Missouri › Jackson County › Jackson County Executive
7 candidates are tracked for Jackson County Executive on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Stacy Lake, Ryan Meyer, Holmes Osborne, Bill Baird, Dan T. Tarwater III, Manuel "Manny" Abarca IV and Alan Rohlfing. Candidate information follows official Jackson County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Open seat: Frank White Jr. was removed in a September 2025 recall vote and interim executive Phil LeVota is not running, per KCUR. Six Democrats meet on the August 4 ballot; Alan Rohlfing is unopposed on the Republican side, and the winners advance to November 3. Candidates are from the Jackson County Election Board's certified sample ballot.
A civil litigation attorney and owner of the Stacy Lake Firm LLC in Kansas City, and a former Chinese translator, per her campaign site. She came within about four points of unseating Frank White Jr. in the 2022 Democratic contest for this office, per Beacon: Kansas City.
2026 priorities
- Property taxes: end the outside assessment contract, bring assessment in house, cap increases, per her campaign site
- A deep-scale independent audit of county government, per her campaign site
- County infrastructure repairs and a countywide rapid bus plan, per her campaign site
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
A political and marketing consultant with a master's degree in economics who has worked Kansas City area campaigns for nearly two decades, per Beacon: Kansas City. He founded the pro-union group Had Enough Inc., per the Martin City Telegraph.
2026 priorities
- Assessment reform that protects school and library funding, per Beacon: Kansas City
- Public safety focused on root causes and mental health, per Beacon: Kansas City
- Public transit as an economic development tool, per Beacon: Kansas City
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
A chartered financial analyst and principal of Osborne Global Investors in Lee's Summit who lives in Independence, per his campaign site and Beacon: Kansas City. He serves on the Metropolitan Community College Board of Trustees and has managed money for more than 30 years, per his campaign site.
2026 priorities
- Property tax reform with an independent forensic audit of assessments, per his campaign site
- Public safety, including more jail beds, per his campaign site
- Keeping the Chiefs and Royals at Truman Sports Complex without a taxpayer stadium bailout, per his campaign site
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
A commercial real estate broker who served two terms as mayor of Lee's Summit, per KSHB and Beacon: Kansas City. He previously sat on the Lee's Summit R-7 School Board and worked as a teacher, per Beacon: Kansas City, and points to managing the city's roughly 100 million dollar budget as his record, per the Martin City Telegraph.
2026 priorities
- Follow assessment law precisely, including inspection requirements, per the Martin City Telegraph
- Strengthen emergency services, including non-police mental health response, per the Martin City Telegraph
- A proactive county economic strategy in cooperation with cities, per the Martin City Telegraph
A nearly three-decade veteran of the Jackson County Legislature representing south Kansas City before stepping away in 2022, per Beacon: Kansas City. His endorsements include the Fraternal Order of Police, Freedom Inc., and the UAW, and he says he would serve a single term, per his campaign site and the Martin City Telegraph.
2026 priorities
- Repay taxpayers overcharged by the 2023 assessments in full via a voter approved bond, per the Martin City Telegraph
- Upgrade front-facing county departments and customer service, per the Martin City Telegraph
- Rebuild working relationships between the executive and legislators, per the Martin City Telegraph
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
Manny Abarca STEPPED BACK from active campaigning in July 2026 while remaining on the printed August 4 ballot, and the county Legislature replaced him as its chair the same month, per the Martin City Telegraph. The sitting 1st District county legislator and a former Kansas City Public Schools board treasurer, he and his former spouse each face misdemeanor charges arising from their divorce, allegations he denies, per Beacon: Kansas City.
A candidate with an extensive military background and the only Republican seeking the office, so his August 4 ballot line is uncontested, per Beacon: Kansas City. He supports fairer property assessments, a forensic audit of county finances, and a comprehensive county charter review, per Kansas City area election reporting.
2026 priorities
- Property tax reform with transparent assessments and a simpler appeals process, per local election reporting
- Reduced spending and a forensic audit of county finances, per local election reporting
- Strengthening core services and a more business friendly county, per local election reporting
