The candidate field continues to take shape for the upcoming Leavenworth County Commission races.

The new Fifth District, which includes Tonganoxie and Linwood, so far has two candidates and the new Fourth District, which includes the city of Lansing, Delaware Township and a portion of southeast Leavenworth, has one.

Per state statute, Democratic and Republican conventions select party candidates for such a special election.

Democrat selected Stuart Sweeney, rural Linwood, for the Fifth District and Troy Smith, Leavenworth, for the Fourth District candidate, at a special convention Thursday in Basehor.

Tonganoxie freelance writer David Frese will be running in the Fifth District as an independent. He is running for the first time, but is heavily involved in the Tonganoxi community, as he serves on Tonganoxie Public Library and Tonganoxie Recreation Commission boards and is an assistant coach for the Tonganoxie High School boys soccer team.

Independents can file for the special election if they acquire the requred number of petition signatures. Klasinski said Frese surpassed the required 400 valid signatures.

Republicans are expected to select their candidates in the coming days.

The Republicans will have the Fourth District convention at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Lansing and the Fifth District convention at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Tonganoxie, according to County Clerk Janet Klasinski.

The special election will take place March 26. It is a result of November’s ballot question in which voters approved expanding the commission from three members to five.