Douglas County commission candidates question county administrator’s power
Candidates at a Douglas County forum said the county administrator has too much sway, turning a campaign talk into a fight over who really controls county budgets and daily operations.
Douglas County commission candidates turned a June 28 forum at Building 21 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds into a debate over who actually runs county government. Several dozen people there heard repeated concerns that the county administrator was overstepping her bounds.
Kirsten Kuhn made the issue part of her campaign message, arguing that staff should not be directing elected officials. Erica Anderson, the District 5 incumbent running for reelection against Kuhn, said hard questions were not always well received and that she had sometimes been given misinformation, left out of email chains or sent in the wrong direction. After the forum, Anderson said she was referring specifically to County Administrator Sarah Plinsky, while also saying similar problems had occurred with other staff members at times.
Gene Dorsey, who is seeking reelection in District 4, objected to how the administrator set meeting agendas.
Sarah Plinsky appeared in Douglas County commission materials by 2012 and 2015 in roles tied to county administration, and 2014 agendas list her handling items involving purchasing policy, budget-development procedures, health insurance stop-loss coverage and funding matches for public health services. A 2014 county resolution cited the commission’s home-rule authority to transact county business and carry out local legislation and administration under Kansas law.
The June 28 forum was the second Douglas County Commission candidate event held in June ahead of the August primary. The first took place June 23 at KU Innovation Park. The District 5 race pits Anderson, a Democrat, against Kuhn, a Libertarian, while Dorsey is the Democratic incumbent in District 4.
The debate came after another commission forum in June 2024 put housing affordability near the center of the race.
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