8 November 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The votes are cast and the Shawnee County Election Office has its unofficial numbers.
Christina Valdivia-Alcala will keep her seat on the Topeka City Council, beating opponent Craig McCullah in Tuesday’s general election 837 to 384. Valdivia-Alcala has been in office since 2020. Her district, District 2, covers North Topeka and Oakland, where she lives. Valdivia-Alcala graduated from Hayden High School and Washburn University, according to her city biography.
David Banks will take over District 4 from Tony Emerson, who did not run for re-election. Banks beat Dave Brede, 1,010 votes to 614. District 4 covers southeast Topeka. Banks moved to Topeka in 1970 and is active in the Highland Acres Neighborhood Improvement Association.
Marcus Miller will take over District 6 for Hannah Naeger, who did not run for re-election. Miller takes the seat with 1,252 votes, as opposed to his competitor, Craig Dunstan, who had 571 votes. The district covers neighborhoods in parts of central and south Topeka and Washburn University. Miller worked in the Shawnee County District’s attorney office for nearly a decade.
Spencer Duncan will keep his seat on Topeka’s governing board, beating opponent Chris Phelps in Tuesday’s election 1,323 to 337. Duncan grew up in Topeka, attending McEachron Elementary, French Middle School, Topeka West High School, the University of Kansas and Baker University, according to his city biography. Duncan won his seat in 2019 by beating then-incumbent Jeff Coen by just 13 votes. His district covers part of southwest Topeka.
For a full list of election results from area races, click here.