Democratic leader in Kansas House seeks feedback after contentious session

The top Democrat in the Kansas House has sent a letter to his caucus apologizing if he fell short of their expectations and requesting their feedback ahead of the next session.

House Minority Leader Tom Burroughs, D-Kansas City, sent the letter after the longest session in the state’s history, which he notes was also “one of the most contentious I have experienced in my 19 years at a Capitol.”

Republicans, who hold supermajorities in the Legislature, were sharply divided on tax policy and repeatedly hurled attacks at one another on the House and Senate floors while the Legislature struggled to pass a balanced budget and tax plan.

But Democrats had their share of intraparty squabbles and tension. Burroughs’ letter, obtained by The Eagle, appears to acknowledge that the first-year minority leader didn’t always have the full support of his 28-member caucus during the marathon session.

“As your leader, it was my goal to make decisions in the best interest of our caucus, the Democratic Party, and the State of Kansas. If at any point in time I fell short of your expectations, I am sorry. I commit to continued improvement and I welcome your feedback,” Burroughs writes. “There are far too many battles ahead to be complacent.”

Burroughs sometimes irked some in the Kansas Democratic Party who wanted him to take a stronger stance against Gov. Sam Brownback and Republicans on a variety of issues.

When Brownback issued an executive order eliminating a protection against discrimination for gay state workers, Burroughs accused the governor of trying to distract from the state’s budget woes.

That didn’t resonate with Tom Witt, executive director of the gay-rights group Equality Kansas and a former member of the state party’s executive committee.

“For the past two legislative sessions, Democratic House leadership has called the struggle for LGBT equality a ‘distraction.’ We hope Burroughs’ letter signals a new direction that is inclusive of LGBT civil rights,” Witt said in an e-mail.

Party meetings

Rep. Gail Finney, D-Wichita, said Burroughs was reluctant to support her bill to require Kansas police officers to wear body cameras.

“A lot of the issues that I have introduced, a lot of them do have a civil rights angle. I consider myself a protector for my community. … These are issues that affect people every day, but they don’t seem to be a primary concern to the overall Democrats,” said Finney, who represents north-central Wichita.

Finney noted that one of Burroughs’ strengths as minority leader is his willingness to resolve conflict and reach out to members.

In his letter, Burroughs promises to meet with House Democrats to set policy goals for the next session and ensure his office provides the support members need when they seek re-election next year.

Finney said she will use her meeting to press Burroughs to “consider some of the issues that I introduce and are important to my community to be more of a priority.”

Burroughs has been criticized by some members of his party for taking too conciliatory an approach with House Republicans, such as when he helped the House GOP advance a tax bill to conference without any debate in late May.

“Very disappointed House Democrat leadership helped Republicans shut off debate on tax bill,” Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wichita, tweeted shortly after the vote.

Both Ward and Burroughs sought to replace Paul Davis late last year as minority leader after Davis gave up his seat to run unsuccessfully for governor.

Ward contended that Democrats needed to take a more aggressive stance against Republican leadership, while Burroughs touted his ability to broker compromise.

“Proven plan for failure – passivity in the face of ruthless aggression,” Ward tweeted three days after the leadership vote.

Ward would not comment for this story.

Burroughs’ chief of staff, Abbie Hodgson, said in an e-mail that “the letter to the caucus stands alone without requiring additional comments.”

Different styles

Burroughs was not always on the same page as his Senate counterpart during the session.

While he helped House leaders push a tax bill into conference without debate, Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, helped sway enough conservatives to join Democrats in blocking the measure and forcing a debate.

Hensley has said the move was not meant as a slight against Burroughs.

“Any time you have a new leader that comes in, there’s a period of being able to adapt. … I don’t think there was any real what I would call tension between me and him. It was just a matter of getting to know one another and to get more acclimated to our leadership styles,” Hensley said. “I have a different style.”

“I’m much more outspoken. ... Paul was more cautious, and certainly Tom Burroughs is more cautious,” said Hensley, who has served as minority leader for 19 years.

‘20/20 hindsight’

Burroughs tells House Democrats in the letter that he is “beyond proud of how our caucus held together in opposition to public policies that would so negatively affect Kansans” and touts the party’s support for increased education funding and Medicaid expansion.

However, some activists said House Democrats came up short on Medicaid by not offering an amendment when the budget came to the House floor for a vote and passed without debate.

“He (Burroughs) missed one serious opportunity – and I’m not sure if it was his responsibility or not – when they failed to debate the budget,” said Sean Gatewood, a former Democratic member of the House who was executive director of the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition during the most recent session.

Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said there were “times during in the session that I wished perhaps matters had been handled differently, but much of that is 20/20 hindsight.”

Carmichael said that, overall, Burroughs and his staff did an excellent job under difficult circumstances. He called the leader’s willingness to seek input a positive sign.

“In retrospect, there probably were occasions where we should’ve been more strident. … The real question is what happens next year,” Carmichael said.

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 7:22 AM with the headline "Democratic leader in Kansas House seeks feedback after contentious session."