Mike Kelly, newly elected chairman of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, along with three re-elected members of the board will take the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony at 9 a.m. Monday , Jan. 9.

The ceremony will take place in the board’ s hearing room at the Johnson County Administration Building, 111 S. Cherry St., in downtown Olathe. The public event will be livestreamed online and through YouTube.

Re-elected county commissioners are:

• Becky Fast, Mission, for her second four-year term representing the First District since 2019.
• Janeé Hanzlick, Overland Park, for her second four-year term representing the Fourth District. She, too, joined the board in 2019.
• Michael Ashcraft, Olathe, for his fourth four-year term representing the Fifth District. He has served on the board since 2011.

A lifelong Johnson County resident, Kelly has served as mayor of Roeland Park for the past four years. He will become the third at-large, publicly elected chairman in Johnson County history under the county’ s Home Rule Charter approved in 2000. Kelly will succeed current Chairman Ed Eilert.

Eilert is retiring from the board at the start of the New Year, ending a 44- year career as an elected official in Johnson County — including three terms from 2011 to 2023 as chair after serving one four -year term (2006-2010) as Fourth District commissioner. He did not seek reelection in the 2022 elections.

Annabeth Surbaugh, Overland Park, was the first chairman elected after passage of the charter and served two terms (2003-2011) after 10 years as Third District commissioner.

Prior to his time in Johnson County Government, Eilert was mayor of Overland Park for 24 years after serving on the city council for four years. He left Overland Park City Hall in 2005.

A public retirement reception in Chairman Eilert’ s honor is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park.

Chairman Eilert will preside over the board’ s first weekly business session in 2023 on Jan. 5, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the hearing room. The first business session for Chairman Kelly will be Jan. 12.

More information is available by calling the Office of the Board of County Commissioners at 913-715-0430.