Wichita Eagle: Elections

Rose Hill councilman apparently wins mayoral race as write-in candidate

Amy Renee Leiker — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:25 CDT

A write-in candidate in Rose Hill’s mayoral race apparently bested the incumbent by about 60 votes Tuesday.

According to vote totals from the Butler County election office, Rose Hill City Councilman Jason Jones received 331 votes, while current Mayor Mark Conway received 274. The office is not declaring a winner until Monday, though, when vote canvassing is complete.

Jones, a 34-year-old local business owner who ran a write-in campaign in the town of about 4,000, has served on the City Council for two years. He faced an unopposed Conway, who has been mayor since 2005 and served two years on the council.

Forum for City Council candidates on Sunday

Amy Renee Leiker — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 22:42 CST

A forum for Wichita City Council contenders facing off in this month’s primary will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday in northeast Wichita.

Candidates in Districts 3, 4 and 6 will give their platform presentations then respond to questions from voters at Grant Chapel CME Church, 2750 N. Hillside.

A meet-the-candidate reception will follow.

Wichita City Council candidate files complaint over food coupon on campaign literature

Bill Wilson — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:00 CDT

A candidate for Wichita City Council is accusing opponent Craig Gabel of using a food coupon to try to buy votes, according to a complaint filed Friday with the Kansas Ethics Commission.

Joshua Blick said he thinks campaign literature that includes a coupon for Gabel’s Mike’s Steak House offering a $5.99 chicken fry or half off any meal with the purchase of a drink is “more than nominal” and is violation of state ethics laws.

“What we’re doing is asking the state to take a look at this,” said Blick, one of three Gabel opponents in the Feb. 26 primary election in southwest District 4. “We’ve also passed this on to the city attorney’s office as well.”

Sedgwick County: Scanner problems shouldn’t keep anyone from voting

RICK PLUMLEE — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:49 CDT

When the scanner at the Sedgwick County Zoo’s advance polling site wouldn’t read Jeannette McCombs’ new Kansas driver’s license Wednesday, she was concerned.

“I was afraid I wouldn’t get to vote,” McCombs said.

So she presented her old driver’s license to the polling worker. The scanner read it, and she proceeded to vote.

Election worker’s error delayed full vote results Tuesday night

Deb Gruver — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:49 CDT

Losing a political race is bad enough. But it’s worse when you’re not even sure you did.

An election worker’s error when reporting vote results of Tuesday’s primary led to uncertainty for Sedgwick County candidates who had to wait until as late as Wednesday morning to confirm the outcome of their races.

Sheriff Bob Hinshaw, who was defeated by fellow Republican Jeff Easter, all but gave a concession speech three hours early when it appeared the election office had tallied most of the votes shortly after 8 p.m.

Kansas Chamber of Commerce PAC poured $394,000 into campaigns in past week

Dion Lefler — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 21:21 CDT

The final campaign finance reports for the primary election are in, with the Kansas Chamber of Commerce PAC spending almost $400,000 in the last week backing conservative Republican candidates, most of them part of a bid to take control of the state Senate.

In Wichita, oilman David Murfin donated $80,000 to the conservative side of the battle for the Senate. Koch Industries kicked in another $20,000 in the past week to the Wichita Metro Chamber PAC, which is also backing the conservatives.

Casino magnate Phil Ruffin’s political action committee weighed in on the other side, spending nearly $143,000 in the past week on behalf of more moderate candidates in potential swing districts. Ruffin, who wrote a check for $144,590 to his PAC, Kansas Wins, owns the closed Wichita Greyhound Park.

Red Barn LLC, state Sen. Dick Kelsey’s former business, owes $676 in taxes

BRENT D. WISTROM — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:29 CDT

A now-defunct business that state Sen. Dick Kelsey owned owes $676 in personal property taxes for 2008 and 2009, Sedgwick County Treasurer Linda Kizzire said Monday.

Red Barn LLC is the owner of record for the property and owes the personal property taxes — $326 for 2008 and $350 for 2009, Kizzire said.

Kelsey and his wife, Doris, owned Red Barn LLC until 2010 when the company forfeited its business license, according to state records.

Candidate Allen: State’s recent cuts are fiscally irresponsible

Annie Calovich — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 06:52 CST

Miranda Allen is trying to fight off labels in her first run for office, for state senator in the newly redrawn District 32.

She says she believes in conservative fiscal planning, but she thinks the tax cuts signed by the governor and approved by her opponent, Sen. Steve Abrams, are fiscally irresponsible. She thinks it will create a budget deficit.

“They say they’re fiscal conservatives,” she said of those who favored eliminating nonwage income taxes on certain businesses and cutting individual income taxes.

Candidate Abrams: Income tax cuts will bring jobs to Kansas

Annie Calovich — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 06:52 CST

Steve Abrams and his opponent in the Senate District 32 Republican primary agree on this priority: making Kansas attractive to new business and the creation of jobs.

But Abrams and Miranda Allen disagree about one way to go about it.

Abrams voted for legislation signed by Gov. Sam Brownback this year that lowers individual income taxes and eliminates taxes on the profits business owners get from limited liability companies, subchapter S corporations and sole proprietorships.

With fewer votes in Kansas caucus, Romney would have lost less ground

Dion Lefler — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:16 CDT

In an ironic postscript to the Kansas Republican caucus Saturday, it turns out that if Mitt Romney had just gotten slightly fewer votes, he’d have wound up losing less ground to his closest rival, Rick Santorum.

Santorum easily won the caucus with 51.2 percent to Romney’s 20.9.

That gave Santorum, who trails Romney in the national race, 33 Kansas delegates to Romney’s seven.

South Wichita most strongly against hotel tax incentive

Dion Lefler — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:49 CST

After years of complaints about their tax money going to downtown development, south Wichita flexed some political muscle in Tuesday’s special election on subsidizing a downtown boutique hotel.

In the referendum vote on whether a developer could keep a share of his hotel’s guest tax, the two southern City Council districts responded with the most resounding “no” votes in the city.

Overall, the measure lost 61 to 38 percent citywide.

Kansas vote marked by high stakes, low budgets

STEVE KRASKE — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 06:40 CST

It’s the 2012 presidential race. Multimillion-dollar budgets. High-priced consultants. Strategically situated campaign offices.

Then there’s the Newt Gingrich campaign in Kansas.

The Gingrich operation is headed by 34-year-old Mike Pirner, a laptop-wielding political veteran who sometimes works out of a Lenexa coffee shop.