Democratic candidates in 89th District all leaders of faith
It’s not uncommon for opponents in election primaries to have something in common — party affiliation certainly, views on some issues possibly.
In the Democratic primary to fill Rep. Melody McCray-Miller’s seat in District 89, though, the three candidates have even more in common — they are leaders of faith.
Peggy Elliott, 59, is a non-denominational minister with a background in speaking on racial and cultural diversity. David Hansen, 67, is a retired minister and previously served as conference minister for the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference of the United Church of Christ. Roderick Houston, 50, has served the past eight years as pastor for the Mount Olive Tabernacle of Praise Church of God.
“Unusual, huh?" Hansen said. “I’d be interested in whether that has ever happened before. What it says to me is there is a general sense of a need for healing in the process, a need for recovery of core values and a respect for each other."
Elliott saw it as a benefit, noting, “I think we have removed God from so much of what we do. I don’t think we have won a whole lot by doing that; I think we’ve lost a lot.”
All three said, though, that if McCray-Miller had opted to run again, they would have supported her instead. When she decided to not do so, each felt it was time to make a run for the office.
“She’s an advocate for the family, and that’s one of the things about me,” Houston said. “She’s a person of integrity and she tried to do her best, to keep her word. I think that is one thing that is vital about a person in the Legislature, which I would do."
A majority of District 89 — about 61 percent — is the same after redistricting. The redrawn district picks up 25 percent of its residents from District 85 and 13 percent from District 84.
Houston said he decided to run because as a lifelong Kansan and a 17-year former employee of the Wichita school district, he had seen a lot of disparity between people. “I’ve lived here all my life and I know what’s involved with the challenge of living at this particular time. I think Kansas is a great state, and I don’t know that I’d want to live anywhere else. I just want to help our people help themselves. I know the people here and they know me."
He was also spurred to run by a problem he had with the state of Kansas in 2009 when a tax warrant was issued to him by the Department of Revenue. Houston said the action was the result of a miscommunication between someone he was working with on taxes in Wichita and the state, but he said once he corrected the information the case was dismissed. He wants to help others avoid such situations in dealing with the state, he said.
For Elliott, it was the culmination of a lifelong goal. "I’ve known since I was 3 years old that I would hold public office. I planned to become a senator from Minnesota, but of course that didn’t happen," the former St. Paul resident said with a laugh. After marrying her husband, Kevin, about nine years ago, she moved to Wichita where he resided and became involved with local activities. After living in Wichita for a couple of years, she said, she “got that bug coming alive” to consider public office.
When McCray-Miller announced she was not running again, Elliott decided, “It’s my time. I don’t wait to react to things; I don’t wait for people to tell me what to do. I have a concern for people to be treated fairly.”
It was a perceived need to change the legislative atmosphere that nudged Hansen into running. Hansen had lived in Iowa before moving to Wichita a little more than nine years ago to take the conference minister post.
“The process of the last legislative term was so divisive, so mean-spirited, that I thought I could help that – that I could help with consensus building,” Hansen said. “I generally think people are not too happy with the way things went. They’re tired of that type of politics. The work of conference ministry is consensus building; bring people together of different areas for common goals.”
Concern about the political atmosphere in Topeka was also on the minds of the other candidates.
“I think it boils down to the principles of the legislators,” Elliott said, “and the legislators ought to model being able to work collectively.” She added that legislation needed to benefit the majority. “Is it for the collective good? I think we’re at a critical junction politically, whether in this state or in others, that our country is at a point where we’ve got to come together collectively.”
“I think in working with legislation we’ll have to look at some packages that need to be bipartisan,” Houston said. “I think we’re all dealing with the same issues and we’re all trying to find a way that we can all benefit from it.”
Jobs are prominent on the candidates’ radar.
Elliott wants the state to work more with private companies to help get potential workers trained and, when necessary, help them find transportation to get to the jobs, “so this way no one has any excuses.”.
Hansen voiced support for the Kansas Jobs First Act, saying many jobs would be created if companies with state contracts were required to have 70 percent of their employees reside in Kansas.
Houston spoke to another issue of common concern, that of property taxes. He cited increases in the taxes over the past decade.
House District 89, Democratic primary
Peggy Elliott
Age: 59
Occupation: Minister, consultant, author, motivational speaker, substitute teacher
Education: Bachelor’s degree, St. Catherine University; master’s degree, University of Minnesota; honorary doctorate, Houghton College
Phone: 316-519-3607
E-mail: vote4peggy@gmail.com
Website: vote4peggy.net
Are the income tax cuts Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law a good thing for Kansas?
While I believe that tax cuts are necessary to balance the state budget, the gap between who will pay and what amount needs to also be balanced.
What further changes, if any, would you advocate in the state’s tax laws?
Everyone should pay taxes. Regulations need to be streamlined so that they do not strangle businesses trying to make a dollar. We need to pass laws so that small business can afford bonding, which will allow them to compete for larger city bids, as an example.
How would you change the state’s laws or budget to improve K-12 education?
Money alone will not improve our school districts. I have been a substitute teacher in both middle and high schools. Teachers need to restore discipline and respect in the classroom. We need to restore honesty, integrity and morality in the school system at every level.
David Hansen
Age: 76
Occupation: Retired minister
Education: Bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctorate
Phone: 316-612-6910
E-mail: David@HansenForKansas.com
Website: HansenForKansas.com
Are the income tax cuts Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law a good thing for Kansas?
I do not believe the income tax cuts are good for Kansas, because they eliminate an important source of revenue and transfer more of the tax burden to property taxes. The tax plan is an "experiment" and a high risk gamble on our future.
What further changes, if any, would you advocate in the state’s tax laws?
The state should re-institute a progressive income tax and work to reduce or at least not increase property taxes.
How would you change the state’s laws or budget to improve K-12 education?
Setting the state education budget before local school districts negotiate contracts would be a positive change, as would fulfilling legally mandated payments to school districts. Providing economic incentives for education students graduating from Kansas colleges and universities to stay in Kansas and teach is another way to invest in education.
Roderick Houston
Age: 50
Occupation: Pastor
Education: Some college
Phone: 316-691-8450
E-mail: rep.houston@gmail.com
Website: www.roderickhouston.com
Are the income tax cuts Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law a good thing for Kansas?
No, because of the excessive amount of the cuts, it is projected that the tax bill will put our state $2.5 billion in debt, which will probably require more cuts to our school funding and social services for our elderly and our disabled and it will increase the tax burden on lower income working families.
What further changes, if any, would you advocate in the state’s tax laws?
I would advocate looking into the rising property tax issue. Property taxes have increased about 65% over the last decade and need to be addressed before they become completely out of control.
How would you change the state’s laws or budget to improve K-12 education?
Instead of putting money into a tax plan that’s going to lead to more school cuts, I would support increasing funding to our budget to improve K-12 education.
What candidates have to say about the issues
This story was originally published July 19, 2012 at 6:43 AM with the headline "Democratic candidates in 89th District all leaders of faith."