Where do candidates stand on the FBI and internal investigations of Sedgwick County?

A lot has changed since early August, when Sedgwick County voters nominated six candidates — three Republican, two Democrats and an Independent — to face off in a general election for three seats on the County Commission.

News broke recently that there are at least two investigations underway involving the County Commission.

One investigation was started by the commission majority, looking into personnel complaints from employees who say they have been mistreated by management. Supporters of that probe say they’re trying to staunch high turnover that has cost the county some of its best employees. Opponents of the investigation say it’s all political and a smokescreen to justify an attempt to fire County Manager Michael Scholes.

The other investigation is being conducted by the FBI to determine whether some commissioners have moved to fire Scholes in retaliation for his providing information about them to the FBI. If they did that, it could be considered obstruction of justice and/or violation of federal laws protecting government whistleblowers. Two of the current candidates, Richard Ranzau and Jim Howell, say they are not targets of the FBI investigation and are cooperating with investigators.

Here’s where all the candidates stand on the investigations and on other issues they think are important as voters get ready to go to the polls Tuesday:

District 1

The candidates: Both run small businesses in Wichita. Democrat Renee Duxler, 39, sits on the Douglas Design District board and has a background as a social worker. She describes herself as a fiscally conservative moderate Democrat. Republican Pete Meitzner, 63, is finishing his second term on the Wichita City Council. He sits on various boards, including the Lord’s Diner, and has a background in banking and telecommunications. Current District 1 commissioner Dave Unruh is not seeking reelection.

The investigations: Duxler said she thinks both sides of the divided commission have legitimate reasons to be concerned, but that “it’s troubling all around” that the FBI and internal investigations of the commission are happening.

“To me, it shows the need for a change of leadership at the county level,” Duxler said. “I’m interested in getting to the bottom of this, but I’m also really interested getting things done.”

Meitzner said he would take a seat on the commission “with cautious eyes” because of the investigations.

“It’s going to be a challenge for sure,” Meitzner said. “I think I am the right person to step in and to help lead. I have all the respect in the world for law enforcement and I will be cautious and cooperative with any investigation.”

Other issues: Duxler said her top priorities are fixing Sedgwick County’s stagnant economy and its growing crime rate. She wants to find ways to attract new workers and find jobs for the people who are already here. To help curb the crime rate, she said it’s important for the commission to properly fund community resources for mental health services and drug treatment.

“It’s time for a changing of the guard,” Duxler said. “There’s a lot of this good old boys mentality in our local government, and I think my well-rounded background and experience as a social worker, as well as a small business owner, make me the ideal leader that Sedgwick County needs to address what the county commission actually deals with on a day-to-day basis.”

Meitzner said his top priorities are continuing “positive momentum” he’s helped build for Wichita as a member of the City Council for eight years and improving the quality of life for younger people and for the county’s aging population. He said he wants to make sure younger people have things to do on nights and weekends and that older people get the necessary services while being allowed to live with independence and dignity.

“We have really had this attitude change (in the past few years) that’s so positive,” Meitzner said. “With my business experience and leadership at the city level, I’m looking to really put my foot on the gas. I think I’m the right leader to come into the turmoil with a cautious eye and restore faith in our local government.”

Who gets to vote? District 1 is the northeast corner of Sedgwick County. The district includes northeast Wichita, Eastborough, Kechi and Bel Aire.

District 4

The candidates: Republican Richard Ranzau is the incumbent commissioner. His background includes working as a physician’s assistant and serving in the National Guard. Democrat Lacey Cruse is a hospice consultant and folk singer who became active in politics through participation in the Women’s March last year. She has also worked marketing and advertising jobs related to hearing aids, senior living and senior health.

The investigations: Ranzau opposes the board majority’s ongoing investigation into the county’s management, contending that it’s a veiled effort to fire the county manager for political reasons, and probably illegal. With fellow Commissioner Jim Howell, he has boycotted closed-door meetings to move that investigation forward.

Ranzau said he supports the FBI investigation looking into whether other commissioners may have pursued dismissal of the manager in retaliation for his providing information to the FBI. He said the county’s investigation should be delayed until after the FBI investigation has run its course.

Cruse said she supports the personnel investigation after hearing complaints from several employees and receiving an unsigned letter from a high-ranking female employee that alleged “deplorable” working conditions, rampant sexism in leadership and “unreasonable demands and expectations” from commissioners.

She said she also supports the FBI investigation in the interest of governmental transparency.

Other issues: Cruse said the county needs “stable, respectful leadership” and Ranzau, who is often contentious and in the minority on the board, doesn’t meet that test.

“We need people who are focused on doing their job,” she said. “We need respectful leaders who can be tactful, who can be diplomatic. That’s not what’s happening.”

She said her top priority is creating jobs and improving the economy, “bringing people here and keeping the people we have.” She also wants to increase funding for mental health and senior services.

Ranzau said the key issue facing the county government is corruption and unethical conduct.

Philosophically, he favors low taxes and a limited government focused on basic services such as law enforcement, fire protection and roads and bridges. He has frequently argued to loosen what he sees as excessive restrictions on business, and regularly opposes business subsidies and incentives.

Who gets to vote? District 4 stretches from central Wichita to the north and west, including Park City, Valley Center, Maize and Sedgwick.

District 5

The candidates: Both candidates for the District 5 seat have served on the commission before and have military backgrounds. Republican Jim Howell, 54, of Derby is the incumbent. Independent candidate Jim Skelton, 50, of Wichita held the seat for four years before stepping down in 2014. Howell was a member of the Kansas House from 2010 to 2014. Skelton is a past member of the Wichita City Council.

The investigations: Howell has joined Ranzau in boycotting closed sessions to move the county personnel investigation forward., which blocked the investigation for about three weeks.

In response, the other three commissioners changed the commission’s quorum requirement from four members to three, to break the blockade. Howell has asked for an attorney general review of the action and plans to propose a resolution to keep two commissioners from taking action in meetings with only three members present. He also wants to pass a code of ethics for commissioners and implement random drug tests for county commissioners with results that are made public.

“There are multiple criminal investigations going on (related to the county commission),” Howell said. “That raises a lot of concerns for me. I’m concerned the public is left questioning the integrity of our public officials, so I’m looking forward to getting the information to the public as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that’s not something I can do right now. I’m glad to cooperate, and I’m smart enough to know how these things are intertwined.”

Skelton said the investigations are “a huge concern for the credibility” of the commission and that he thinks Howell and Ranzau “aren’t attending to their duties” by refusing to go into executive sessions.

“I think the commission took the right action at Tuesday’s meeting to have an outside human resource investigator take a look at the situation,” Skelton said.

“Sedgwick County citizens and our region deserve better. If we have this kind of act going on in our local government, it affects our ability to recruit industry. That’s a bad thing. I can’t imagine there would be someone considering moving here seeing this kind of activity going on in local government. We need to change that.”

Other issues: Howell said he wants to require public hearings before tiny home projects are allowed to move forward so he can hear from neighboring property owners and the owners of the developments in a public setting. He also wants to work to lower the infant mortality rate in his district.

“I witnessed domestic violence as a kid,” Howell said. “I know what it’s like to struggle. ... I also know what it’s like to be successful. I want to make sure that we have mentoring programs and things for kids who deal with those issues. I think that gives me the perspective to best represent the people of my district.”

Skelton said his top priorities are getting more space for the county by finding a vacant building to move into downtown. He also wants to get more people involved in the decisions of the commission; he wants to start a District 5 advisory board with constituent appointees who have access to the same information he has as a commissioner to help steer his decisions.

“There is a lot at stake here for our region,” he said. “We have to improve the image of local government. We have to rebuild the partnerships with the city of Wichita. Then, by working together in conjunction with other cities in the region, we can collectively use our resources to create new industry and more jobs for people around here.”

Who gets to vote? District 5 is the southeast corner of Sedgwick County. The district includes southeast Wichita, Derby and Mulvane.

This story was originally published October 30, 2018 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Where do candidates stand on the FBI and internal investigations of Sedgwick County?."