Meet Jackson County candidates for At-Large 1st District Legislator

The candidates running for 1st District-at-Large all live in eastern Jackson County. The “At-Large” legislative title means that they are elected by all county voters, not just those in their district. Here’s what you need to know:

Carla Fields

Carla Fields, an attorney, lives in Independence but grew up in south Kansas City in the Hickman Mills and Grandview school districts. She is a partner at Fields Brown Law Offices, the oldest minority-owned law firm in Kansas City, founded by her father in 1987.She says she was inspired by her father, who also served on the Grandview schoolboard, to get into politics. “My parents always pushed us to use our degrees for public service,” she recalls. “I’ve done that.” 

Fields has served as the General Counsel for the Hickman Mills School District since 2017 and  past president of the Jackson County Bar Association and a Board member of the Mazuma Credit Union.

Fields would like to expand upon her public service by becoming a county legislator. 

Her top priority is addressing the flaws in the property tax appeals process which she as property owner has battled. “I’ve been practicing law for 30 years. To file an appeal on my taxes, getting there with what I thought was all the information needed to advance the appeal and being told that I didn’t have what they expected was frustrating,” she says. She would like to see a clear and more understandable appeal process, as well as protections for seniors and people with disabilities.

Fields’ other priorities include safer neighborhoods, better jobs programs and opportunities for minorities. 

Most important for Fields is restoring trust in county government. “That happens when legislators show up, work, and be transparent and accountable. That is absolutely what I will be doing from day one.”

Justice Horn

Justice Horn has been out in the hot summer heat knocking on doors, introducing himself to residents in all 18 cities in Jackson County. “It’s truly an ‘at-large’ race!” he jokes. “But I enjoy it and learn a lot from people.” So what’s his biggest take-away so far? There is a lot of anti-incumbent sentiment. “They’re like ‘Everyone’s got to go.’” 

It’s been a topsy turvy four years for the Jackson County legislature that dealt with property tax increases, sports stadium moves, budget deficits, voter recalls and management of COVID dollars. Horn, who ran for office in the last term at the tender age of 24, has been studying the situation and has targeted solutions for the ongoing challenges. 

Horn would like to have property assessments changed from two years to four years, offer property owners a payment plan, and cancel the contract with Tyler Technologies whose inaccuracies cost the county a lot of money, according to Horn. He would like to see the valuation process brought back in-house rather than outsourced to an out-of-state company.

His other priorities are building a countywide transit program (bus routes on highways), launching a guaranteed jobs program (a job within 60 days) and spurring affordable housing with a better transit program. 

Horn grew up in Independence, Grandview and Blue Springs. He received a Masters Degree in Business Administration and is working on a Masters in Public Administration from UMKC. He served on the Jackson County Board of Zoning Adjustment and the county’s Children Services Fund. He currently is campaigning full time. 

Jalen Anderson (incumbent)

Jalen Anderson first came on board as a Jackson County legislator in 2018 at the age of 26. Four years later, he was the only legislator with previous experience on the county board. 

“In my first term, it was clear how the old ways kept the status quo, but the status quo was failing the people of Jackson County,” he says. “My colleagues would show up on Mondays for 15 minutes, the votes already counted, and then leave.”

“In my second term with a lot of the new folks, there has been a lot of overpromising and underdelivering,” he says. “There is this idea that we have to put on a show, that we have to be combative just to be combative, that we have to have the news there every single time we have a meeting.” 

He believes there is a balanced approach. “Yes, you need change. But you also need folks who understand that government. At the end of the day, it is not a game. It’s about getting real results for people.”

Anderson feels he gets results for the people. During the past term, Anderson sponsored legislation that solidified prevailing wages, banned conversion therapy, and enacted the county Senior Service Fund which helps older citizens with mobility, access to food, and other assistance. 

Anderson’s approach to policymaking, which is quieter, wiser, may be due to the mature role placed on his life. He grew up in Blue Springs with his divorced mother and grandparents. Before he was off to college to study civil rights law, he found himself becoming a caregiver to his family who had become sick or had been experiencing long term disabilities. He found a job wherever he could. “I did the best I could to take care of them.”  Anderson has dealt with his own health issues that included a stroke and car accident. 

Anderson says those challenges have only helped him as a  legislator. “We need to help make life less challenging than it already is. That’s what the role of government should be.”