District 4 Sedgwick County Commission race gives voters clear choices in political views

There’s little ambiguity for voters considering who should represent them in the District 4 Sedgwick County Commission race.

Melody McCray-Miller, the Democrat in the race, is a former commissioner and state representative. She says the Republican incumbent, Richard Ranzau, spends too much time focused on his personal views and ideologies and not enough on the constituents in the district, which covers the north-central part of the county. Ranzau calls McCray-Miller a typical progressive who is eager to spend taxpayers’ money.

The two will face off in the Nov. 4 general election, the outcome of which could flip the board’s majority.

If Ranzau secures the District 4 seat and Rep. Jim Howell, also a Republican, is elected in District 5, the commission most likely would have a new majority. Howell has emphasized that he would sometimes vote “yes” and sometimes “no,” regardless of how others are voting. Still, Ranzau, Howell and Commissioner Karl Peterjohn, a Republican, share more common ground with each other than they do with Commissioner Tim Norton, a Democrat, and Chairman Dave Unruh, a Republican.

Norton and Unruh often prevail on 3-2 votes now, with Commissioner Jim Skelton joining them. Skelton, who represents District 5, is leaving the board.

So the Districts 4 and 5 races are pivotal. Unruh also is up for re-election but had no challenger.

McCray-Miller, 57, has said she wants to return to the District 4 seat because local government is where the action is. Ranzau, 49, is seeking a second term because he feels there is still more work to do.

The commission has some big decisions ahead: finding a new place for law enforcement to train, hiring a county manager as William Buchanan retires July 1 and balancing a budget with dwindling revenue and fewer dollars from the state. The county is projected to be in the red in 2016.

McCray-Miller campaign

McCray-Miller, who lives in Park City, served one term as a commissioner. She was elected in 1994, beginning her term in 1995.

She served in the Kansas House from 2005 through 2012. She announced she planned to run for county office in September 2012 and said she was not running for re-election in the Kansas Legislature.

McCray-Miller was ranking minority member on the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee. She also served on the Children and Families, Taxation and Elections committees and on joint committees on parole board oversight and taxation.

She also has business experience, operating Millers Bar-B-Que Famous Baked Beans, and is a consultant.

She has said that her experience in local and state government would benefit her district and the entire county.

McCray-Miller said Ranzau has a “no” mentality that the district can’t afford.

“Look at his stance on federal tax dollars,” she said, alluding to Ranzau’s vote against accepting some federal grants for county programs. “Those dollars are all our tax dollars, and they are sitting in a pool of funding. We cannot afford to have that type of mentality continue.”

Ranzau does not represent the entire district, McCray-Miller said.

“He does not come into certain areas, because he doesn’t think they vote for him. He assumes they will vote for a Democrat,” she said. “You should be able to represent your whole district and anyone within your district. I intend to do just that.”

The key points of her campaign are:

▪ Economic development “that celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit.”

▪ Community health and safety with an emphasis on livability.

▪ Community engagement “that is more reflective of Sedgwick County’s make-up.”

▪ Superior service delivery at maximum cost savings.

McCray-Miller said she advocates for “balanced thinking and the ability to collaborate and to work collectively. And to be reasonable in terms of the issues – not ideologically or personally – but what’s best for the county. I would not give in to or grandstand on principle and on ideology, and that’s what my opponent, the current commissioner, does, and he does it regularly.”

McCray-Miller said she doesn’t think all residents of the district are being represented “and certainly not being represented in a positive, effective manner and light. I don’t want to just talk about what the problems are. I want to be about resolution.”

The county, she said, should be moving forward with economic development.

The biggest issue in her district, she said is “jobs and the ability to create jobs. In order for communities to be strong and viable and productive, and for us as a county to attract business, you’ve got to be able to create an environment for businesses to come here and grow here. Economic development is community development, and community development is economic development. In the fourth district, there has not been a focus on job creation.”

Economic incentives are tools for attracting and retaining businesses, McCray-Miller said, and should be part of the county’s toolbox.

McCray-Miller said the county should be interested in growing downtown Wichita and Wichita State University’s proposed innovation campus.

“Those are areas that we should be jumping into with all hands on deck. When I say ‘we,’ I’m talking about Sedgwick County and the city of Wichita,” she said. “When I think about economic development, I see the role of Sedgwick County as taking the lead. How do we do that? By collaborating.”

Collaboration means among all 21 cities, not just Wichita, she said, though “there needs to be a maintained focus on downtown Wichita absolutely.”

Although McCray-Miller once said she would support re-opening the Judge Riddel Boys Ranch, she said the county should focus on evidence-based prevention programs on the front end “to reduce the number of kids who come into the system.”

“I am still supportive of that type of intervention,” she said of the ranch at Lake Afton, which closed in July. “It doesn’t have to look like that, and it doesn’t have to be at that location.”

As for a site for a law enforcement training center, McCray-Miller noted she was not a party to the original conversation about why it was important to co-locate with the Kansas National Guard. The city and county had plans to build at the Heartland Preparedness Center at I-135 and K-96 to replace an aging training center in an old school. But commissioners have said the cost to build there – $30 million, to be split between the city and county – is too high.

McCray-Miller said she favors the original plan to build at Heartland, because “that’s a great site” and that’s what the city and county had planned for many years.

Ranzau campaign

Ranzau makes no apologies for standing up for his personal beliefs.

He said he doesn’t want to add to the debt of future generations by having a spending mentality.

The former physician assistant says he has a “proven track record against wasteful spending.”

He lists as examples:

▪ Questioning selling a cellphone tower directly to Pixius Communications for $280,000 instead of at auction. The county eventually got $610,000 for the tower at the old Greyhound Park.

▪ Opposing a plan to remove trees for a Crestview homeowners association that would have cost the county $47,000.

▪ Questioning spending $190,000 to build a concrete and steel bridge at Lake Afton for horses.

▪ Basing vehicle replacement on repair costs, which Ranzau said extended the life of many county vehicles and saved the county $235,000 in the first year of the new policy.

He has voted against economic incentives, repeating the oft-repeated conservative mantra that it’s not government’s job to pick winners and losers.

“I oppose corporate welfare,” he said. “Do you want a commission that votes to spend your tax dollars wisely and asks questions and sets good policy for the community or not? We’ve had success, but we could have more if we had a majority of commissioners willing to ask questions.”

He is against moving law enforcement training to Heartland because of the cost.

“We need to get them into a building in as cost-effective manner as possible as soon as possible,” he said.

He said he thought two former Cessna buildings along 21st Street would be a good solution but heard the city doesn’t want to go in that direction.

“I plan on getting it done next year. We’re going to make it happen,” Ranzau said.

Ranzau dismissed McCray-Miller’s criticism of voting on his principles.

“I don’t support government spending just for the sake of government spending, and some people don’t like that, including progressives whose own ideology is to spend money regardless of whether programs work or not,” Ranzau said. “My promise and pledge for responsible government benefits everybody. I’m ready to fight for government spending that is reasonable and necessary and beneficial to the community – like the boys ranch.”

Re-opening the boys ranch is one of Ranzau’s biggest goals, something he likely could accomplish if the majority flips. Howell sought to keep the ranch open as a legislator.

Studies have shown that the boys ranch saves the county money in reduced recidivism, Ranzau noted.

In response to McCray-Miller’s criticism about representing his district, Ranzau said that he supports the concealed carry law and McCray-Miller doesn’t. He said many people in the district support concealed carry and that McCray-Miller was not representing their interests.

“She should look at the mirror and think about concealed carry,” Ranzau said. “That crosses party lines. She’s certainly not thinking about the constitutional rights of citizens and people of the district.”

This story was originally published October 19, 2014 at 8:36 PM with the headline "District 4 Sedgwick County Commission race gives voters clear choices in political views."