photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Many people gather at the Douglas County Election Office to see the primary election results on Tuesday, August 6, 2024.

Incumbent Douglas County Commissioner Shannon Reid on Tuesday defeated Lawrence City Commissioner Lisa Larsen in the Democratic primary for the county’s District 2 seat.

Reid will now face Brad Chun, an independent candidate, in the November general election.

Reid, the only incumbent county commissioner to face a primary challenger this year, works as a court advocate for victims of domestic violence at The Willow Domestic Violence Center. By 10 p.m. Tuesday, Reid had received 1,199 votes to Larsen’s 887. Reid’s district includes North Lawrence, the eastern Lawrence area around downtown, Grant Township and the portion of Wakarusa Township north of Lawrence.

“It’s very validating to know that people hear what I’m talking about and they resonate with the values that I bring to the table,” Reid told the Journal-World. “That just makes me excited to keep doing more because I think that there’s real power in people feeling seen and heard by somebody they feel represents them in their best interest.”

“I just hope to keep focusing on the work that I’ve been doing as a commissioner so far,” Reid said. “I want to focus on making sure that we continue to make progress with policy and investments in supporting our unhoused population and creating a spectrum of affordable housing options in this community.”

Tuesday night’s race was a bit more comfortable for Reid than her 2020 primary, which included a hand recount. She eventually won by just three votes against incumbent County Commissioner Nancy Thellman.

In other county races, Pam McDermott received 760 votes against John Landon, who won a total of 434 votes as of 10 p.m. on Tuesday. McDermott is expected to be the Republican candidate for District 3, which is the largest Douglas County Commission district by geographic area. The district includes the western portion of Lawrence, the city of Lecompton and the entirety of five townships: Willow Springs, Marion, Clinton, Kanwaka and Lecompton.

McDermott will face Commissioner Karen Willey, who did not have a Democratic primary challenger, in November.

McDermott has long been active in the community, including volunteering, working as a substitute teacher at the now-closed Kennedy Elementary School, participating in Leadership Lawrence, leading various projects and working full-time at Morning Star Church since it opened in 1992.

She had previously run for County Commission in 2020, and though McDermott didn’t expect to run again, she was determined to address the high property taxes in Douglas County. She said she would take the next few months to identify issues and what’s unique to District 3.

For the newly created County Commission District 4, Democrat Gene Dorsey won 1,038 votes, leading against Mike Kelso, who received 661 votes as of 10 p.m. Tuesday. District 4 includes a small portion of southeastern Lawrence, Eudora and Eudora Township, and the small portion of Wakarusa Township between Grant Township and the eastern edge of Lawrence.

Dorsey is a retired financial controller who co-founded the Schwegler Neighborhood Association, served as its secretary for six years, and is currently the secretary and treasurer on the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center board. Dorsey said being on the commission would mean he would have a full-time job again.

“Everybody on the current commission had a full-time job, and working on the commission was a part-time job to the other three,” Dorsey said. “I would plan on more outreach to different groups that can help Douglas County.”

Libertarian Steven Jacob and Republican Timothy Bruce will face Dorsey in the general election.

In the last newly created County Commission district, Democrat Erica Anderson won 835 votes on Tuesday as of 10 p.m. and is expected to represent District 5, which includes a small portion of south Lawrence, southern Wakarusa Township, Baldwin City and Palmyra Township. Nicholas Matthews, Anderson’s opponent, received 625 votes.

Libertarian Kirsten Kuhn and Republican Rich Lorenzo will face off against Anderson in the general election.

Anderson currently works as a regulatory consultant on health equity and improving the Medicaid health care delivery system.

“This win would really mean that I have the opportunity to serve my community, have the opportunity to give back and continue to do the work that I love,” Anderson said. “I’ve volunteered and given back and I just really want to continue to do that and be able to seek value and seek what others really want to see as the community that we want for Douglas County.”