What to know about Jackson County prosecutor election
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The spot for Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker's seat is open since she is not running for reelection.
Democrat Melesa Johnson and Republican Tracey Chappell are running in the 2024 general election to replace her.
County prosecutors in Missouri serve four-year terms. Whichever candidate wins will be the first Black female prosecutor in Jackson County history .
Melesa Johnson
Johnson was raised in Jackson County and earned her degree from the University of Missouri School of Law. She joined the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office in 2014 and practiced what she called "transformative justice."
She is Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas' director of public safety and oversees Partners for Peace, a citywide anti-violence strategy.
As a native of Kansas City's Oak Park neighborhood, Johnson says she will use her platform to focus on victim support and advocacy, violence prevention and community engagement, among other issues.
According to her website, Johnson hopes to establish new violence prevention and intervention programs as Jackson County prosecutor. She wants to expand support for COMBAT, a program that collaborates with neighborhood groups to prevent drug use and violence. Additionally, she would like to charge fentanyl distributors and increase access to data analysis on cellphones.
Johnson says she wants to improve witness protection and advocate for victims. She also hopes to create a new property crimes division and host trainings between detectives and prosecutors. To reduce case dismissals, she would address evidentiary insufficiencies. Johnson would also form an inclusive office that reflects the community's diversity.
Tracey Chappell
Chappell received a law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and was a senior assistant county counselor for Jackson County.
She became the first woman to serve as the City of Blue Springs's Head Prosecutor and a managing partner at the first all-female law firm.
Her primary focus is on crime in the community and corruption within state and local agencies. Specifically, as a defense attorney, Chappell worked to prosecute attorneys who violated ethics laws.
Chappell claims that her six "common sense priorities" will transform Jackson County's criminal justice system.
Those areas of focus include prosecuting violent offenders, prosecuting property crimes, protecting the rights of victims, engaging the community and law enforcement to reduce crime, reestablishing trust and transparency in the prosecutor's office and expanding mental health courts.
