photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Democrat Erica Anderson is pictured at the Douglas County election office, 711 W 23rd St., on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.

Democrat Erica Anderson came out on top among the three candidates who competed for the Douglas County Commission’s new District 5 seat.

Anderson had garnered 5,149 votes as of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to win District 5, which includes a small portion of south Lawrence, southern Wakarusa Township, Baldwin City and Palmyra Township. Republican Rich Lorenzo and Libertarian Kirsten Kuhn, Anderson’s opponents, received 3,866 and 568 votes respectively.

“It’s been a fantastic experience going door to door and meeting individuals,” Anderson told the Journal-World. The experience has “really left lasting impressions on me and really solidified my desire to serve our district, but also the county as a whole.”

She said that what she looks forward to most in this transition is listening and learning how to create a space where the county and its residents can work better together.

“Part of my campaign has really been about enhancing community voice and really ensuring that we’re bringing all levels of influence to the table and ensuring they feel heard,” Anderson said.

“So part of listening and learning is also providing a space where people can actually have collaborative conversations,” Anderson said.

One of the things Anderson wants to address is enlarging the county’s tax base.

“Increasing our tax base requires that we really sit down and have conversations across the entire county with all of our city leaders but also with each district to really understand what they want to see in their district,” Anderson said. “I don’t really think it’s appropriate for us to walk in and say ‘I know what you need.’ We need to listen to the residents.”

Anderson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in public affairs and a doctorate in public health. Throughout her career, she has focused on policy development and bringing diverse perspectives together to foster consensus. Anderson works within the Medicare and Medicaid sectors to enhance community health linkages and support Community Health Assessments.

“We know that District 5 is a brand new district and so building trust needs to be paramount,” Anderson said. ” … If we’re going to work together and be able to drive progress forward together, we have to trust each other.”