Mike Kelly, the incumbent Johnson County Commission Chair, is running for a second term in the Nov. 3 general election. He faces Karen Crnkovich in the nonpartisan race.

Kelly won the Aug. 4 primary with about 60% of the vote, receiving 60,057 of 101,256 votes cast, according to the Kansas City Star. He was first elected chair in 2022, according to the Johnson County Post.

Candidate information

  • Residence: Prairie Village, with his wife Elizabeth and their two children, Virginia and George, according to his campaign website
  • Education: High school diploma, Rockhurst High School; bachelor's degree in political science, Kansas State University, 2007; law degree, University of Kansas, 2011, according to BallotReady
  • Bar admissions: Kansas and Missouri, according to his campaign website
  • Current employment: Senior counsel, Husch Blackwell, 2019 to present, according to BallotReady

Experience and public service

Kelly grew up in Johnson County, according to his campaign website. Before entering elected office, he worked as an attorney at Morrow, Willnauer, Klosterman, Church from 2011 to 2016 and at McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan from 2016 to 2019, according to BallotReady.

He served as mayor of Roeland Park from 2018 to 2022 and has been commission chair since 2023, according to BallotReady.

Kelly also serves as a board member of KC2026, the Kansas City FIFA World Cup organizing body, according to the Johnson County Post. He co-founded and chaired Climate Action KC from 2019 to February 2023, according to his campaign website. He has volunteered as an attorney at the Neighborhood Justice Center at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, according to his campaign website.

On the issues

Taxes and budget: Kelly said he wants to diversify county revenues so the county relies less on property taxes. He has pointed to a potential sales tax, fees for service and shared services with cities as alternatives and opposes budget cuts as the primary solution to the county's projected shortfall, according to the Kansas City Star. On his campaign website, Kelly said he would "work to provide tax relief to all our residents by expanding our economy and focusing on smart spending."

Housing: Kelly promotes using underused public property for housing and backed a plan to convert a Lenexa hotel into a homeless shelter in 2024, according to the Johnson County Post.

Data centers: Kelly opposes a moratorium on new data center development in Johnson County, saying the issue is one of local control, according to the Johnson County Post.

Voting access: Kelly is critical of the county election office's decision to roll back early voting sites and says voters should have easier access to the polls, according to the Johnson County Post.

Public safety and infrastructure: Kelly says on his campaign website that he wants to complete major highway projects, strengthen public safety partnerships and expand mental health and aging services.

Endorsements

Kelly has been endorsed by MainPAC 100%, according to BallotReady.

Policy positions and biographical details are drawn from the candidate's campaign website, BallotReady and news coverage from the Johnson County Post and the Kansas City Star.