Jackson County Executive Election 2026: Lake vs. Rohlfing, the Records
County Executive
The next county executive inherits the 2027 reassessment, the stadium question, and a county government rebuilding after a recall.
On candidates we publish records, votes, donors, dollars, and dates, and nothing else. No endorsements, no scores, no adjectives. The judgment is yours.
📌 The Stakes Are HighTwo names are on the November 3 ballot for Jackson County executive: Stacy Lake (D) and Alan Rohlfing (R), plus a write-in line. Lake won the six-way Democratic primary on August 4 with about 46 percent over Bill Baird, Dan Tarwater, Manny Abarca, Ryan Meyer, and Holmes Osborne. Rohlfing was unopposed in the Republican primary. Neither has held elected office. The winner takes over the county that assesses your property, after voters recalled Frank White Jr. in September 2025.
Jackson County’s county executive runs the county government, proposes its budget, and oversees the departments that assess your property. The office was created by the county charter in 1973. In September 2025, after the fallout from the 2023 property reassessment, voters recalled County Executive Frank White Jr. Phil LeVota has served on an interim basis since then, and the winner of this race takes office in January 2027.
🗝️ The RecordStacy LakeDemocrat
Civil litigation attorney; lives in midtown Kansas City. Ran for county executive in 2022 and lost the Democratic primary to Frank White Jr., 53.3 to 46.7. Won the August 4, 2026 Democratic primary with about 46 percent of the vote in a six-candidate field. Has not held elected office. Has named fixing the county’s property assessment system as a top priority. If elected, she would be the first Black woman to serve as Jackson County executive.
Alan RohlfingRepublican
Lee’s Summit resident; served 31 years in the U.S. Army; background in human resources. Won the August 4, 2026 Republican primary unopposed. Has not held elected office. Has named restoring public trust in county government, reforming property assessments, cutting wasteful spending, and supporting small businesses as his priorities.
LakeDemocrat
Proposes ending the county’s Tyler Technologies contract, bringing assessment in-house, auditing the Assessment Department, appointing a director, and supporting a state cap on annual increases. Her words: “our assessments have not complied with Missouri State Law since at least 2019.”
RohlfingRepublican
Proposes a qualified appointed director until voters elect an assessor, and following State Tax Commission guidance. His words: “assessments should reflect defensible market values—not revenue targets.” Favors “cash refunds where legally and financially feasible.”
LakeDemocrat
“Save the K”; seek “a more equitable contract with the team owners”; otherwise study the land’s best use with neighborhood input.
RohlfingRepublican
Opposes “a redevelopment agreement that gives away most of the revenue we are trying to replace”; prefers a phased redevelopment anchored by Arrowhead.
Quoted words are the candidates’ own. Sources: the Kansas City Star’s candidate Q&As with Stacy Lake and Alan Rohlfing (October 14, 2026); KCUR (October 7, 2026); and KCUR’s Up to Date interview with Rohlfing (September 3, 2026). Neither candidate’s position on COMBAT renewal appears in published questionnaires or interviews we could find. Both candidates’ campaign finance reports are public at the Missouri Ethics Commission.
✊🏾 What You Can DoRead the records, then stay on the office after the winner is sworn in. The 2027 reassessment is the next test, and the county executive owns it.
