By Travis Mounts
TSnews
Only a handful of contested city and school board races will be on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Advance voting by mail is underway, and advance in-person voting starts next week.
To see a sample ballot or to verify your assigned voting location, visit https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView.
Across southwest Sedgwick County and northwest Sumner County, there are just a few races where the number of candidates exceeds the number of open seats. Those include the mayoral race in Haysville; city council races in Clearwater, Conway Springs and Goddard; and board of education races in Clearwater, Goddard and Haysville. In the Conway Springs and Renwick school districts, a single seat will be contested, while the other seats are uncontested.
Contested races
In Haysville, current Mayor Bruce W. Armstrong has challenges from two people: current city council member Russ Kessler, whom Armstrong beat four years ago, and former city employee Rose Corby.
In Clearwater, four candidates are vying for three seats on the city council. The candidates are Crystal Walter, Tim Robben, Christopher A. Griffin and William S. “Tex” Titterington. Griffin and Walter are currently on the city council. Shirley Palmer-Witt did not file for re-election.
There are four candidates seeking two seats on the Conway Springs City Council. Theresa K. Lange, Landon Wiseley, Sarah Mercer and James A. Nichols have filed for those two seats. Lange is the lone incumbent.
In Goddard, three people are seeking two open city council seats. The candidates include current council members Michael S. Proctor and Brent Emery Traylor, and former mayor and council member Jamey Lee Blubaugh.
Goddard is currently transitioning its governing body, and soon will no longer have an elected mayoral position. Current Mayor Hunter Larkin will become a city council member in January 2022. Until then, the city will have a mayor and four city council members rather than the previous five. Starting next year, the five council members will vote amongst themselves to have somebody serve in a leadership position.
One seat on the USD 356 Conway Springs Board of Education will be challenged. Curtis Winter and Amber Hilger are on the ballot for District 3 Position 6. Winter is the incumbent, and Hilger is the challenger.
There is one contested race in USD 267 Renwick, for the final two years in the district’s lone at-large position. Julie Ann Koon of Garden Plain and Todd Horsch of Mt. Hope are seeking that seat.
Seven candidates are challenging for three seats on the BOE in USD 264 Clearwater. They are Colette Watson, Joneva Flowers, Dawn Irvin, Derrek Jeardoe, Kathleen E. Garrison, John K. Burke and Lyle J. Berntsen. Watson is the lone incumbent in that group.
The BOE race in USD 265 Goddard has drawn six candidates: Ruth A. Wood, Kevin R. McWhorter, Mark Richards, Shane P. Dent, Ginger Rose and Jon S. Weakley. Wood, McWhorter and Richards are the current board members up for re-election.
There are seven candidates vying for three spots on the USD 261 Haysville Board of Education. They are David M. Kahmann, Courtney Williams, Jerome C. Crawford, Jeremy Bennett, Jason Welch, Kelly Ramseyer, and Con R. Howerton. Bennett and Crawford are incumbents. Current board president Paige Crum did not file for another term.
Uncontested races
It appears incumbents are on track for new terms in Cheney. Current city council members Kassie Gile, Jeff Albers and Greg L. Williams are running for three open seats. Mayor Phillip Mize is running for another term unopposed.
There are three candidates for three seats in USD 268 Cheney. Julie Peintner, Cody Ast and Rusty Slusser are running for the at-large positions.
In Garden Plain, mayor Kevin Hammond and city council members Tracy Thul and Tyler Bugner are running for re-election unopposed. Three Renwick BOE seats are on the ballot for four-year terms. Thomas Peltzer in District 1 Position 4, Ryan Hennes in District 2 Position 5, and Craig A. Nelson in District 3 Position 6 are all unopposed.
In Haysville, four sitting council members, each representing a different ward, are running for re-election unopposed. They are Steven G. Crum, Daniel Benner, Pat Ewert and Danny D. Walters.
In Viola, Loretta Donham is the only candidate who has filed for city council. Three council seats and the mayor’s seat are up for election this year.
In Conway Springs, current city council member Daryle Smith is the lone candidate running for mayor. He will replace Jessica Gerlach, who has chosen to not seek re-election. On the USD 356 Board of Education, Brad Farmer in District 1 Position 4 and Aaron Lange in District 2 Position 5, both incumbents, are running unchallenged.
In Argonia, Terina McCurley and Scott Jones are seeking the two open city council seats. Both are current council members. Mayor Rick Dolley is seeking re-election and is unchallenged. No one has filed for District 2 Position 5 on the USD 359 Argonia Board of Education. Sarah Vineyard in District 1 Position 4 and Scott Jones in District 3 Position 6 are running for re-election unchallenged.
In Milan, Mayor Howard R. Yale is seeking re-election, and is the only candidate. All five city council seats will be on the ballot. Only Kevin Ray Davis and Roger Ray have filed. The other three spots will likely be decided by write-in votes.
All seats in Mayfield are on the ballot but nothing is being contested. Larry Ford is the lone mayoral candidate. The city’s five city council seats are on the ballot, and there are five candidates: Kelly Ford, Jeff Mortimer, Cohl Davis, Cheryl Heimer and Steven Metzen.
When to vote – Sedgwick County
Early voting by mail is already underway, and early voting at the Sedgwick County Election Office in downtown Wichita began on Tuesday. Friday is the last day for the election office to mail advance voting applications, and Tuesday is the last day that advance ballot applications can be accepted. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Early voting at the Election Office ends at noon Nov. 1.
Early voting at satellite locations will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 28-29, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 30. Advance sites can be found in these locations:
• Goddard: Goddard District Conference Center at 315 S. Main.
• Haysville: Haysville Community Library, 210 Hays Ave.
• Wichita: Machinists Building, 3830 S. Meridian.
• Wichita: Westlink Church of Christ, 10025 W. Central Ave.
• Wichita: Sedgwick County Extension Center, 7001 W. 21st St. N.
• Derby: Woodlawn Methodist Church, 431 S. Woodlawn Blvd.
The county’s other satellite locations are listed on the Election Office website. Visit www.sedgwickcounty.org.
On Election Day, Nov. 2, you must cast your ballot at your assigned polling place. Hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
When to vote – Sumner County
To vote by mail, complete an advance voting ballot application and fax to 620-326-2116 or mail to the Sumner County Election Office, 501 N. Washington, Rm. 101, Wellington, KS 67152. Completed applications must be received at the Election Office before 5 p.m. on the Tuesday prior to the election.
In-person voting at the County Clerk’s office in Wellington will begin on Tuesday and continue through Monday, Nov. 1.
On Election Day, Nov. 2, you must cast your ballot at your assigned polling place. Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
