On Tuesday, November 7, 2023, the General Election is being held. This election decides who will represent districts 2, 4, 6, and 8 in the Topeka City Council. There was a primary held August 1, 2023. This narrowed these specific district candidates to two, as there were 3 or more candidates running. Other districts were already decided.

For District 2, the candidates are Christina Valdivia-Alcala and Craig McCullah. Valdivia-Alcala is an incumbent, as she is running for re-election. She really wants to focus on helping the unsheltered population issues and public safety, as there has been a rise in crime as of recently. Same with Craig McCullah, he wants to focus on these things as well. He also supports increased spending on police and an increase of officers.

For District 4, the candidates are David Banks and Dave Brede. David Banks wants to work through the community and cater to what the people want. He worked in the fire department for 28+ years. He wants to try and control property tax, especially on older people and wants to help with issues revolving around the unsheltered population. For Dave Brede, businesses are very important for the community. He worked in the KBI for years so he has experience in a government job. He wants strong quality businesses that can fulfill their responsibilities as well as responsible development overall. Of course, he also wants to focus on public safety. 

Attempting to represent District 6 are candidates Craig Dunstan and Marcus Miller. Dunstan wants to focus on how taxes are too high, rising inflation, and public safety over everything else. There has been a rise in homicides recently, which is something most of the candidates want to focus on. Miller wants to provide good leadership and pure honesty. He focuses a lot on family development and youth as he worked for Boys and Girls Club for a while. He is also pro-business and wants more community connection and involvement overall.

For District 8, the candidates running are Spencer Duncan and Chris Phelps. These candidates are very similar, but Duncan is an incumbent and running for re-election. Duncan wants to keep the cost of living lower and wants better infrastructure, like: better roads, waterways, drainage systems, etc. He wants essential services to be paid for and advocates for lower inflation. Chris Phelps, similarly, wants to focus on less inflation and better infrastructure. He also advocates for responsible city budgets and additional money going to the police force. Like all other candidates, public safety and safe neighborhoods are one of Phelp’s top priorities.

If you attend WRHS and are at least 18 years old, it is encouraged that you vote in this election. Everyone votes for just their district. If you don’t know your district, find out using the map below based on where you live. It is important to stay involved and knowledgeable about what is going on in your community.