Endorsements for Kansas House
The following are The Eagle editorial board’s recommendations for the Aug. 2 primary for Kansas House. Endorsements for Kansas Senate will be published Friday, and endorsements for U.S. Senate and House, Sedgwick County Commission and District Court judges will be published Sunday. We offer these recommendations as information to consider as you make up your own mind about the candidates and issues. Additional candidate information can be found in The Eagle’s online Voters Guide.
Kansas House
District 87
GOP primary
Roger A. Elliott is a highly qualified candidate and the best choice in this east Wichita district currently represented by Mark Kahrs, who is leaving the Legislature. Elliott is a retired banker who also worked in economic development. He served on the Andover school board for 12 years, so he knows the needs and importance of public education. He favors putting pass-through business income back on the tax rolls and reducing the statewide sales tax. “Low-income citizens cannot afford the sales tax levied on groceries,” he said. Elliott also is concerned about the state’s rising debt load and how much money it is raiding from the Kansas Department of Transportation. “Instead of filling potholes, KDOT is filling shortfalls,” he said. Elliott says he would bring a logical approach to the Legislature – something sorely lacking in recent years.
Jeremy Alessi ran for the Legislature two years ago in another district and moved to District 87 shortly before the campaign filing deadline. He is a financial adviser who also serves on the Wichita Arts Council and the Sedgwick County Public Building Commission. He prefers solving the state’s budget problems through spending reductions.
The winner will face Democrat Tonya Howard in the general election.
District 91
GOP primary
J.C. Moore is a thoughtful, conscientious candidate and the best pick in this district spanning northwest Wichita, Maize, Valley Center, Park City and Kechi. The incumbent is Gene Suellentrop, who is running for the Kansas Senate. Moore argues that Gov. Sam Brownback’s trickle-down tax policies have failed to achieve promised economic growth. Meanwhile, the state has “let our infrastructure go,” he said. Moore, who is a retired physics and chemistry professor, also is concerned that the state is not properly funding public education. Moore said he wants to “make Kansas better” and would devote the time and energy to help make that happen.
Greg Lakin is also a good candidate. A physician who has recently focused on senior and long-term care medicine and addiction, he would bring a valuable perspective on the role of addiction and mental illness in crime. He prides himself on being an “outside-the-box” thinker who doesn’t feel obligations to anyone.
No Democrat filed for the seat.
District 94
GOP primary
Leo Delperdang is narrowly the better of two first-time candidates in this northwest Wichita district current represented by Mario Goico, who is leaving the Legislature. Delperdang’s experience in telecommunications and as a former small-business owner should be valuable as the state struggles to get out of its budget hole. However, Delperdang has unwisely ruled out a tax increase, including ending the tax exemption on pass-through business income. A longtime district resident, Delperdang has the time and energy to devote to this job.
Scott Anderson, a Sedgwick County public defender and former city prosecutor, would bring needed legal knowledge to the Legislature, which has the habit of passing laws that don’t pass constitutional scrutiny. He thinks the long-term solution to the state’s budget problems is to grow the economy and increase the population, but he is open to reconsidering the 2012 tax cuts and possibly narrowing the exemption on pass-through business income.
The winner will face Democrat Susan K. Osborne in the general election.
District 97
GOP primary
Nick Hoheisel is the clear pick in this southwest Wichita district. Hoheisel, who is in sales and marketing, has been involved in the district, serving on a district advisory board for the city and on a neighborhood association board. He is running because, like many Kansans, he is tired of the mess in Topeka, including the state budget problems and the lack of transparency in government. He is hopeful that a recent efficiency study will help the state dig out of its budget hole, but also thinks that the exemption on pass-through business income should be on the table. He would be an enthusiastic representative for the district.
Incumbent Leslie G. Osterman has backed most of the tax and spending policies that got the state in fiscal trouble and has not been a particular effective lawmaker. It’s time for someone new.
The winner will face Democrat Stan Reeser in November.
District 98
Democratic primary
Two quality candidates are vying to represent this southwest Wichita district that includes parts of Haysville. Steven G. Crum is the best choice because of his extensive community and public service experience. Crum teaches and coaches in the Haysville school district and has served on the Haysville Planning Commission and is currently a member of the Haysville City Council. He has lived in the district nearly his entire life and is very familiar with local needs and concerns. Crum, who ran for this seat two years ago and barely lost, objects to how the state has shifted the tax burden onto the middle class and working poor. He also is concerned that the Legislature has been taking control away from local governments.
Former local TV journalist Justin Kraemer is informed and passionate, and would also be a good choice. He said the race is all about the economy and that people feel as if they have been left behind by their state. He considers it immoral that people on fixed incomes are paying more in income taxes so that some high earners don’t have to pay taxes on their pass-through business income.
The winner will face GOP incumbent Steve Anthimides in the general election.
District 99
GOP primary
Randy J. Banwart is the best choice in this district that includes east Wichita and Andover and is currently represented by Dennis Hedke, who is leaving the Legislature. Banwart, a project manager at Spirit AeroSystems, lost to Hedke two years ago by only about 150 votes. He is running again because he is still concerned about the direction of the state, particularly its finances and support for public education. He wants to look at spending and re-examine the 2012 income tax cuts to see what worked and what did not. He said he is open and willing to learn and is running “to make the best Kansas I can.”
Susan Humphries is also a capable candidate. An attorney, Humphries is interested in problem-solving and collaboration. She thinks the solution to the state’s budget problems is on the spending side and doesn’t support repealing the tax exemption on business pass-through income. If elected, she wants to “listen and learn” from constituents and “be thoughtful.”
No Democrat filed for this seat.
District 100
GOP primary
Incumbent Daniel Hawkins is the clear pick in this northwest Wichita district. He has quickly moved up the ranks in his two terms in the Legislature, serving as chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee and of the House Republican caucus. One of his top priorities, if re-elected, is to roll back some of the reimbursement cuts Gov. Sam Brownback made to Medicaid providers.
James Breitenbach, semi-retired and a grass seed farmer, doesn’t appear to be actively campaigning.
The winner will face Democrat Glen Shafer in the general election.
This story was originally published July 21, 2016 at 12:04 AM with the headline "Endorsements for Kansas House."