Mike Hoheisel, candidate for City Council District 3 in Wichita, KS
Name: Mike Hoheisel
Age: 38
Occupation: Small business owner/handyman
Previous government service: Democratic Precinct Captain
Have you run for office before? (Please list any previous offices sought)
No, first time running for office
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it?
Access to quality Mental Health and Addiction treatment is the most pressing issue in our district. There’s hardly a family in south Wichita who hasn’t been touched in some way either addiction or mental illness, and we’ve reached a crisis point. We need to ensure that ICT1, the police mental health unit, is fully funded. We need to increase funding for workforce development to include careers in healthcare, especially mental health. We need to build a quality mental healthcare campus that is readily available and has quality treatment with the goal of making people well. We need to offer assistance to local non-profit clinics to ensure that they qualify for federal and state funding under the new CCHBC bill. We need to work with our counterparts in county to streamline follow up treatment, and hire healthcare navigators to point people to treatments that make the most sense for their situation. These are a few solutions, please visit my website for a more comprehensive list.
What to do with the area’s homeless population has been a major issue recently. After they were pushed out of Naftzger Park, they migrated north a few blocks and set up camp around Open Door and the Lord’s Diner. Now, key sidewalks in that area have been striped off as no-sitting zones and warnings have been issued that the homeless people’s impromptu shelters and other possessions will be subject to seizure. Do you support these policies and why or why not?
What we see going on with our homeless community is heartbreaking. Behind every tent or temporary shelter is someone’s daughter or son, brother or sister. We can’t simply rely on relocating people or pushing people out. We need to address the underlying issues surrounding our homeless crisis, namely addiction and mental health. 70% of our homeless population have either a mental illness or addiction, and 50% have both. Until we address these issues, we’re just moving the problem around. We need a centralized homeless center similar to the one in Oklahoma City if we’re going to get serious about addressing the homeless population.
The city has ongoing project plans to reconfigure many four-lane streets, including main thoroughfares such as Broadway and Douglas, to one car-traffic lane running in each direction with a center turn lane. Do you support this plan and why or why not?
I support narrowing the streets in select parts of town. Drag racing and speeding has become an issue in our streets, and we need to look at practical ways to address the problem. I live just down the street from Mt. Vernon, and as many who live in the area can attest irresponsible driving has made the area dangerous for other drivers and, most importantly, our children. We need to ensure our streets are safe while keeping a mindful eye on making sure we’re not causing further traffic congestion.
Campaign website:
https://www.hoheiselforwichita.com/
Facebook page and/or Twitter handle: