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Jeff Longwell has been working since he was 13 years old, when he pumped gas and stripped engines at the family's auto shop in west Wichita.
Since then, he has helped grow a graphics business from five to 80 employees, started his own business and managed to mix in public service stints along the way, first on the Maize school board and now as a Wichita City Council member.
Longwell, 52, believes that wide experience has helped him do the kind of work on the council that will keep him in office when voters go to the polls on April 5. He is being challenged for the District 5 seat by Lynda Tyler.
Longwell has represented the district covering west Wichita since 2007, when he beat Paul Tobia with 53 percent of the vote.
He is proud of his track record on the council.
"We're one of the few cities that has weathered the storm under the worst conditions. We've been able to live within our means, and keep the property tax mill levy flat even when property values overall have declined slightly," he said.
Longwell also said west Wichita now has an acute-care hospital, a thriving NewMarket Square, new infrastructure, a new fire station, a reduced crime rate and businesses that are growing.
"If we can do that in bad times, give me a few years when we turn the corner and let me govern in the best of times, because I've shown I can do it in the worst of times," he said.
The flooding risk in west Wichita has been reduced by various flood projects, he said. Roads and storm sewers have been improved, and major obstacles have been overcome to get the 13th Street bridge across the Big Ditch approved.
Even as the bridge advances toward construction, it's clear traffic volumes justify another bridge, which could mean another lengthy and costly project.
Challenges remain to handle the rapid growth in the district, Longwell said.
But "that's a good problem to have," he said.
Track record
The council has come under fire for using business incentives such as community improvement districts, tax increment financing districts and industrial revenue bonds.
But, said Longwell, "It's not really the incentives, it's the return on investment that matters.
"If you look at what we've been able to put together in the worst of economic times, and been able to hold the line on taxes, which is critical, we couldn't have done that unless the things we're doing, the things we're crafting, are working."
He is proud the city was able to hang onto aviation jobs through long-term deals with Hawker Beechcraft and Bombardier.
He's also proud that he helped craft a way to get WaterWalk moving with a new hotel at no cost to taxpayers, he said. He was referring to a $2.5 million deal to develop a $12 million Fairfield Inn and Suites Hotel, with the public money to be repaid through user-generated bed taxes over the next 20 years.
The city has raised a variety of fees and rates in recent years. Longwell approved increasing court fees and escalating fines for false alarms. He voted against water and sewer rate increases because he thinks the city should have more partners in developing and protecting water resources.
"At the end of the day, we haven't had to raise taxes, and we've kept essential services going," he said.
Adverse childhood
Longwell grew up as the middle child of five siblings who had to endure an abusive father. The abuse was mostly physical, he said, which compelled him to take self defense lessons.
He became an advanced practitioner of tae kwon do, learning discipline and self esteem.
The summer between Longwell's junior and senior year at West High School, his father vanished, leaving Longwell in charge of the auto shop.
People would drop off their cars and not know the teenager they'd just handed their keys to would be the one doing the work, he said.
That early adversity helped him in the long run, he said.
"It probably made me mature faster than the average person," he said.
Longwell said he was estranged from his father for the final 20 years of his father's life.
Longwell has been married for 30 years, He and his wife, Susie, have a daughter, 29, and twin sons, 25.
He graduated from West High in 1977, and worked at his family auto shop until 1983, when a friend talked him into joining him at a graphics business, Thermal Trade Graphics.
He spent 26 years there, ending as general manager. The business grew from five to 80 employees over 20 years, Longwell said. Among its projects: creating graphics for the basketball courts of teams competing in the NBA playoffs.
Longwell went to work for The Print Source, then back Thermal Trade Graphics, before starting his own business, AdAstra Print Resources, about 2 1/2 years ago. The company consists of Longwell and an artist, he said.
Longwell has taken courses at Wichita State University off and on since 1984 but hasn't completed a degree. He may try to do that, he said, but for now he believes in learning for its own sake.
"I think we should all be lifelong learners, regardless of our career path," he said. Coalition builder
Longwell was encouraged by his boss at Thermal Trade Graphics, Roger Vowles, to run for the school board in Maize, where Longwell's children went to school.
Vowles recalled hiring Longwell "because he had grease under his fingernails and a smile on his face," he said.
Longwell's strengths were an ability to think on his feet and build relationships, Vowles said.
Longwell spent 12 years on the Maize school board, including a stint as president. That led to an interest in city government.
Longwell said the main strength he has brought to the council is an ability to build coalitions to work through various initiatives. He chairs the legislative committee with the Regional Economic Area Partnership and the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Longwell said he wants Wichita to position itself to take full advantage of the economic recovery that he predicts will happen.
"I'd like to have four more years to really help the city move forward in a very effective and efficient way," he said. "I think we have some very bright years ahead of us."
