BY TONY FURSE | June 4, 2025

 

Some races will see incumbents challenged

 

An Aug. 5 primary will not be necessary for this year’s Linn County municipal and school board election cycle.

As a result of Monday’s noon filing deadlline, the Nov. 4 general election features some races where incumbents will be challenged and one three-position race with no filings.

Two of the county’s seven incorporated cities have mayoral seats up for election. 

At Linn Valley, incumbent Lewis Donelson will be challenged by both Daniel Donham and Lister Potter Jr. 

At Prescott, Keith Bloomfield has filed for mayor to replace incumbent Kevin Wood, who did not refile.

Both of those cities also have two council seats up for election. On the ballot at Linn Valley will be current councilman Michael Hemphill, along with Curtis Coffman and Phillip Schellenberg. Current councilman Robert Suppenbach did not refile.

At Prescott, incumbent councilman Ron Roberts has refiled, as has Brian Bloomfield to fill John Maloney’s current seat.

The other five municipalities have three council seats up for election.

At La Cygne, current incumbents David Brenneman, Tommy Capp and Keith Stoker all did not file, nor did anyone else.

Parker and Pleasanton will see contested races for their three council positions.

At Parker, incumbents Kari Brandt and Gary Earley have refiled and will see challenges from Stacia Minden and Carrie Sewell. Current councilwoman Kandice Higgins chose not to refile.

At Pleasanton, neither Kimberly Herring nor Aaron Portmann chose to run again, leaving the only incumbent, Rochelle Schreckhise, to face seven other candidates–Sandy Haynes, Riley Hinds, Dean Johnson, Ron Miller, David Schuermann, Kenny Stark and Alex Wills.

Both Blue Mound and Mound City have three candidates filed for their three positions.

With current councilmen Byron Coates and Donnie Rhynerson both choosing not to run, Paul Moeller is the lone incumbent on the ballot, with Shawn Herrmann and Marri Krupco throwing their hats into the ring.

At Mound City, incumbents Cody Beckman and Fanchion Shadden will run again, as will Shayna Lamb to replace Megan Purvis, who did not refile.

Races to fill one of three open positions on boards of education at the county’s three unified school districts are a mixed bag.

Most competitive will be at Pleasanton USD 344, where all board posts are at large. Incumbents Kaye Hardy, Cindy Inman and Meredith Johnson are running again and will be challenged by Kayleigh England and Ronald Miller. 

Prairie View USD 362 has one candidate running for each of their three districts. In the fourth district, David Houston will run to replace George Nunnemacher, whose move from Linn Valley to La Cygne prevented a refiling. In the fifth district, Heather Schull has filed to replace Rita Boydston, who opted not to run again. In the sixth district, incumbent Wade Teagarden has filed to retain his seat.

Like at Prairie View, Jayhawk USD 346 has one candidate running for each of their three districts. Unlike Prairie View, they are all the current incumbents–Tracy Springer in the fourth district, Matt Higgins in the fifth, and Ketturah “Kitty” Rhynerson in the sixth.

Two Linn County seats on the Marais des Cygnes K-State Research and Extension district board are also up for November election, with Stacey Reagan, Ronald Miller and Kitty Rhynerson vying for those positions. 

The western half of three Liberty Township sections north of 2200 Road between Ayers Road and the Anderson County line are in Anderson County USD 365, where incumbent Gina Witherspoon is the lone filing.