Melesa Johnson Wins Democratic Primary for Jackson County Prosecutor: ‘It’s Time for Change’

Melesa Johnson, a young lawyer who grew up in Kansas City’s Oak Park neighborhood and promised change for communities affected by crime, won a three-way race in the Democratic primary Tuesday, Aug. 6 for Jackson County Prosecutor.

Johnson, who currently serves as Mayor Quinton Lucas’ director of public safety, beat John Gromowsky, an assistant county prosecutor, and Stephanie Burton, a Kansas City defense attorney. She will now face Republican Tracey Chappell in November. Either Chappel or Johnson would be Jackson County’s first Black woman in the office.

The 35-year-old Johnson, with Lucas standing behind her, addressed a packed and rowdy crowd wearing “M.J.” T-shirts at The Combine at 29th and Troost Avenue.

“Thank you for understanding that it’s time for change. Thank you for understanding that we need a holistic approach. Thank you for understanding that we can’t incarcerate our way out of these issues,” she said.

The winner of the November election will replace current prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who is not running for re-election after 13 years in the job.

Gromowsky raised significantly more cash, reporting $393,301 to Johnson’s $154,474 in the most recent filing.

The campaign was full of accusations between candidates of using race as a wedge. Last weekend, Johnson said a political action committee supporting Gromowsky sent campaign mailers and texts supporting the third Democrat in the race, Stephanie Burton, in an attempt to “split the Black vote.” Gromowsky denied that his campaign was responsible.

Johnson said a video that surfaced accusing of her of being a “bigot,” along with a poll falsely claiming that she helped with an alleged plan by Mayor Quinton Lucas to siphon some of the police budget to social services, were meant to do the same.

This year’s election also reflected the significant tension between Baker’s office and the Kansas City Police Department, as Gromowsky ran with the endorsement of every police union in the area and Johnson touted her progressive programs.

Part of the friction between Baker and KCPD stemmed from Baker’s successful conviction of former Detective Eric DeValkenaere, a white officer found guilty of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action for the 2021 killing of Cameron Lamb, a 26-year-old Black man. DeValkenaere is now serving a six-year sentence in an undisclosed prison.

Tension between the two agencies ran particularly during the #BlackLivesMatter protests, as then-Chief Rick Smith was criticized for how he handled them. Baker wrote a letter of support in 2021 when a coalition of civil rights groups called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate KCPD for a high rate of violence against people of color and racist hiring practices. Baker said police lost the community’s trust that excessive force by its officers will be “rooted out and stopped,” she said.

In turn, police criticized Baker when she urged police to quit sending her office scores of low-level drug crimes because she wanted to focus on the city’s “epidemic of violence” by only charging drug crimes when a defendant poses a risk to public safety.

Peggy Lowe is an investigative reporter who covers the criminal justice system for KCUR, a member of the KC Media Collective.