Johnson County election results make it clear: Affordable housing divides this city

Two Prairie Village council candidates, who are at odds over the city’s contentious effort to address its lack of affordable housing, advanced to the November election on Tuesday.

In Tuesday’s primary election, challenger Lori Sharp was the top vote-getter with 443 votes, followed by incumbent Bonnie Limbird, with 361 votes, according to unofficial results released by the Johnson County election office Tuesday evening. They defeated Alex DiCarlo, who only won 3 votes.

They will compete in the general election for the Ward 3 seat, covering a northeastern chunk of the city, from State Line Road to around Roe Avenue, and 71st to 75th streets.

The election results for Prairie Village and a handful of other Johnson County municipalities will be finalized during the canvass on Aug. 9.

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The primary comes at a tense time for Prairie Village, as factions of residents debate whether officials should adjust its zoning laws to make it easier for developers to build affordable housing, as average home prices top $536,000 and many are priced out of the city. The idea of allowing duplexes, triplexes, rowhouses and apartments has sparked fierce opposition from many homeowners who have organized a “Stop Rezoning” campaign.

The debate has morphed into a political battle, with the “Stop” group circulating petitions to restructure the city government to limit the mayor’s powers and cut the number of council seats in half, from 12 to six. That would eject the members who were elected in 2021 from their seats midterm. The initiatives would need council approval in order to get on the November ballot.

Sharp supports the “Stop Rezoning” group, arguing that the city’s current zoning laws are effective and “preserve homeowners’ due process rights.” The group has criticized how the city has handled the issue and largely worries about adding more density and traffic to the city they say is already fully built out.

“There are other communities nearby with greater landmass to take on these issues,” Sharp, who is supported by the Johnson County GOP, said in an email. “The council originally said ‘affordable housing’ then it was ‘attainable’ then they talked about diversity of people and now it’s diversity of housing, so frankly it’s a challenge to keep up with their vernacular. Finally, the market drives the price. Anything new is not going to be affordable.”

Limbird, who was elected in 2019 and supports the city’s recommendations to better attract affordable housing, said the council has slowed down the process to address residents’ concerns.

She said Prairie Village needs “council members who support our progress, not those who want to go back in time.”

“I am running for reelection to continue the important discussions our city is having around housing inventory, a possible community center, and infrastructure upgrades for our administrative & police services,” Limbird, who is supported by the Johnson County Democrats, said in an email. “… It is critical for me to retain this seat, so that I can continue to represent those priorities and values and so we can keep partisan politics, fringe ideas, and conspiracies away from our council & staff.”

Sharp said she also supports “the people deciding on the council number and the form of government.”

“These are not radical ideas, they are common and mainstream. Almost all councils, in the state of Kansas, have smaller more efficient councils. These changes, if the residents vote on them, would move Prairie village back within normal limits of other Kansas cities. I have talked to hundreds of Prairie village residents. They are engaged, educated and understand the concepts. I trust the people.”

Limbird disagrees, saying halving the council would “effectively reduce representation for residents, overload the remaining council members with committee assignments, and disenfranchise the voters from 2021 who voted overwhelmingly for their current council people.”

“The idea that our effective form of government or our mayor’s power is any different or substantial than any other comparable city in NE JoCo is unfounded,” Limbird said. “Our City works very well the way that it is, and our citizens have come to expect the level of representation they receive with 2 council members per ward. ... The movement has shown no valid reasons why any of this would be necessary.”

Here are the other winners of municipal primary races across Johnson County:

Overland Park City Council

In Overland Park, incumbent City Councilwoman Holly Grummert easily advanced to the general election, along with repeat candidate Carol Merritt.

Grummert, who was elected in 2019, won 1,097 votes, followed by Merritt, with 277. They defeated newcomer Selamawit Gebre-Amlak, who won only 38 votes.

The top two vote-getters advance to the November election to compete for the 1st Ward seat, covering Overland Park north of 87th Street.

Grummert, who is supported by the Johnson County Democrats, is a mother of three children, who says she previously worked in human resources and ran a small business.

Merritt, who ran for the seat in 2021, is a Realtor and community advocate who calls herself a “conservative voice for Overland Park.”

Olathe City Council

An incumbent at-large Olathe councilman lost his primary race, according to unofficial results.

Challenger Matthew Schoonover, an attorney and owner of Schoonover & Moriarty LLC who is supported by the Johnson County Democrats, took a sizable lead on Tuesday with 6,504 votes. He was followed by Wayne Janner, who serves on the city planning commission and is supported by the GOP, with 2,459 votes. Incumbent Councilman Wes McCoy received 2,129 votes.

It was a tighter primary race for the 1st Ward seat in southwestern Olathe. Challenger Chad Carroll won 1,458 votes, followed by incumbent Robyn Essex, with 1,200 votes. They defeated Philip Arbuckle with 310 votes.

Lenexa Council Ward 1

Incumbent Lenexa City Councilwoman Courtney Eiterich advances to the general election.

Eiterich had an easy night, earning 667 votes, followed by Bethany Griffith, with 163. They appeared to defeat Enaam Shull, with 138 votes. The winner of the November election will serve the city’s 1st Ward in northern Lenexa.

Merriam City Council

In Merriam, incumbent Councilwoman Whitney Yadrich advances to the general election.

She won 149 votes, followed by challenger Rose Gerringer, with 87 votes. They defeated Angel Lopez, who won 17 votes. The winner will serve the 2nd Ward.