‘She walked where only men had’: Johnson County mourns longtime leader Annabeth Surbaugh

When Annabeth Surbaugh moved to southern Overland Park, she quickly grew frustrated by her home’s unreliable water supply.

A citizen activist, Surbaugh started pushing leaders to do something, regularly showing up to meetings of the then-rural water board. Deciding she would need to sit on the board to enact the changes she wanted to see, Surbaugh joined in 1988, becoming its first female member.

It was the start of a long career of firsts. She led the merger of the rural district with the county’s much larger public water utility. She later became the first woman to serve as chair of the WaterOne board. In 1992, she won a seat on the Johnson County Commission, and years later became the first countywide elected chair.

Surbaugh, credited with helping shape Johnson County as it is today, died last week at the age of 79.

“She was best known for being the first woman in places where women had not been before,” Johnson County Commissioner Becky Fast said. “She had gone before me and created a place for me, so I could be here today. She walked where only men had previously been allowed. And she left footprints for me to follow and for other women to follow. To me, that was the greatest gift.”

After Fast began her campaign for commissioner, she said she developed a closer relationship with Surbaugh, who many remember as a passionate mentor, especially for other women.

“When I filed for county commission in 2018, she was one of the first people who called me to talk to me and ask how she could help me,” Fast said. “That was Annabeth. As a woman, as a leader, she felt great responsibility to mentor others and help get them to where they want to be. She was a huge champion for mentoring women leaders.”

Long after Surbaugh retired from public service, she remained active in Johnson County politics. Fast remembers receiving a call from Surbaugh after every Thursday’s commission meeting, where the former chair would share her thoughts and offer advice.

Lenexa Mayor Julie Sayers said she also benefited from Surbaugh’s advice as she ran her campaign, about how to effectively convey her message and what to expect as a woman in politics.

“Any time that we can reflect to other women that things are possible, it’s that type of representation that leads to other women stepping up to do the same things,” Sayers said. “All of that really matters because we are still largely in the minority of women who hold office in Johnson County. So she and others have a legacy of doing that and lighting that path.”

‘Changed by her leadership’

Surbaugh was born in St. Louis, but moved several times with her family as a child. She had an interest in art and fashion, according to previous Star reporting, and attended the University of Missouri in Columbia to earn a bachelor’s degree in retail.

She became involved with student government while attending the university. She moved to Kansas City in 1968 and became a buyer of ladies ready-to-wear fashions for The Jones Store, The Star reported.

Surbaugh was active in Johnson County issues as soon as she moved there, becoming known as a neighborhood leader. She’s been affectionately called a “hell raiser” over the years.

After chairing the WaterOne board, she won a seat on the Johnson County Commission, where she served for 18 years, starting in 1993.

“She represented a very rural area. And keeping intact older neighborhoods was very important to her,” Fast said. “And it was the first time there had been three women on the county commission in 1993. That was controversial at the time.”

Surbaugh’s win flipped the commission to be majority-female.

Many credit Surbaugh with helping to reform Johnson County government in the late 1990s. That included the creation of the county’s charter, a legislative document defining the structure and powers of county government, enacted by a public vote in 2000. It was the first of its kind in Kansas, according to the county.

The charter established an appointed county manager. It included an appointed county treasurer and clerk, rather than those positions being elected. It added a countywide, publicly elected chair position, and established non-partisan elections for commissioners.

“At that point on the commission, they would rotate chairs. She felt like Johnson County didn’t really have a say in regional issues because that position was constantly changing,” Fast said. “And the charter also meant the professionalization of the treasurer. The county was growing and she was concerned that you would have a partisan, elected treasurer who had no background in finance.

“Our county government structure was forever changed by her leadership.”

‘The people’s chairperson’

Surbaugh was the first to be publicly elected as the first at-large chair, a position she held for two terms, from 2003 to 2011.

Johnson County Chair Mike Kelly said when Surbaugh served in his position, “She wasn’t shy about being steadfast in her commitment and taking votes that otherwise might have been unpopular. She made monumental decisions. She was often one vote away from the county looking very differently today if she had voted differently.”

One of the most notable actions was Surbaugh’s deciding vote to stop the proposed Wonderful World of Oz Theme Park from taking over the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant site in De Soto. Many red flags about the company were raised leading up to the vote. And Surbaugh cited the company’s failure to pay Wyandotte County money it was owed, saying its credibility and financial capabilities were in question.

Surbaugh was also instrumental in the county dodging an unpopular plan to build a massive beltway that would have looped around the southern side of the metro region.

“She wasn’t afraid to make big decisions and let the chips fall where they may,” Kelly said.

Kelly and others also say Surbaugh was ahead on many issues, including pushing for energy efficiency in development. She also was concerned by racial disparities and rising incarceration rates in the county jail, Fast said, leading her to start a criminal justice council in 2008. The Star at the time said the panel was focused on addressing the root causes of criminal behavior, as well as exploring alternatives to traditional incarceration and how to help people succeed while on probation.

The Johnson County Parks and Recreation District posted on Facebook that Surbaugh’s “profound impact on Johnson County is etched into its history,” saying she was dedicated to “quality development, urban core preservation, financial accountability, transparency, and restorative justice.”

As a leader, officials say Surbaugh was always personable, naturally gifted at finding ways to connect with everyone she encountered.

“What made her so strong is that everyone was her friend. She could connect to everyone. She was very outgoing, had a humorous personality. She was generous, kind,” Fast said. “She was the people’s chairperson. But she stood strong on her values.”