Democrat Erica Anderson Wins District 5 Commission Seat, Wants Shared Leadership, More Community Engagement | News, Sports, Vacancies

photo author: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Democrat Erica Anderson is pictured at the Douglas County Elections Office, 711 W 23rd St., on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.

Democrat Erica Anderson came out on top among three candidates vying for the new Douglas County Commission seat in the 5th District.

As of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Anderson had 5,149 votes to win District 5, which includes a small portion of south Lawrence, south Wakarusa Township, Baldwin City and Palmyra Township. Republican Rich Lorenzo and Libertarian Kirsten Kuhn, Anderson’s opponents, received 3,866 and 568 votes, respectively.

“It was a fantastic experience going door to door and meeting individuals,” Anderson told the Journal-World. The experience “really left a lasting impression on me and really strengthened my desire to serve our district as well as the district as a whole.”

She said what she’s most looking forward to during this transition is listening and learning how to create a space where the county and its residents can better work together.

“Part of my campaign was really about amplifying the voice of the community and really making sure that we got all levels of influence involved and that they felt heard,” Anderson said.

“So the listening and learning part also provides a space where people can have conversations together,” Anderson said.

One of the issues Anderson wants to address is expanding the county’s tax base.

“Increasing our tax base requires us to really sit down and have conversations across the county with all of our city leaders, as well as each county, to really understand what they want to see in their county,” Anderson said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to come in and say, ‘I know what you need.’ We need to listen to residents.”

Anderson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in public relations and a doctorate in public health. Throughout her career, she has been involved in policy development and bringing together diverse perspectives to achieve consensus. Anderson works in the Medicare and Medicaid sectors to improve public health communications and support population health assessments.

“We know that District 5 is a brand new district, and so building trust must be of utmost importance,” Anderson said. “…If we’re going to work together and make progress together, we have to trust each other.”