Tyrone Garner, who won Tuesday night’s mayoral election, pledged to work for all Wyandotte County residents.
“I’m going to be your mayor, work hard for you whether you voted for me or not,” Garner said Wednesday. No one would be left behind, and everybody has value in Wyandotte County, he said.
Asked to what he attributed his victory, he said, “I’ve got to give all glory and honor to God.” He also attributed the victory to the people of Wyandotte County who voted for him.
Garner received 8,243 votes to incumbent Mayor David Alvey’s 7,934 votes, a margin of 309 votes, with 18.47 percent turnout among registered voters.
Voters expressed a need for change that reflected their values, he said. Everyone has values, no matter what part of the community they are in, he added. The northeast, the southern part of the community, Bonner Springs, Edwardsville and Piper, all voices should be heard.
Garner said there wasn’t just one group that supported him, but a collective effort by a variety of persons who voted for him.
“I’m honored that the people had that level of confidence,” he said.
“I want everybody to know I want to be a unifying force,” Garner said. He will be a mayor for everyone and be a strong voice for everyone, he said, governing to the best of his ability.
He is looking forward to working on solutions to the needs and problems of residents.
“The goal is to make Wyandotte County as great as we can,” he said, “a great and safe place to live and work.”
Garner is the first black mayor of Kansas City, Kansas, a historic first, and Garner said he is looking beyond that.
“What’s more important than that, is I want people to see progress,” Garner said. His job will not focus on the historic aspects of the election, but on how to make people’s lives better, he said. Historians can focus on the historical aspects.
“It’s not about me, it’s about improvements I can make in people’s lives,” he said.
He said he would like to get the mayor’s office engaged more with the community, and build great relationships with everyone in Wyandotte County.
“I’ve always said, ‘I can’t do it alone.’ This election is about what we can all do together,” Garner said.
Garner, a former KCK deputy police chief, had called for more investigation into the KCK police force during the campaign. Some local unions, including the firefighters’ local, had endorsed Garner, and Garner also picked up support from some voters who supported lower taxes.
Incumbent Mayor David Alvey, an educator, had a background of public service on the Board of Public Utilities’ board before becoming mayor. He advocated infill housing, in which the city would redevelop areas that already had city services and streets, as an economic development tool to rebuild older neighborhoods.
Alvey said Tuesday night that he was disappointed, but his commitment to the community would stand. He will be looking for another job, he added.
“I have no regrets about how I have led in the past four years,” Alvey said, especially with the challenges of COVID-19 and the death of George Floyd.
“I’ve always tried to take an honest, straightforward approach to challenges in Wyandotte County,” Alvey said.
The fundamental problem of local government is to provide more and better services to the residents and businesses without overburdening them with taxation, Alvey said.
Wyandotte County had been in a downward trajectory, and has rebounded in the last 25 years, he said. It requires economic development and innovative approaches to solve the problems, he said. Whether he is in office or not, the problems will remain the same, he added.
This election cycle was much different than other campaigns, Alvey said. This was a much different campaign cycle than previously.
“There was far more anger, a lot of confrontation, more than we ever experienced before,” Alvey said.
“I also think, in a real way, that people are in a foul mood, frankly,” he said.
“It has to do with COVID, it has to do with all the national rhetoric, it was a different campaign cycle,” he added.
They haven’t dug into all the specific reasons why people voted the way they did, he added.
“My advice for Mr. Garner is to do an honest, straightforward look at the problems, because the problems will not go away,” Alvey said.
They have to let the evidence come forward, and let the evidence tell them what would be the best move for going forward, he said.
Alvey said it was too early to say if he would be continuing in politics, but his next goal would be to find a new job.