Most city, school and college board races will be determined in the Nov. 4 general election, except for Labette County USD 506, which will require a primary election Aug. 5 because of the number of candidates who filed for two of the seats.
The filing deadline for the offices was Monday.
These three USD 506 seats are up for election: Greg Bogner, District 1, Position 4; Rich Falkenstien, District 3, Position 6; and Justin Bebb, District 2, Position 5.
Bebb resigned in May after the board voted 5-2 to terminate football coach and athletic director Sean Price based on allegations of sexually inappropriate comments Price made about female students. Bebb and Falkenstien voted against terminating Price’s contract. Board members Kevin Cole, Bogner, Jessie Foister, Kolette Smith and Brian Harlow voted to terminate his contract.
Bogner did not seek re-election and Jessica Rush of Parsons is the only candidate to file for his seat.
Falkenstien filed for re-election for his District 3, Position 6 seat and will face three challengers in the primary: Kris Graves, Bartlett; Phillip Hibbs, Edna; and Shelly Phillips, Altamont.
Five candidates are competing for Bebb’s seat: Angela Holmes, Altamont; Jyssica Lahey, Altamont; Mark Raney, Parsons; Julie Sale, Cherryvale; and Christina Sykes, Altamont. State law requires a primary if more than three candidates file for a single school board position.
Here are the other candidates filing for office by the Monday deadline.
Parsons City Commission:
Three seats are available that are occupied by Verlyn Bolinger (now serving as mayor), Eric Strait and Leland Crooks. All three filed for re-election. A fourth candidate is Ryan Robertson, a frequent visitor to city commission meetings and a former candidate for the board.
Parsons USD 503:
Three positions are up for re-election: Julie Legler, Jeffery Quirin and Olivia Lyons. Legler and Quirin filed for re-election but Lyons did not. Two new challengers for the remaining board position are Dennis Dodd and Mike Hentzen.
Labette Community College:
Three positions are up for re-election: Becky Dantic, Rod Landrum and Carl Hoskins. Only Dantic and Landrum filed for re-election. Hoskins did not. There will be a write-in line on the Nov. 4 ballot for his seat. According to the county clerk’s office, if no one wins the write-in race, the college will follow its procedures to fill the seat.
The college would place a legal publication in the Sun announcing the board opening and seeking interested candidates to apply. Letters of interest are submitted to board members for discussion. The board would later interview candidates and at some point vote on Hoskins’ replacement, according to LCC President Mark Watkins. The chosen board member will then serve a four-year term.
See BALLOT, Page 6.
Oswego USD 504: Three positions are up for re-election, seats occupied by Kristin Redburn, Lewis “Skip” Riley and Cynthia Sanders. Redburn and Riley filed for re-election. Jennifer Schenker filed for the third seat.
Chetopa/St. Paul USD 505: Three positions are up for re-election, seats occupied by Kelsey Fleming, Barbara Evans and Kari Chambers. Evans of Chetopa filed for re-election. Jennifer Stewart of Chetopa filed for District 1, Member 4; and Shelby Spielbusch of St. Paul filed for District 3, Member 6.
Cherokee USD 247: Three positions, are up for re-election, seats occupied by Ron Yancey, Trista Schuster and Whitney Lovall. Yancey filed for re-election for District 1, Position 4, and Lovall filed for her District 1, Position 1 seat. Lovall is going to finish the two years remaining on the term she was elected to finish. Yancey will face Dean Gravett. No one filed against Lovall. The number of candidates for District 2, Position 5, will require a primary election. Candidates for this seat that covers Crawford and Cherokee counties are Ray Huff, DeLaina Smith, Leslie Hines and Carmen Gray. Candidates for District 3, Position 6, which covers Labette County, are Darren Best and Erin Hutching.
Cherryvale USD 447: Three positions, Phillip Reilly, Robert John and Kevin Crain. No one filed in Labette County for the seats.
Wildcat Extension District: Two Labette County positions are open on the 16-member board, seats occupied by Douglas Toburen of Parsons and Shawn Alloway of Edna. Neither filed for re-election.
City Councils:
Altamont: Four positions are up for re-election, Mayor Richard Hayward and council members Lyle Sykes, Kyle Wiford and Zachary Sellers. Sellers was appointed to fill a council member’s unexpired term in late 2024. If elected, he will complete that term. All four candidates filed for re-election and no other challengers filed.
Bartlett: Six positions are open, Mayor Doug Ramey and council members Rodney Dodge, Rocky LaFalier, Cheryl Hanigan, Joe Ramey and Rodney Cunningham. Doug and Joe Ramey filed for re-election, as did Dodge and La-Falier.
Chetopa: Three seats are open, Justin Nading, Ernest Wulf and Josh Moore. Nading and Wulf filed for re-election. Moore was recently appointed to fill a council position left vacant when council member Bob Boyd took over as mayor. He didn’t file for re-election but Betsy Koontz filed for an open seat.
Edna: Three positions are open, Sharon Bozman, Joseph Kashka and Jessie Foister. None filed for re-election. Council candidates are Loren Eck, Richard Erickson, Kolby Long, Cody Lear, Russ Russell and Michelle Traxson.
Labette City: Six positions are open, Mayor Nicholas Beery and council persons Bobbi Peplinski, Doris Haney, Michelle Beery, Francis Willis and Joseph Willis. None filed for re-election. These positions are sometimes filled by write-in votes.
Mound Valley: Three positions are open, Mayor David Templeton and council members Lisa Junken and Billy Harness. Templeton and Junken filed for re-election. Other council challengers are Hayden McGinnes, Dyllon Stafford and Joe Ybarra.
Oswego: Three seats are open, Brandy Scott, Jesse Merritt and Kenny Gott. Scott and Gott filed for re-election. The third candidate will be Chris Thomason.
