The Ballot Brief
Johnson County, Kansas

County Commission Chairman

3 candidates are tracked for County Commission Chairman on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Mike Kelly, Karen Crnkovich and Gene Senesac. Candidate information follows official Johnson County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.

About this race

Johnson County's one county-wide 2026 race: a nonpartisan open primary on August 4 in which every registered voter may participate, with the top two advancing to November 3. District commission seats, sheriff, and district attorney are not on the 2026 cycle. Candidates are from the county election office's certified listing.

What this office does

County commissioner. The county board is the county's legislative and, in most states, executive body. Commissioners adopt the county budget and property tax rate, oversee roads, the jail, public health, planning and zoning in unincorporated areas, and appoint or confirm department heads. In counties with an elected county executive or judge, the board's role is mainly the budget and ordinances.

This race. Nonpartisan: candidates appear without party labels. The sitting officeholder, Mike Kelly, is on the ballot.

Kansas › Johnson County › County Commission Chairman

Mike Kelly

Nonpartisan Incumbent

Top priorities
  • Protecting public safety, notably Med-Act ambulance service
  • Improving aging infrastructure
  • Diversifying county revenue to rely less on property taxes

Per the Johnson County Post.

Biography

An attorney at Husch Blackwell and the sitting chair of the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners, first elected chair in 2022, per the county election office listing and Johnson County Post profiles. He was mayor of Roeland Park from 2017 to 2022 and co-founded Climate Action KC, per the Johnson County Post.

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)

Karen Crnkovich

Nonpartisan

Top priorities
  • Lowering property taxes by cutting the county taxing rate
  • A countywide moratorium on new data centers
  • Tighter scrutiny of economic development incentives, with clawbacks

Per the Johnson County Post.

Biography

Owner of DMC Service Inc., a commercial heating, cooling, and plumbing contractor in Olathe, per the Johnson County Post. She founded the nonprofit Strong Families in 2019 to help struggling homeowners with urgent repairs, per her campaign site, and sought the Republican nomination in the 3rd Congressional District in 2024, per the Johnson County Post.

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)

Gene Senesac

Nonpartisan

Top priorities
  • Fiscal oversight of the county budget
  • Ensuring home appraisals are fair
  • Opposing county spending on housing subsidies

Per the Johnson County Post.

Biography

A retired transportation executive who worked 37 years for Archer Daniels Midland, retiring as director of transportation in 2019, per the Johnson County Post. He serves on Olathe's street maintenance sales tax oversight committee, per his campaign biography.

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)
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Questions about this race

Who is running for County Commission Chairman in 2026?

3 candidates are tracked for County Commission Chairman on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Mike Kelly, Karen Crnkovich and Gene Senesac. Candidate information follows official Johnson County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.

When is the County Commission Chairman election in Kansas?

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Kansas are on the Kansas election hub at theballotbrief.com.

How do I see my exact Johnson County ballot?

Enter your ZIP code in the lookup at theballotbrief.com for the statewide and congressional races, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location.

Verify this race

Candidate roster from official Johnson County and state election office filings, last verified October 2, 2026. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.

Cross-check with the official Kansas election office, or see the full Johnson County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.

The rest of your Johnson County ballot

29 tracked races in Johnson County, Kansas. Landed here from another county's search? Look up your own ballot below.

Also on your ballot
Kansas House District 8Kansas House District 14Kansas House District 15See all 29 Johnson County races
Candidate profiles
Mike Kelly, full profileKaren Crnkovich, full profileGene Senesac, full profileOfficial Kansas election office