On April 7, 2026, Lee’s Summit voters will cast municipal election ballots for Mayor, City Councilmembers for Districts 1-4, three LSR-7 School Board members, and a Municipal Judge. Based on the available candidate forums and voter guides, here is a breakdown of the candidates and how their platforms differ:
Mayor – The mayoral race features two current District 3 City Councilmembers with contrasting views on the city’s strategic direction:
- Beto Lopez: The current Mayor Pro Tem, Lopez wants to continue following the citizen-led “Ignite” strategic plan, which he credits for helping grow the city’s commercial and industrial budget. He defends the development of mixed-use activity centers that include apartments, arguing they are part of the plan. He suggests implementing a task force to re-evaluate the strategic plan and housing goals during his first six months. He also supported the 8-1 council vote to let citizens decide on a single-hauler trash system.
- Cynda Rader: A real estate agent, Rader is highly critical of recent apartment developments and wants more “missing middle” housing (townhomes and duplexes) and attainable single-family homes. She suggests the city should halt developer incentives for apartments and believes it is time to “pause and reassess” the city’s comprehensive plan. She was the sole dissenting vote against putting the single-hauler trash issue on the ballot, arguing it was a waste of time and money because citizens already strongly opposed it.
City Council District 2
- Shari Frazier: A public health professional who takes a data-driven approach. She believes the market should dictate housing development and argues that having too many apartments is a misconception, noting that single-family starter homes are now out of reach for many. She believes economic incentives should be evaluated strictly on a case-by-case basis.
- Will Kraus: A military veteran and former state legislator. He views affordable housing and smaller starter homes as the biggest challenges facing the city. He worries that multi-family housing growth is outpacing local road infrastructure. He opposes using economic incentives for residential housing, arguing they should exclusively target job creation.
City Council District 3
- Dana Arth: A CPA and chair of the planning commission, Arth wants to ensure economic incentives are used exclusively to bring employers to the city. She advocates for home ownership and “missing middle” housing over apartments. She also suggests assessing the city’s Ignite plan to ensure it reflects residents’ post-COVID desires.
- Melanie Adkins: Adkins strongly defends strictly adhering to the city’s existing strategic and comprehensive plans. She argues that deviating from the planned 65/35 ratio of residential to commercial development would burden single-family homeowners and damage the local economy. She notes that rental options are necessary for young professionals and retirees.
City Council District 4 (4-Year Term)
- Donnie Funk: The incumbent councilman emphasizes that local infrastructure is behind the times and must be the primary focus before expanding housing and mixed-use developments. He views the push for single-family residences over multi-family units as a national economic challenge, not just a local one.
- Zak Al-Shawish: A corporate product manager whose top priority is providing tax relief to “fatigued” residents. He is highly critical of “unchecked” apartment growth, arguing the city is out of alignment and should stop dictating housing mixes or subsidizing developers. He wants to prioritize basic public safety and infrastructure over economic development.
City Council District 4 (2-Year Term)
- Bob Jones: A former mayor and councilman who emphasizes his track record of collaborative leadership and keeping a 50-year long-term view on city planning. He focuses on attracting quality economic development to ease the tax burden on residents.
- Scott Shepherd: A software engineer who worries rapid growth is causing Lee’s Summit to lose its identity. He wants to pivot to “rewards-based” developer incentives to hold businesses accountable and wants to focus on building starter homes.
- Nyauna Cravens: Focuses on smart growth that keeps pace with infrastructure and ensuring that new housing decisions protect the existing character of neighborhoods. She also emphasizes improving transparency and communication between the city and its residents.
LSR-7 School Board (3 Open Positions) Voters will select three candidates from a pool that includes incumbents and challengers:
- Dr. Kamile Johnson (Incumbent): A pharmacist who focuses on protecting public funding, increasing access to IB and advanced courses, and raising teacher pay. She defends the district’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) programming against negative narratives and opposes public funds going to charter or private schools.
- Matt Wharton: With a professional background in building K-12 technology systems, he aims to bring private-sector business and procurement experience to the board. He believes the best educational outcomes stem from strong partnerships between parents, educators, and the community. Wharton also wants to increase the focus on STEM and vocational education, ensuring students do not view it as a “lesser path”.
- Regina Garrett (Incumbent): Her primary focus is on improving literacy and math rates, specifically addressing reading proficiency gaps among middle schoolers. She has spent her past term championing parents of struggling readers and advocating for resources for students with dyslexia. She has advocated in Jefferson City all 3 years of her term to increase state funding for public education and opposes vouchers but supports easier public school transfers.
- Rodrick Sparks: A former board member, Sparks points to his past record of supporting increased teacher pay and providing free early childhood education for four-year-olds. Drawing from his own childhood experiences, he is passionate about creating an environment where every student, regardless of background or learning disability, feels they belong.
- Erica Miller (Incumbent): Emphasizes student mental health, bullying and suicide prevention, and expanding real-world learning opportunities for students. She believes DEIB programming is essential for equitable education and strongly opposes using public dollars for private or charter schools.
- Kirsti A. Martin: A mental health case manager who focuses on early screening and intervention, addressing the driver shortage to improve transportation, and ensuring policies are student-centered.
- Christopher Thornton: Suspended his campaign, but will still appear on the official ballot.
Other Positions Mia Prier is running unopposed for City Council District 1, and Dana M. Altieri is running for Municipal Judge.
The Prop C Waiver
- The Big Question: Should LSR-7 waive the state-mandated property tax “rollback”?
- The Cost: Approx. $23.90/year for every $100k of home value.
- The Goal: Keeping $3M–$4.5M annually to fund teacher salary increases.