Michael O’Donnell co-opts ‘Black lives matter’ message for anti-abortion slogan

In his first live campaign event of 2020 Sedgwick County Commission race, incumbent Michael O’Donnell called recent riots and protests against police brutality “shameful” and sought to turn the Black Lives Matter message into an anti-abortion rallying cry.

“I do not support defunding our police officers,” O’Donnell said Friday. “I believe public safety is our number one priority. In Sedgwick County, we put our money where our mouth is, and when it comes to these rioters and these protests, I think it’s wrong. I think it’s shameful.

“And let me say something on the record today. Black lives do matter, but Black babies’ lives matter, too.”

Candidates for District 2 Kathleen Garrison, Cindy Miles and O’Donnell fielded questions from local party stalwarts and Republican officials on everything from whether county government has policies that discriminate against white people to whether they remain loyal to President Donald Trump.

The forum, held by the Wichita Pachyderm Club, drew about 30 people Friday to Central Riverside Park.

O’Donnell, who unsuccessfully moved to shut down the Trust Women Wichita Clinic during the coronavirus pandemic, is a longtime abortion opponent who on Friday condemned racism but said more attention should be given to stopping abortions.

“Black lives matter, white lives matter, every life matters — it doesn’t matter what stage of life you’re in, your life matters. Your life matters, you have a purpose, you are a creation of God. That is what we need to focus on,” he said.

The other candidates weren’t particularly sympathetic to recent protests or calls to defund police, either, although Miles said she’s open to reforms.

“A lot of this is just emotional stuff that people need to work through,” Garrison said about the social unrest sweeping the country about policing in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

“But if they want practical solutions, how ‘bout we fund them (police) more? How ‘bout we give them the funds they need to hire quality people that can be trained properly?”

Miles said she’s not in favor of defunding any law enforcement activities.

“What I am in favor of is some type of reform because I’ve ridden along with police officers and I’ve seen the amount of time that they spent acting in the role of mental health professional, and I don’t think that’s our officers’ role to act as mental health professionals,” she said.

The nation’s civic unrest was the backdrop for most of the forum, which opened with a condemnation of “thugs” by Karl Peterjohn, a former commissioner and president of the Pachyderm Club, who said Republicans should be angry at the violence that has broken out in response to the death of George Floyd.

“Unfortunately, we live in a time where Marxist, fascist, authoritarian thugs are contaminating the body politic. And I hope you’re as mad about it as I am,” he said. “The fact that we are having violence in our community is just a complete and total outrage.”

O’Donnell later used the term “thugs,” a racially-charged term often used disproportionately to describe Black protesters, looters and rioters. He said they have threatened his life and his job because of his stance against abortion.

“I am not scared by the thugs that Mr. Peterjohn was talking about earlier that have threatened my life, threatened my job,” he said.

Anti-white policy?

All three candidates were taken off guard by a man’s question about county policies that he said discriminate against white people.

“I applaud your courage to speak up on something that obviously is very important to you,” Garrison said. “I don’t really know those specific policies that you’re discussing, but I would like to know more about them. In particular, I know some of that goes on with affirmative action, of course, but that’s been around for a long time.”

O’Donnell said he’s unfamiliar with any such policy and said racism in general isn’t prevalent in Sedgwick County.

“In regards to racism, I believe we live in a community that does not have much racism. We are a community that is very accepting.”

Miles said she agreed that there is no policy that discriminates against white people but said she “would want to look at any instance of any policy that might exist to do away with that.”

No O’Donnell endorsement from Miles

O’Donnell offered a sneak peak at the Republican strategy to keep its stronghold on the commission for at least the next two years: attack Commissioner Lacey Cruse, the lone Democrat on the commission.

Cruse has often been ignored by her Republican colleagues, especially on decisions about the county’s COVID-19 response. Her recent motions to follow the county health officer’s recommendations and put in place restrictions failed for lack of a second, meaning no other commissioner agreed they should be put to a vote.

O’Donnell said he aims to keep it that way.

“The last thing the Sedgwick County Commission needs is Lacey Cruse to have a second vote,” he said.

Cruse’s name came up during the forum after Miles said she won’t back O’Donnell if he wins the nomination.

“I am here running against the incumbent because I believe it’s time for a change,” Cindy Miles said. “And I’m not going to go out there and say that I support somebody that I believe has made poor choices, and that I honestly just can’t support. I’m not going to sit here and lie to you.”

O’Donnell said despite Miles’ comments, he would vote for her in the general election to block Cruse from getting any more power on the board.

“A vote for Sarah Lopez is a vote for everything that Lacey Cruse stands for as well, and we can’t afford that.”

Garrison said she will support the winner of the Republican primary.

Kneeling during the anthem

O’Donnell said he will always stand for the national anthem out of respect for the flag, but that he respects the rights of people who want to kneel.

“I don’t want to silence free speech ... if that’s how they want to disrespect the flag, that’s on them,” O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell also had choice words for Wichita State University president Jay Golden, who has come under fire for canceling Ivanka Trump as the keynote speaker for the virtual WSU Tech commencement ceremony.

“We have a real problem in our community today with the president of WSU,” he said.

High profile donors have threatened to pull funding from Wichita State because of Golden’s action.

“WSU receives $8.8 million from Sedgwick County every year on your mill levy,” O’Donnell said. “WSU receives over $3 million a year to pay for the bonds up at WSU Tech. And this is what happens, they silence somebody. ... We disrespected (Trump’s) daughter, we disrespected free speech. We disrespected the great Mike Pompeo, our Secretary of State. This is wrong and we all need to use our voice to tell the WSU president he is wrong and he is risking funding to his university.”

Miles agreed with O’Donnell that Sedgwick County has a freedom of speech issue, but she didn’t mention Golden. The real free speech issue is protecting student press freedom, she said.

Before the Trump flap, Wichita State was the center of national controversy in 2018 when the university threatened to cut funding to the student newspaper, The Sunflower, after it published articles that were critical of the administration.

“I worked for a while at a college TV station and radio station,” Miles said. “The taking away rights for free speech is a challenge that colleges have faced with some of their newspapers. And I always support it, whatever the students want to write, want to talk about on the radio station, wanted to talk about on the TV station, because it’s their right.”

Garrison didn’t weigh in on the WSU situation, but said she believes kneeling during the anthem is disrespectful but protected by the First Amendment, comparing it to flag burning.

“The meaning behind the flag gave you permission to burn it, so you’re welcome,” she said. “That’s the great thing about our country is we have the ability to redress our grievances. ... We are able to express our opinions, hopefully in a civil matter, which is not going on elsewhere right now.”

O’Donnell’s indictment

Miles and Garrison were asked to explain the difference between themselves and O’Donnell.

“He conflicts himself in what he says he believes in,” Miles said.

Miles attacked O’Donnell for his vote to block a zoning change in Haysville that would have allowed a foster care group home to take in two more teens. O’Donnell rejected the zoning change last year after neighbors complained about the condition of the house, which has been plagued with basement flooding issues, and raised concerns about its potential to decrease property values and neighborhood safety.

Miles, chair of the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, had voted to allow the zoning change.

“(O’Donnell) fought that because the neighbors didn’t want it in their neighborhood. It wasn’t about the kids or doing what’s best for the growing number of foster kids that we have in this community.”

O’Donnell said he made that decision based on the Haysville City Council’s vote against it and because of concerns by the neighbors.

“I don’t want to overrule our small cities because of something that I personally believe might be a good thing or not,” O’Donnell said. “I need to let the process work its course and not put my personal feelings into a decision I make.”

Garrison, who is also a data analyst contractor that works with the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s office, said she’s different because she has a clean criminal record.

“What differentiates me from my opponent is I’ve never been indicted,” she said, referring to O’Donnell’s 2018 federal indictment on wire fraud and money laundering related to his state Senate campaign account.

“Yes, I was indicted,” O’Donnell said. “But I was also acquitted.”

A jury acquitted O’Donnell last spring on 21 counts of wire fraud, but they were deadlocked on five other charges — three counts of money laundering and two of wire fraud — that were later dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors can later refile charges.

On Friday, O’Donnell took verbal shots at the FBI.

“I think we’ve seen the FBI become an activist organization in America — it doesn’t matter if it’s at the local level or in Washington, D.C.,” O’Donnell said. “Look at what’s happened with Gen. Flynn. Look what’s happened to the Trump administration from day one. Yes, there are some bad, very progressive, very unfair prosecutors in the FBI.”

President Trump

All three Republican candidates for District 2 Sedgwick County Commission seat, which represents Haysville and parts of south Wichita, said they will vote for President Trump this fall.

“I have always defended our president,” Garrison said. “I’m proud of him. I get a lot of backlash sometimes, but, you know, you can’t make everyone happy. I’m not ashamed to say that, and I’m not going to apologize for it.”

Miles said she didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 but that she now supports him because of his policies.

“I think he’s criticized a lot for the words that he uses,” Miles said. “But I’ve got to look at what any candidate supports and whether I agree or whether I don’t agree, and I agree with a lot of what Trump has done. But I don’t agree with everything that Trump has done. Will I vote for him this round? Yes, I will. I don’t think I have any other options.”

O’Donnell said he was one of the first Kansas elected officials to endorse Trump in 2016 and he will continue to do so this year.

“We’ve been polling (District 2), and he’s extremely popular. He will continue to win in a landslide.”

This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 6:56 PM.