data centers: Crnkovich said she supports a temporary pause on new large-scale data center approvals while the county develops a comprehensive policy based on independent analysis. She said she would require applicants to disclose projected water and electricity consumption, demonstrate adequate utility capacity without shifting costs to residents and provide decommissioning plans with financial guarantees. Any incentives should be tied to measurable community benefits, including permanent jobs and capital investment, with enforceable clawbacks if commitments are not met, she said.
"I am not anti-development. I am pro-planning, transparency and ensuring Johnson County receives a meaningful return for the resources these projects consume," Crnkovich wrote in the questionnaire.
Early voting: Crnkovich said she agreed with the decision to reduce early-voting sites to 12, a net reduction of six locations after eight sites were eliminated and two new ones added. She said the new plan provides approximately 18% more total early-voting hours and that about 90% of county voters live within seven minutes of an early-voting location. She said Interim Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt has full autonomy over those decisions and that her role as chair would be to ensure the election office has appropriate resources.
Differences from the incumbent: Crnkovich said her career has been spent running businesses, not government. She said she knows what it means to make payroll, manage cash flow and make difficult decisions. She described the current chair as "a career politician who wants to hold on to power" and called herself "a concerned citizen who wants to serve all of the people of JOCO."
The general election is Nov. 3. Johnson County residents can find voter registration and polling information through the Johnson County Election Office.
