Meet the candidates for Wichita City Council, District 2
City council members are elected to a four-year term. They serve part time on the council and are paid $42,759 a year. Advance voting is underway; Election Day is Nov. 5. Only district residents can vote on this race.
This district covers the far east side of Wichita roughly from Woodlawn east to the city limits and the northern city limits south to Pawnee. It does not include the neighborhoods of Comotara Mainsgate Village, Cottonwood Village or the Northeast K-96 neighborhood.
The answers provided below are the candidates’ own words — they have not been edited.
District 2
Joseph Brian Scapa
Age: 45
Occupation: Real Estate Broker/Instructor
Education: W.S.U. and Tabor College
Political experience: State Representative for District #87 2011-2012 State Representative for District #88 2015-2016
Community involvement: Married to Melissa, 4 children, Real estate broker/instructor with 19 years experience, Former USD 259 substitute teacher, 3 years management experience in the service industry, Member of Central Christian Church, State Representative 2011-2012, 2015-2016
Phone: 316-619-0935
E-mail: josephscapa@gmail.com
Website: josephscapa.com
Social media: None provided
Becky Tuttle
Age: 49
Occupation: Wichita City Council District II
Education: Master of Arts from Appalachian State University in Student Development Administration and a Bachelor of Science from the University of South Dakota in Psychology and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies
Political experience: Appointed to Wichita City Council in January 2019
Community involvement: Serves as Wichita Council Member for District II, Health & Wellness Coalition of Wichita Chair, Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board, Plastic Bag Task Force. Previously Community Development Director for the Greater Wichita YMCA and served on numerous boards/coalitions.
Phone: 316-651-6099
E-mail: beckyforwichita@gmail.com
Website: beckytuttle.com
Social media: https://www.facebook.com/BeckyForWichita/
Rodney Wren
Age: 38
Occupation: Educator, Coach, Professional Political Commentator, Public Address Announcer
Education: Undergraduate: Communication Studies; Graduate: American History & Government
Political experience: previous candidate for public office, former chairman of the Harvey County Republican Party, former speechwriter to Congressman Mike Pompeo
Community involvement: Not provided
Phone: 316-288-6017
E-mail: Not provided
Social media: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Political-Candidate/Rodney-Wren-for-Wichita-City-Council-2129737757137041/
Biggest issue
What is the most pressing issue for the city and what do you think city leaders should do about it?
Scapa: Transparency and corruption with inside deals that benefit the wealthy and those with access at the expense of average citizens. Bids should be made publicly available prior to council action being taken. Unlimited gifts to council members is problematic and should be limited.
Tuttle: While it is difficult to determine one issue, I feel workforce and talent attraction/retention are at the forefront of the needs in our city. We have more jobs than people. We need to focus on how to nurture a qualified workforce that will meet the demands of our employers. The focus should not just be on one industry or large employers, but all sections of our community’s economy.
Wren: James Madison said, “The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.” The Wichita City Council is being manipulated by the politically well connected, wealthy donors, and other members of the “good old boys club.” It’s time for a change at City Hall. It’s time to elect principled policy makers to stand up to this cronyism.
Qualifications
Why should voters consider you the most qualified candidate? What is your overall vision?
Scapa: Having served in the state legislature, I can be the link between Wichita and the State of Kansas the council needs. I also want to clean out the corruption in city hall, bring back good governance, and shed light on the process. I will strive to make Wichita the most family-friendly, job-friendly, and transparent city in the region.
Tuttle: I strongly believe you must serve before you can lead. Since moving to Kansas, I have worked to make our city a better place to live, learn, earn, play and pray. We need to boldly embrace the resources our community offers, not focus on what we lack. Maintaining our infrastructure is vital for economic development and quality of life.
Wren: As an educator in the fields of argumentation, history, and government my job is to analyze policy options with an open mind and research all sides of policies. I then am tasked with teaching high schoolers to set aside their biases and do the same thing. City Hall is in dire need of this kind of leadership instead of doing the bidding of the wealthy and “elite” members of our community.
Job creation
How can the city attract new businesses and create new jobs?
Scapa: Keep our tax base low, maintain our infrastructure (roads, clean water, etc), promote our quality of life, and the low cost of living in our area. Wichita needs to foster our entrepreneurial spirit again. Encourage and promote WSU Innovation Campus. Wichita is known for great entrepreneurs and providing the resources needed to our next entrepreneurs is key to new business and job development.
Tuttle: We must support our entrepreneurial ecosystem and remain nimble to react, yet proactive to reach our full potential with our “welcome mat” in full view as opportunity comes knocking. Wichita needs to be more strategic in building productive public-private partnerships. We must meet our ever-changing employment demands by supporting partners that provide a skilled workforce.
Wren: Government doesn’t create anything except for which it must first destroy, or prevent from being created by inefficiently taking resources out of the economy. Bastiat’s “Broken Window Fallacy” and analysis of the seen versus the unseen, along with Hayek’s “Fatal Conceit” are illuminating and instructive on this point. City Hall should leave the market economy alone and let jobs be created.
Crime
Wichita has experienced an increase in violent crime. What should happen to reverse that trend?
Scapa: First, we must address the root problem, which is a break down of the culture and families. Until that is done, everything else will be like a band aid approach. We can start by supporting and encouraging strong families. On the law enforcement side, Wichita is approximately 200 officers short compared to cities our size. Properly staff, fund, and train our officers to be successful.
Tuttle: Pilot programs such as Save A Casing and the Gunshot Detection Program are a few examples of how the City and the WPD is addressing crime. The WPD has also strategically sought state and federal funds to provide additional resources and support. More police officers, including community police officers, have been added to ensure public safety.
Wren: Wichita needs a larger police force who are compensated better. WPD should also be utilizing aerial assets. Officers should be indemnified from civil litigation if in the pursuit of justice they accidentally cause harm to persons or property. This does not necessarily preclude civil action against the officer or the city government if negligence or purposeful unlawful actions are made by officers.
Water
Wichita has nearly a billion dollars in new water and wastewater projects planned in the next decade, plus repairs on existing infrastructure, and water and sewer rates are expected to increase substantially during that time. How do you plan to ensure customers’ bills are affordable while also being a good steward for the city’s critical infrastructure?
Scapa: By making sure there is transparency in the process. Giving the public as much notice as possible to potential increases to their bills. Possibly looking for alternative funding streams as well.
Tuttle: Safe and clean water is a priority for our city and an issue that we have been addressing for the past several years. We are applying for low cost state and federal loans to ensure as many resources are available to help keep water costs low for residents. Also, projects are being phased in over time in order to manage these costly projects.
Wren: If city leaders have failed to proactively & incrementally provide for the maintenance and perhaps updating of essential public infrastructure, they should be held to account if substantial increases in water and sewer rates are the absolute and the only means of paying for the spending. Additionally, if the city would quit giving away taxpayer dollars to political cronies, there would be money.
More resources?
Is there a particular city service that you think needs more resources? If so, how would you pay for that?
Scapa: Our roads. The streets of Wichita are the worst I have seen them and I have lived here all my life. The Wichita City Council needs to focus on the basics before continuing to spend council time and taxpayer money on pet projects. Bells and whistles come last. Until the city can properly fund basic services, non-priority spending should be put on hold or substantially reduced.
Tuttle: The City has developed a ten year Community Improvement Program that addresses funding of new and expanded priorities for each Department. This planning will ensure that financial resources are utilized most effectively and efficiently with well-planned and monitored spending strategies.
Wren: Wichita Firefighters are underpaid and under-served by their current benefit structure. To pay for this we first stop giving away taxpayer dollars to political cronies, we then make sure government is operating and spending money as efficiently as possible, and then look to budgetary spending which is either unnecessary or inappropriate to cut in order to pay for the new spending.
Development
What do you see as the proper relationship between city government and private developers and/or private industry?
Scapa: That it is all 100% transparent. A proper relationship would include a fair bidding process. The public should always have a way to express their concerns about possible cronyism. We should institute a professional real estate review board, people who have no interest in the proposed project, to look at the transaction to make sure the public’s best interest is being protected.
Tuttle: The goal must always be to ensure fairness, accountability and transparency. It would not be possible for the City to conduct business without innovative partnerships with private industry. The relationships must be neutral and follow all city, state and federal protocols.
Wren: Please refer to previous responses and my Facebook page for additional insight.
Century II
What should the city do about Century II?
Scapa: Whatever the city decides to do with downtown, it should include Century II. Century II is iconic to the Wichita skyline and is like a brand or a logo to Wichita. The final outcome should be determined by the voters by public referendum.
Tuttle: The community must have a voice in the process and I fully intend to listen to what residents feel is the best for our community. The Riverfront Legacy Master Plan Coalition is providing opportunities for community members to be engaged and share their thoughts for what should happen with Century II and surrounding area.
Wren: I think it’s too early in the fact/opinion finding process to personally opine on this topic.
Workforce
What can Wichita do to attract and retain more young professionals?
Scapa: Promote entrepreneurship. Foster the entrepreneurial spirit again. Assist our young professionals with their ideas. Encourage and promote the WSU Innovation Campus to incubate new businesses. Highlight our low cost of living and our quality of life in Wichita. Show young professionals we can maintain a low tax base and take care of our infrastructure while being a hub for growth.
Tuttle: Quality of life issues are vital in attracting and retaining young professionals. I personally mentor several young professionals and this provides me with outstanding opportunities to listen to those who we are trying to keep. Overwhelmingly, young professionals express they want more amenities in our city. People come to Wichita for jobs, but stay for the quality of life.
Wren: Wichita needs a true destination attraction comprehensively binding the city. Downtown is probably the best place for this. City leaders could also be doing a better job as advocates for all of the current, various amenities Wichita affords its citizens. Collaboration with education leaders and entertainment entities in the community could also be a tool for generating excitement about our city.
Transparency
How would you ensure transparency in city government?
Scapa: Establish a citizen review board to look into establishing meaningful and effective ethical reforms for city staff and elected officials regarding gifts. Eliminate cronyism or the perception of cronyism. The city must restore the public’s trust and eliminate the perception of behind the scenes favoritism.
Tuttle: We must continue working to improve our communications with residents, striving for timeliness. Being proactive in how we disseminate information to the media and the community is vital. And, we must always be accurate with information that is shared.
Wren: Move City Council meetings to the evening. Ensure effective communication is pursued to the utmost degree between all levels of government and to the citizenry. The above philosophical responses would apply here as well.
Douglas
What are your thoughts on narrowing Douglas Avenue to enhance walkability?
Scapa: I think it will add to the traffic issues downtown and make it harder to get around.
Tuttle: The City has partnered with an outside agency to assist in gathering data and community input, The overall goal is to increase walkability, while still serving the residents and business owners along Douglas. More information is needed to ensure our community continues to support safe and reliable forms of transportation, such as walking and biking, while meeting the needs of business.
Wren: Douglas is fine as is. Increasing traffic congestion to perhaps enhance walkability seems like nonsense to me. Unless, there is a hidden agenda by advocates in order to try to create an atmosphere which could then be used to demand an increase in public transit.
Parking
What are your thoughts about availability and cost of parking in downtown and around the new baseball stadium?
Scapa: The council has not been realistic about there being enough parking or its proximity to events. People with limited mobility or those attending with small children may choose not to attend events downtown rather than walk long distances. For future projects, real estate professionals and parking consultants should be consulted to evaluate parking options before a project is started, not after.
Tuttle: Parking in downtown and around the stadium continues to be a community discussion. As we are moving forward, we are not only thinking of parking, but also how community members and visitors to our great city get from place to place. Multi-modal forms of transportation, such as ride share, walking, biking, scooters and Transit are all part of the parking solution.
Wren: In general parking downtown is not overly problematic. In the potential instances where it could be argued as such, it goes back to poor planning by city leaders. Again, probably due to city leaders thinking they need to be central planners as opposed to faithful and unbiased stewards of the public trust, could explain “problems” and then the proposed “solutions” to parking availability.
Policing
Do you support releasing the names of Wichita police officers who shoot civilians? When should an officer’s name be released, if ever, following a shooting?
Scapa: We should be very careful about releasing the names of our police officers. I do not believe their names should be released if the shooting is justified.
Tuttle: This is a very complicated issue that other cities across the nation are also struggling to address. When a police officer’s name is released, the safety of the family members of the police officer may be compromised. While it is imperative that all is done to ensure the safety of the public, we must not place our law enforcement officers and their families in harms way.
Wren: The presupposition of the question is problematic. It infers there is a rampant problem in our community. Unless a law enforcement agent is indicted following the use of lethal force, the name of the agent does not need to be made public. Additionally, if, due to civil litigation the name of the officer(s) becomes public record, then that is of course acceptable.
Other issues
What other issue do you feel strongly about?
Scapa: Clean Water! Priority #1 is to ensure Wichita has safe, clean, drinking water now by addressing issues concerning the water treatment plant, replacing the raw water lines, and having a backup system for the future. Wichita’s Water Treatment Plant – “It keeps me awake at night . . . Every hour that thing is running, it could fail....,” Alan King, Director of Public Works and Utilities.
Tuttle: I care about whatever Wichitans care about. I would welcome the opportunity to speak with anyone who has thoughts on how we can make our great city even better. My mind and my door are always open.
Wren: Politicians and their cronies seek to profit off a command based economy take advantage of an electorate largely not equipped with economic and historical knowledge, using phrases like public-private partnerships in order to legally plunder from the public under the lie of economic development. If government could truly create jobs and economic prosperity, then there would never be poor societies.
Ethics
Wichita has no limits on gifts elected officials can accept. Do you support placing limits on gifts?
Scapa: I do support that. Of course I do. I’m not sure why we’ve gone this long without it. I think it’s part of the reason the perception of what’s been hanging over this city council for years has been there as far as it being a good ol’ boys club.
Tuttle: Yes, I support drafting an updated city ordinance and believe it’s important to have this discussion to ensure public trust. I would volunteer to lead that discussion.
Wren: Yes. The mere perception of impropriety does a disservice to our city and creates distraction.
What should the gift limit be for city council members, if any?
Scapa: I think the limit should be no more than what it is for a state legislator, that would be $40 in value of any one thing and no more than $100 for recreation a year.
Tuttle: I believe the amount should be part of the discussion and it should include input from elected officials and especially the public.
Wren: I’m open to discussion on this, but to be consistent with campaign contribution standards something like anything over $10 should be reported.
Are you willing to disclose all gifts you have received during your time as a council member valued above a nominal dollar amount?
Scapa: Absolutely, I think anyone who’s not willing to disclose that, whether there’s any type of quid pro quo. I think it would be a good idea and a good gesture toward transparency.
Tuttle: Absolutely! I have my own personal policy that I do not accept gifts and will not let anyone buy my meals, drinks or anything.
Wren: Yes, gifts should be disclosed by candidates and retroactively by current office holders.
The city’s code of ethics prohibits council members from voting on contracts and zoning matters involving friends. Do you support leaving the word “friends” in the city’s ethics ordinance?
Scapa: Yes, I do support leaving the word friends in the code of ethics ordinance, but I think we need to clean up the definition of friends so it’s not ambiguous.
Tuttle: This should be part of the discussion and should involve public input, as well as elected official input.
Wren: Any gifts from any person or organization should be reported. And any leveraging by a friend or business or group is inappropriate and shouldn’t be allowed.
This story was originally published October 27, 2019 at 5:01 AM.