photo by: Contrbuted

Erica Anderson and Kirsten Kuhn

Two candidates have entered the race for the Douglas County Commission’s District 5 seat – the Democratic incumbent Erica Anderson and Libertarian candidate Kirsten Kuhn.

Anderson has lived in Douglas County for more than 40 years and has worked at Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, Humana, Tobacco Free Kansas and Kaiser Permanente. Her professional work has focused on the intersection of health, policy, population health and community systems.

Anderson said she is seeking reelection because she wants to continue taking a more transparent and accountable approach to county decision-making. During her first term, Anderson said she worked to ensure that residents had clearer insight into how decisions were made and how public dollars were used, while also emphasizing practical, data-informed policy.

“The core issues that motivated my campaign in 2024 have not changed. Residents continue to raise concerns about affordability, trust in government, and whether their voices are reflected in county decisions,” Anderson said via email. “I view reelection as an opportunity to deepen that work. Moving from identifying problems to implementing more durable, long-term solutions.”

Anderson said affordability is the most pressing challenge facing the county, and it isn’t a single-issue problem. It reflects the combined effects of rising property valuations, tax pressures, utility costs, housing supply constraints, job opportunities and broader economic conditions.

She said it’s important to prioritize expanding the housing supply, addressing high utility costs and preventing displacement. She also wants to advocate for state-level policy changes to improve the behavioral health system and ensure that public funding strengthens Douglas County-based organizations first.

Kuhn is a 15-year Douglas County resident, originally from Wisconsin. She is an entrepreneur and community activist as well as the president and founder of the Douglas County Community Bail Fund, which offers limited monetary assistance for misdemeanor bail requirements.

Kuhn earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Kansas with a minor in applied behavioral science. She has served as the consumer representative on the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center Governing Board for two terms, been the chair of the unaffiliated Douglas County Libertarians for five years and been involved in the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

Kuhn told the Journal-World that she’s running for the County Commission to address the ongoing affordability issues, especially for first-time homebuyers, and high property taxes. She emphasized criminal justice reform aimed at cutting wasteful spending that does not benefit communities, and advocates for expanding access to mental health services, arguing that stronger support systems lead to a healthier and more stable society overall.

However, Kuhn said the higher-level issue is representation, and that she wants to see a variety of viewpoints on the commission.

“We’re getting to a point where we’re pushing folks out of the community who are community members,” Kuhn said. “But they simply can’t afford to live here due to the taxes … So I just think that there are a lot of folks out there who are looking for different representation, and we haven’t seen much of it.”

Anderson and Gene Dorsey, who represents District 4, 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.

Districts 1, 4 and 5 all have an open seat on the County Commission. The District 1 seat is currently held by Patrick Kelly. Both Kelly and Dorsey have filed for reelection. The commissioners elected in 2026 will serve four-year terms.

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