District 94 candidates prioritize education, Supreme Court changes

Both candidates vying for the Republican nomination in state House District 94 are new to politics – and both are disappointed with the way politicians in the state Legislature have performed this year.

Attorney Scott Anderson and businessman Leo Delperdang are competing to replace Mario Goico, who is retiring after 14 years. The primary winner will face Democrat Susan K. Osborne, a former professor of business administration and marketing at Wichita State University, in the November general election.

Delperdang, 54, has worked in the telecommunications industry for more than three decades. He describes himself as a pro-life fiscal conservative. He said he has been thinking about running for 10 years.

Delperdang is most concerned about fostering a state economy that will encourage young people to want to stay and raise their families in Kansas rather than moving out of state for business opportunities.

“It goes back to being more friendly to the businesses,” he said. “The more friendly you are, the more likely [businesses] are going to want to come here.”

Delperdang said he would promote a business-friendly environment by cutting regulations. He said he did not want to specify which regulations before learning more.

Anderson, 34, who described himself as a fiscal conservative and traditional Republican, said he would focus on bolstering education to attract employees and businesses to Kansas.

People who are raising children are concerned about the quality of schools, he said.

Anderson, a Sedgwick County public defender, highlighted his legal experience as both an asset to the state Legislature and a factor in his decision to run. When he was in law school at Washburn University, a state representative hosted a lunch discussion about how few attorneys are in the Kansas House and Senate.

“I think it’s important to have attorneys up there,” he said. “The idea that we have a bunch of representatives up there who don’t necessarily know the law and aren’t necessarily looking at the laws is what drove me to run.”

Education important to both

Both candidates say education is one of the most important issues in this election. Both said they think spending on K-12 schools is adequate but that it could be allocated differently.

Delperdang said he would “fight 100 percent all the way” to get more money to teachers and “curtail spending to the back end,” redirecting money spent on management and athletic facilities to classrooms.

Anderson said he would like to see a move away from national standards and tests and toward a more state-centric approach.

“We have a different sense of what we need to teach our students to be productive here in Kansas than they do up in, say, New York,” he said. “We need policies in Kansas that are appropriate for Kansas.”

Stances on abortion, judicial nominations, guns

Delperdang, who was endorsed by the anti-abortion organization Kansans for Life, said he thinks Kansas abortion law should be much more restrictive. He said he would support all pro-life legislation.

“Life is sacred,” he said. “You don’t randomly choose to abort your children.”

Anderson said he is also against abortion, but that it is important to balance proposed laws against the likelihood they will be struck down in court. He cited the recent decision in favor of fewer restrictions on abortion in the U.S. Supreme Court case Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt.

“Under the Kansas constitution, we have the ability to still strengthen protections for life, but I would definitely be against things that it’s clear the U.S. Supreme Court would shut down,” Anderson said.

Anderson and Delperdang strongly support a change in the nominating process for state Supreme Court justices and efforts to oust four of the five justices up for retention in 2016. Both candidates would replace the current nominating system with one like that of the U.S. Supreme Court – having the governor nominate justices and the state Senate confirm them.

Both candidates also voiced support for Kansas gun laws. Delperdang, who has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, said he would like to see Kansas concealed-carry permits recognized in all states. According to the attorney general’s office, 38 states recognize Kansas permits to carry concealed handguns.

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 6:19 PM with the headline "District 94 candidates prioritize education, Supreme Court changes."