Rage Against the Machine

A copy of a mailer has been circulating on some city council candidate pages that struck me as very odd.  Specifically, one side of the mailer was ostensibly supporting Ward 3 candidate, Dave Myres, but the other side targeted candidates in every ward.  As best I can tell, this mailer was only sent to ward 3 residents (most of Shawnee west of Woodland). It was unusual that a mailer sent to a single ward would discuss candidates that the voters who received the mailer could not vote for, but also that the mailer came from the state Republican Party.

It is common for political parties to send mailers during campaign season.  However, it is very unusual for the state level party to be directly involved in hyper-local races such as City Council.  Typically those mailers would come from the county-level party offices.  So, why so much attention from the state level this year and why in Shawnee?

While watching this election season unfold I am struck by the parallels to the 2021 election.  The 2021 election cycle was fairly sleepy. There were no scandals or big news stories to hear of.   We were all still working through the impact of the pandemic and fallout from national elections.  Most of the oxygen in Shawnee was taken by the school board elections. I was running to keep my seat and recall many discussions at the doors about issues that were not within the scope of City Council.

Even with the “sleepiness” of the cycle, one thing was clear.  The Republican party set out to play a zero sum game where their stated goal was a complete takeover of the City Council. Nothing less than every one of their candidates winning would help them accomplish their goals.  To do this, they took a path well-worn in Shawnee politics:

Stoke Fear, Get Votes

Whether it be “CRT,” “men in women’s bathrooms,” “immigrants taking jobs,’ or “apartments creating crime and allowing ‘those kids’ to take over our schools,” the tone of their messaging is always the same.  If you do not vote for us, your life and livelihood will be threatened by these external forces.

Again thinking back to 2021, our entire country was on edge and far more susceptible to this messaging.  And, it was very successful.  The Trump-supporting Republican candidates won every seat they ran for (resulting in a 7-1 split of the Council) and, by the end of 2022, it was clear that our city management was rapidly changing, and not for the better.  Shawnee was in the news constantly for the bombastic statements made by council members both from the dais and in internal communications that were later made public.  Additionally, long tenured staff were leaving in droves including the City Manager and Deputy City Manager. (I provided a full report on this issue in my 4/20/2023 blog titled “Stop the Brain Drain”)  By 2023, the City was catapulted to national news amid a sex scandal (of sorts) involving the newly hired City Manager.

In 2023, two right-leaning council members were challenged and lost their seats. Additionally, the one remaining left leaning Councilmember chose not to run for reelection. The election resulted in a 5-3 split with the Republicans still in control.  They have continued their stated goal of cutting property taxes to the point that we are now projected to have a nearly $4 million deficit in 2026.

This brings us back to 2025 and the current slate of candidates running.  Two of the Republicans elected in 2021 are not running to keep their seats.  Since being elected to the Council, Angela Stiens of Ward 3 was appointed to the State House and won an election to keep that seat in 2024.  Jacklynn Walters, who, it should be noted, works for the Kansas Senate Majority Leader, Ty Masterson, is also not running. Both have hand selected (presumably with assistance) potential successors that have deep roots in the Republican Party.  Dave Myres of Ward 3 is the former chairperson of the Johnson County Republicans.  More on him in a moment.  Laurel Stifler is the former Secretary of the Johnson County Republicans and current President of the Kansas Federation of Republican Women.  Tony Gillette (elected in 2021) and Mike Kemmling, both leaders/influencers within the Northwest Johnson County Republican PAC, are running to keep their seats.

Now, back to Mr. Myres.  I first became aware of Myres in 2017 when he ran for City Council in Ward 3 against Justin Adrian.  There are a few things that must be added for context.  First, Myres was the chairperson of the Johnson County Republicans at the time.  Ward 3 was and continues to be the largest and most conservative district in Shawnee. Myres touted endorsements from Kansans for Life, the Northwest Johnson County Republicans, and Sheriff Cal Hayden. It is reasonable to ask how Myres managed to lose the Ward 3 race in 2017 to a married gay school teacher (if you lived through the 2019 non-discrimination ordinance fight, you understand what I mean). While Adrian was charismatic and a strong door knocker, he faced a mountain of resistance. Additionally, he had no built-in infrastructure and was running at a time when the Johnson County Democrats were unable to provide substantial support.  Even if they had been able to provide support, his race would not have been prioritized because it was a likely loss.

What happened next is deeply regrettable.  Mr. Adrian was forced to resign amidst a scandalous crime that would result in jail time. By August of 2018, the seat was vacant and the Council announced that they would appoint someone to fill the seat until a special election could be held in 2019.  The Council’s selection process involved any interested community members  submitting a cover letter, resume, and answers to a standardized questionnaire.  No fewer than 17 individuals expressed interest including Dave Myres, sitting JCCC trustee Dawn Rattan, future council member Kurt Knappen (who would drop out of the appointment process before it was completed), and me.  https://cityofshawnee.civicweb.net/document/16869/

Each of us had the opportunity to give a two minute speech to the Council on a late November evening.  I had no previous experience with our city government and did not personally know any of the council members.  But, in the weeks leading up to the appointment, I met with every council member who was willing and explained who I was and my motivations for running.  I treated it like a job interview.  On the evening of the appointment, the council split their votes between me and Dave Myres. It was a bit of a convoluted process that resulted in my getting the first nomination and receiving a majority of votes from the Council.

A few things should be noted.  First, the Council had a single Democrat (Lindsay Constance) and the remainder were registered Republicans, four of whom identified as moderate.  That is, Mr. Myres split the Republican vote on the Council.  Second, I was later informed that Mr. Myres had sent an e-mail to what I understand was a Johnson County Republican distribution list of Shawnee voters instructing them to submit letters of recommendation on his behalf.  I did not understand the dynamics at the time, but this move left a bad taste in many people’s mouths.

Publicly, Mr. Myres seemed to fade away in the subsequent years.  His name popped up again in 2019/2020.  As the party Chair, Myres filled several precinct committee person vacancies with people who would support the appointment of Mike Thompson to replace state Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook who was stepping down.  State Rep Tom Cox was also interested in this appointment and this move by Mr. Myres forced Mr. Cox to step down from contention.  (See: Hawver’s Capitol Report Flash #237 12/30/2019, “Cox won’t seek Pilcher-Cook seat appointment but is in 2020 race”) Then, in 2023 Myres was nominated to a Planning Commission appointment which Mayor Distler did not approve.  As a result, the (2021 elected) Council refused to accept any of her appointments for the remainder of her term (from July through December 2023).  It is clear that Myres has maintained his position of authority and influence within the party.

Again, this brings us back to 2025 and the current list of Council candidates.  If you stuck with me this far, I hope that you see that the current slate of candidates carries exactly the same risk as the slate put forth in 2021.  Mr. Myres, in particular, has been working in the background to ensure far-right extremists get and maintain control of the Council and is likely the reason for the State party’s attention in our local races.  They are relying heavily on actual party operatives as candidates to see this mission through. This is the Shawnee Republican Machine working at its fullest capacity.

We can’t afford another 2021.  Our city has struggled for the past four years under the leadership of extremists whose focus on cutting taxes and dividing our community with culture-war issues is short-sighted and economically irresponsible.  My support goes to the community members who stepped up to fight against these forces.

Please don’t sit this election out.  Here are your Good Government Candidates:

Ward 1:  Steele Reynolds

Ward 2:  Eric Persson

Ward 3:  Morgan Rainey

Ward 4:  Erin Aldridge

As always, you are welcome to reach out to me with any questions.