Get to know Jackson County’s 4th District candidates on the Democratic Ballot

By Tyler Schneider

In the Jackson County District 4 race, former state representatives DaRon McGee and Michael R. Brown will face off to see which of them will go on to win the seat by default in November. 

DaRon McGee: 

These days, DaRon McGee is perhaps most visible in the South Kansas City community as the current president of the Hickman Mills School Board. Prior to that, McGee was known for his four years of service as a state representative for District 36, which lasted from 2015 through his controversial resignation in 2019.

Now putting his best foot forward for the district that he himself is a product of, McGee has decided to pursue another key role in regional politics as he seeks a seat on the Jackson County Legislature representing District 4. 

If elected, McGee would like to modify Jackson County’s property tax assessment policy to establish “affordable caps” on annual increases and offer more resources for senior citizens who are in danger of being priced out of their homes. 

Public safety, particularly as it relates to criminal justice reform, is another area he would like to revamp, as well as expansion of mental health services in the county jail and a systematic review of the cash bond system for certain nonviolent offenders.

Finally, with all nine of the county legislator seats up for grabs this fall, McGee wants to make it easier for the public to follow the actions of their Jackson County representatives by rescheduling meeting times so that more citizens can participate. 

Michael R. Brown:

Michael R. Brown spent eight years representing District 50 in the Missouri House from 2005-2013. Brown launched a campaign for state senate in 2020 but would ultimately find himself bested by current District 7 state senator, Greg Razer. Most recently, Brown had served a term on the Metropolitan Community College Board of Trustees (Subdistrict 6. 

Brown did not respond to The Telegraph’s request for comment, but does seem to run a semi-active campaign page on Facebook. In a July 18 post on that page, Brown’s campaign posted a graphic that indicated some of his key priorities were to win his bid for the seat. 

“Despite some economic development progress such as Cerner Development and The Glades developments in South Kansas City, citizens still need strong leadership today more than ever. My plans are to bend the county budget more towards [the] taxpayers,” Brown wrote.