O’Donnell criticizes Senate successor for keeping school board seat

Outgoing Kansas Sen. Michael O’Donnell criticized his successor’s decision to remain on the Wichita school board while serving in the Kansas Senate, warning it could shortchange constituents.

Democrat Lynn Rogers, who will officially begin representing Wichita’s Senate District 25 next month, announced Tuesday that he would keep his position on the Wichita school board.

O’Donnell, a Republican who gave up the Senate seat to successfully seek a spot on the Sedgwick County Commission, took to Twitter on Tuesday night to chastise Rogers. He noted that he gave up a seat on the Wichita City Council when he was elected to the Senate in 2012.

“Completely ridiculous. I resigned my seat on the Wichita Council because BOTH jobs require complete attention. Which will be 2nd fiddle?” O’Donnell tweeted.

“There’s just no way to serve and put your sole focus and attention on the Kansas Senate and also serve on another government body. … Just realistically, how will somebody, whether it was myself or Lynn Rogers, get to both meetings and do all the follow-up?” O’Donnell said.

“It’s why many of us don’t have a job outside of the Legislature during legislative session and then we pick it up once session gets out,” O’Donnell said. “I just think it’s going to pose problems and one office is not going to get the attention it deserves.”

Rogers called O’Donnell’s criticism misguided.

He noted that he held a full-time job as a banker during most of his tenure on the school board. He retired from that job last year and said that he will be able to balance the workload of the Senate and school board.

“I’ve always had a full-time job, a real full-time job, while I served on the school board and I don’t see that as being any different. I don’t think it will be playing second fiddle,” Rogers said. “There will be times when one takes priority over the other, but if he really has that concern he needs to talk to a number of folks in his caucus, both in the House and the Senate.”

He pointed out that many senators juggle full-time jobs during the session and that several Republican leaders, including Rep. Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe, the House budget chairman, have held local government positions while serving in the Legislature.

Ryckman, who will become House speaker next month, holds a seat on the Olathe City Council, Rogers said.

“I haven’t heard that he’s giving one up,” Rogers said. “I think there’s many that do it.”

O’Donnell dismissed that comparison, saying the proximity between Johnson County and Topeka makes it more feasible to do both jobs compared with commuting between Wichita and Topeka.

He also said Rogers had previously told voters he planned to give up the school board seat.

“There are monumental challenges ahead in the Kansas Legislature this year,” O’Donnell said, repeating his concern that either Rogers’ Senate or school board constituents will be shortchanged.

Rogers, a vocal critic of O’Donnell, brushed off his predecessor’s warning.

“It’s curious that Michael’s concerned about public education now at this point,” Rogers said. “I have not seen that before.”

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 2:18 PM with the headline "O’Donnell criticizes Senate successor for keeping school board seat."