photo by: Contributed

Gene Dorsey (left) and Ethan Spurling (right).

The first two candidates have officially entered the race for the District 4 seat on the Douglas County Commission – one incumbent and one newcomer.

Commissioner Gene Dorsey, a Democrat and currently representing the District 4 seat, will be running for reelection in 2026. Dorsey is a retired financial controller and spent 35 years in the international oil and chemical industry. He was raised in Gardner and has been a resident of Lawrence since 2005. Before becoming a county commissioner in 2024, he served on the governing board of the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center for six years.

Dorsey and Erica Anderson, who represents District 5, were elected in 2024 to fill the new seats on the County Commission and serve for two-year terms, in accordance with state law and to stagger terms so that no more than a simple majority of commissioners are elected at once.

Dorsey told the Journal-World that there’s still more he wants to do while in office.

“(County Administrator) Sarah Plinsky has a really good orientation program for new commissioners, but it’s kind of like a classroom setting,” Dorsey said. “There’s only so much you can teach, and then you’ve got to go through the experience. One of our big tasks is budgeting, and you really have to go through that to learn it … so I hate to see my year of experience go to waste with only another year to practice it.”

He said this year, his goal is to be revenue-neutral in the upcoming 2027 budget cycle. During 2026 budget deliberations, Dorsey was the only vote opposed to exceeding the revenue neutral rate – or the rate needed to generate the same amount of property tax revenue as the previous year. At the time, Dorsey said he thought the county had “underestimated some of our other incomes.”

“I’m not sure other county commissioners will agree with me, but I voted against exceeding the revenue neutral rate last year … I basically represented my district’s desires in that regard,” Dorsey said.

Dorsey said the district he represents is a varied district. “And you got to be in tune to what all of those folks want and try to balance out their needs at the county level,” Dorsey said.

In addition, Ethan Spurling, a Democrat, has also entered the race for the District 4 seat.

Spurling was elected to the Frontenac City Council in 2015 and served for four years. After attending college at Pittsburg State University, he worked on Gov. Laura Kelly’s campaign and in her administration, including roles in the governor’s office and as director of government affairs at the Kansas Department of Revenue. He now works in policy and government relations for a Lawrence-based education nonprofit.

Spurling said in a press release he decided to run after seeing many of the same challenges facing families and young people across Douglas County.

“As a young homeowner, I’m living through many of the same struggles people in our community are facing,” Spurling said in the release. “The cost of living keeps rising, housing is getting harder to afford, and we need practical solutions that help people not just get by, but actually thrive.”

Spurling said he and his wife, Andrea, bought their first home two years ago and spend much of their time in Eudora and Lawrence supporting local businesses.

“Douglas County is growing and changing, and we need leadership that’s ready for what comes next,” Spurling said in the release. “I’m running because I believe we can build a future where everyone has the chance to thrive.”

Douglas County expanded its commission from three to five members following the 2024 elections, introducing new Districts 4 and 5. District 4 represents southeastern Lawrence, Eudora, Eudora Township, and part of Wakarusa Township. Meanwhile, District 5 covers southern Lawrence, southern Wakarusa Township, Baldwin City, and Palmyra Township.

Both of District 4 and 5 seats along with the District 1 seat held by Patrick Kelly, are open. The commissioners elected in 2026 will serve four-year terms. Neither Anderson nor Kelly has filed for reelection yet.

The deadline to file for candidacy is noon on June 1. The deadline to register to vote or update voter registration information for the 2026 Primary Election is July 14. The primary election is on Aug. 4 and the general election is on Nov. 3.

Kansas House Districts representing Douglas County

Voters in Douglas County will also see several state legislative races on the ballot this election cycle, including seats in the Kansas House of Representatives. Districts 5, 10, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 and 117 each have one representative position up for election, giving voters in those areas the opportunity to choose who will represent them at the statehouse.

photo by: Douglas County

Kansas House Districts in Douglas County.

In Douglas County, the districts on the ballot generally cover the following areas:

• District 5 – Primarily in southwestern Douglas County. Two candidates have so far filed for this seat – Henry Johns of Lawrence, a Democrat, and Courtney Sappington of Baldwin City, a Republican, who is seeking reelection.

• District 10 – Included in the southern portion of the city and the Baker Wetlands. The north boundary is around East 15th Street and ends south of the Wakarusa River. From east to west, it spans from Iowa Street to roughly East 1600 Road. The current representative is Suzanne Wikle of Lawrence, a Democrat, and she has filed for reelection.

• District 42 – Spans parts of Douglas, Leavenworth, and Jefferson Counties. It includes the eastern portion of Lawrence. The current representative is Lance Neelly of Tonganoxie, a Republican. Mike Stieben of Tonganoxie, a Republican, has filed for this seat Neelly has filed for reelection.

• District 43 – Covers a small portion of`Douglas County, specifically a partial section of Palmyra Township. The current representative is William “Bill” Sutton of Gardner, a Republican. Three candidates from Gardner have filed for this seat – Kristen Schultz, a Democrat; Keith Davenport, a Democrat; and Sutton, who is seeking reelection.

• District 44 – Includes portions of western Lawrence and Wakarusa Township. The current representative is Barbara Ballard of Lawrence, a Democrat.

• District 45 – Encompasses parts of Lawrence, the nearby city of Lecompton, and surrounding rural township areas within Douglas County. Mike Amyx, the current representative, is a Democrat from Lawrence.

• District 46 – Includes the downtown area of Lawrence, the University of Kansas campus and much of North Lawrence. Brooklynne Mosley, a Democrat, is the current representative, and she has filed for reelection.

• District 47 – Covers a small southwestern edge of Lawrence and includes several townships in northwestern Douglas County. The current representative is Ronald B. Ellis of Meridan, a Republican. Paula Newell Ellis, a Republican, has filed for this seat.

• District 117 – Includes a small portion of Lawrence and surrounding eastern Douglas County townships. Adam Turk of Shawnee, a Republican, currently represents the district.