Two Sedgwick County Commission races are set

Republican Sen. Michael O’Donnell of Wichita stood up before his colleagues in Topeka on Wednesday to say goodbye to the state Senate.

“It has been a phenomenal life-changing experience for me and one that I will miss as I pursue other endeavors,” he said. “I’m not going to be too far out of the picture. I plan on staying in the political circuit. I plan on coming up here and advocating for things.”

O’Donnell is one of five people running for two Sedgwick County Commission seats in the 2016 election. The filing deadline to run for office was noon Wednesday for all but independent candidates.

O’Donnell is leaving the Legislature to challenge Democrat Tim Norton, a commissioner since 2001. Neither will face a primary challenger.

Norton said it wasn’t a tough decision to run one more campaign with his family. He said the commission’s current political divisions were not a factor in deciding to run again.

“I’ve pretty well dedicated the last few years of my life to public service,” Norton said. “I understand there are some political realities you have to deal with. But I really try to stay grounded in the community and what I can do to make this community better.”

O’Donnell’s campaign is the second time in as many election cycles that a state legislator will leave the Statehouse to run for the Sedgwick County Commission.

Since former Rep. Jim Howell’s 2014 election to the commission, a new conservative majority has steered Sedgwick County government.

Howell often sides with commissioners Karl Peterjohn and Richard Ranzau on votes ranging from the county’s use of debt to the role of public health. Norton and Republican commissioner Dave Unruh often vote together to form the commission’s minority.

A member of the majority faces at least one challenger. Peterjohn will face former state board of education chairman David Dennis in the Republican primary in August.

Peterjohn said he decided to run again to continue fiscally responsible policies on spending and taxes. Dennis contends that the commission majority has become too extreme and has hurt the county’s commitments to the zoo and public health.

Goddard Mayor Marcey Gregory is running as an independent candidate for Peterjohn’s seat. She said this week she has so far gathered more than 1,000 signatures of the 2,500 needed to qualify for the ballot. During her campaign announcement, she also criticized Peterjohn and the current commission majority.

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Two Sedgwick County Commission races are set."