Wichita-area Republicans will choose new lawmaker on Saturday

A former TV journalist and a registered nurse will vie for a vacant seat in the Kansas Legislature on Saturday when a Republican precinct committee meets to choose a replacement for former Rep. Steve Brunk.

Brunk officially resigned from the Legislature on Monday after agreeing to take a position with the Kansas Family Policy Council, an advocacy organization that opposes abortion and same-sex marriage.

Brunk has said his position will not involve lobbying. He initially said he could keep his seat in the Legislature but announced he would resign after facing national criticism last month.

Two candidates have approached the Sedgwick County Republican Party about filling the seat in House District 85, which covers parts of Wichita, Bel Aire and Butler County. A party precinct committee will meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Church of the Resurrection, 4910 N. Woodlawn, to choose a replacement to serve through 2016.

Deb Shelly, a 60-year-old nurse, attends the same church as Brunk, Central Christian Church on 29th and Rock Road.

“My views are very similar to his (Brunk). I’m pro-life, pro-traditional marriage between one man and one woman, so I think it’s safe to say I would be carrying on his same philosophy,” said Shelly, describing herself as a conservative Christian. She said both she and her husband belong to the National Rifle Association.

Shelly, a Bel Aire resident with eight grandchildren, grew up on a farm in central Pennsylvania and moved to the Wichita area with her husband, an aviation engineer, in 1980. She said she’s a supporter of school choice. She and her husband home-schooled their children.

Chuck Weber, a 57-year-old former television journalist, is also seeking the seat. Weber has lived in Wichita for 31 years, working as a reporter and later assistant news director for KWCH in Wichita from 1984 until 1991.

“Since the days I covered the Statehouse as a reporter, I’ve been closely following Kansas politics and this is a great opportunity to serve the public in an important way,” Weber said in an e-mail. “It would be a real privilege. There is a lot of work to do and I want to bring a new perspective and ask a lot of questions.”

He said he covered the Legislature when it amended the state’s Liquor Control Act in 1987 so that bars could serve liquor by the drink. After leaving the station, Weber forged a career as a PR consultant and freelance video producer. One of his projects included a national campaign to raise awareness of adult stem cell donations, he said.

Weber, a father of five, also called himself a conservative. “Generally speaking, I am for smaller government,” he said, contending that the state has a spending problem.

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 9:36 AM with the headline "Wichita-area Republicans will choose new lawmaker on Saturday."