By Glen Vaughn-Petersen
Candidates running for the county’s 3rd District-at-Large seat will be representing residents in the entire lower south section of Jackson County below 77th/79th streets. Though they represent a certain district, they are elected by all voters throughout the county.
Megan Marshall
Megan Marshall came out on top in the Democratic primary, beating out two opponents: incumbent Tony Miller and newcomer Delmira Quarles by garnering 67.9 percent of the votes. Born in Chicago, Marshall served in the Marine Corps for 20 years, achieving the rank of Chief Warrant Officer and being among the less than 1% of Black women to achieve and hold this rank. She was also a leader in humanitarian critical response efforts in Central America, Vice President of the Lee’s Summit Board of Education, and Vice President of the non-profit organization known as Lee’s Summit Cares. Marshall believes firmly in being a resource for any voter, no matter what their party.
Marshall says she supports:
- Proactive and accessible mental health programs and resources
- Addressing the opioid epidemic in Jackson County
- Helping the unhoused population of the county
- Lowering property taxes
Lance Dillenschneider
Lance Dillenschneider ran unopposed in the Republican primary. A Kansas City native, Dillenschneider’s childhood home was on 69th and Prospect. Nowadays, he’s a real estate agent and mortgage broker based out of Lee’s Summit.
As someone who served on the Jackson County Board of Equalization, an organization that oversees fair equalization of county property taxes, he has witnessed many of the negative and unfair things within the county system. He also has personal skin in the game when it comes to stopping the opioid epidemic, having lost a family member to a fentanyl overdose. This, alongside rising property taxes and a dangerous experience with COVID-19, are what finally pushed him to run for office. It is also his firm belief that, if the people of Jackson County want change, they should replace the party that’s been running this county for about 50 years and vote for him.
Dillenschneider says he supports:
- Fighting crime fueled by the drug epidemic
- Decreasing property taxes
- Stopping the opioid epidemic
- Reducing government overreach