KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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Kansas City, Kansas, voters have elected Christal Watson as their new mayor, and she's already fielding questions about the community's top concerns: high taxes, economic development and potential congressional redistricting.
I spoke with voters at polling locations throughout Wyandotte County on Tuesday, gathering their most pressing questions for the mayor-elect.
When I brought those questions to Watson, she outlined her plans to address residents' concerns.
“I want Wyandotte County to know that they chose the right person,” Watson said. “I am a mayor for the people.”
At Oak Ridge Missionary Baptist Church, one of the busier polling locations in town, voters like Hershel Martin and his wife, Diana, made their voices heard about tax burdens.
"We pay a lot in taxes, so it's important to vote for who's going to do that there," Martin said.
KSHB 41’s Rachel Henderson asked voters at Oak Ridge the same question: If you could ask the new mayor one question, what would you ask?
Martin and his wife, Diana, had direct questions for the new mayor, and they largely resembled each other: "Are you going to raise my taxes? and “Are you going to lower my personal property taxes?"
Watson said she's already heard these concerns from residents across the county.
"I've already been out,” Watson said. “I’ve heard the residents' cry for support. For lower taxes, for services, and I hear them loud and clear."
The mayor-elect outlined three main strategies to address tax concerns.
First, she wants to fill Kansas City, Kansas's thousands of vacant lots with revenue-generating developments, which could reduce the tax burden on residents.
There are currently 4,300 vacant lots sitting in the Unified Government's land bank, generating no property tax revenue.
"Of course, we'll work on development," Watson said.
Her second approach involves pursuing federal funding and grants to supplement the city's budget.
Watson also suggested implementing a 1-percent earnings tax.
"I think that would be huge,” Watson said. “That could possibly be 50 million in revenue for Wyandotte County.”
Voter Ina Young expressed interest in Watson's collaborative approach to leadership.
"We need somebody that's stable and knows what they're doing. Are they willing to follow their president?" Young said.
Watson emphasized her commitment to working across party lines for the benefit of Wyandotte County.
"We cannot continue to work in silos,” Watson said. “I want to do what's in the best interest of Wyandotte County, and so, I can't be afraid to have a conversation, even with the president of the United States.”
Voter Staci Motsinger raised concerns about potential congressional redistricting efforts that could affect the Kansas City area, where Republican lawmakers have considered redrawing maps that could impact U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids' district.
"Where do you stand on remapping?" Motsinger asked.
Her question and Watson’s answer came before news dropped about Kansas Republicans dropping the push to redraw U.S. House districts.
Watson expressed opposition to mid-decade redistricting efforts while emphasizing the importance of keeping residents informed.
"I think it's horrible to redistrict us already. We've already gone through that process. But I always try to plan for what's to come. If they do, how does that look?" Watson said.
She outlined her strategy for maintaining community engagement regardless of potential redistricting changes.
"We just need to make sure that we continue to communicate with our district. Make sure that they're informed. That's gonna be us getting out into the community doing our quarterly town halls and making sure that we're posting all that information online so people are well-informed," Watson said.
As Watson prepares to take office, voters like Motsinger remain hopeful about the changes ahead.
"All I can do is vote and try to make it different," Martin said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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