City Council candidates talk bike lanes, smoking, general health

Candidates for Wichita’s City Council voiced support for bicycle lanes, farmers’ markets and the city’s engagement in health issues at a forum Tuesday.

“No one single agency or governmental body can really tackle this,” said Mike Kinard, a former member of the Wichita school board who is running in District 1, encouraging support for city-county collaboration.

The forum was sponsored by a variety of health groups in and around Wichita. All candidates for the City Council race attended except for Sybil Strum, who is running in District 6.

Writer and illustrator William Stofer and incumbent Councilman James Clendenin, running against each other in District 3, both pointed to food access as a barrier to health.

“One of the biggest obstacles that causes disease is nutrition and our access to good water and food,” Stofer said.

One of the prepared questions for candidates dealt with the complexity of establishing a farmers’ market.

All candidates agreed that the process of licensing a farmers’ market may need to be changed, with Clendenin saying zoning hurdles and fees should be eliminated when markets open in low-income areas.

“The solution to simplify the permitting process in my view is to allow online sales for permits,” Clendenin said. “Education can be a big component of how we do farmer’s markets.”

Brandon Johnson, founder of Community Operations Recovery Empowerment who is running in District 1, said access — whether to quality food, bicycles or mental health funding — is the key barrier to health equity in the city.

“I feel that no parent or child should go hungry,” Johnson said. “I feel every household should have access to quality air. I feel that every household should have access to quality air, both indoor and outdoors.”

Janet Wilson, a member of the Wichita Transit Advisory Board running in District 1, said the city must find out where the disparities are and focus on issues such as making sure everyone receives primary care.

“If you have a health home, you are more apt to be proactive than reactive,” Wilson said.

All candidates except for John Stevens, president of the Wichita Pachyderm Republican Club, said biking and walking could be further supported by local funding.

Stevens said while he supports those programs, he believes they are already adequately funded. Instead, the city should focus more on parks, swimming pools and basketball courts, he said.

“We need to maintain pools, parks and paths,” Stevens said. “I’m tired of closing pools.”

Candidates were also asked about their views on increasing the age to purchase tobacco to 21, with Kinard, Stofer and Stevens opposing the idea, saying that prevention is preferable and 18-year-olds can make their own decisions about smoking.

Another question was about the city of Wichita’s role in implementing the 2017-19 Community Health Improvement Plan for Sedgwick County (CHIP). Candidates largely agreed that the city should support the goals of the plan, with Stevens saying that support had to be within the city budget.

Cindy Claycomb, president of the city Parks Commission and chairwoman of the Wichita Downtown Development Corp who is running in District 6, said that support should include increasing dollars for active transportation, supporting tobacco-free grounds, expanding community policing and reducing or eliminating food deserts.

“I think Wichita really has a role in implementing CHIP,” she said.

Advance voting is under way now in District 1 in east-central Wichita, with the primary election Aug. 1. New council members will be chosen Nov. 7.

This story was originally published July 18, 2017 at 9:28 PM with the headline "City Council candidates talk bike lanes, smoking, general health."