Melissa Bynum and Harold Johnson win seats on Unified Government Commission (or, so long, Tarence Maddox)

Voters in Wyandotte County’s 4th District have rid themselves of Tarence Maddox, who has led four troublesome, ineffective years representing that district.

Maddox received far more attention for various missteps (a temper tantrum at Legoland, threatening to sic City Hall at a gas-station owner, among others) than anything he achieved in office.

In his place will be Harold Johnson, a pastor in Wyandotte County. Johnson won by a comfortable 141 votes in WyCo’s low-turnout election on Tuesday. 

In the other competitive Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, Commission race, Melissa Bynum easily defeated former Kansas state Sen. Mark Gilstrap for the 1st District At-Large seat. That seat was once occupied by Mark Holland but has sat empty since Holland became UG mayor because the commission couldn’t agree on a replacement.

The other notable Wyandotte County contest was a close race on the Board of Public Utilities. Norman Scott won a close contest against Chris McCord to occupy the vacant No. 3 position on the BPU.