The Eagle’s endorsements for Sedgwick County Commission primaries

District 4

Democratic

Hospice consultant and activist Lacey Cruse, 36, is the choice in the Democratic primary. A political newcomer, she represents the next generation of Wichita-area adults who take an active interest in energizing the community. Cruse became politically active beginning with organizing the 2017 Women’s March, and in meeting with other organizers determined that she was ready to try a run for office.

Cruse has entrepreneurial friends who have left the area for more enticing cities and wants to grow ideas that spur innovation and attract young talent to the area. Cruse is critical of incumbent Richard Ranzau’s 2015 vote to cut Women Infants and Children funding in the county, pointing out she used WIC funding as a 19-year-old mother. Cutting that kind of funding, Cruse says, is neglectful to low-income families who need assistance getting on their feet.

Cruse would be a needed enthusiastic voice for young entrepreneurs on the commission bench.

Michael Kinard, 56, is a past Wichita school board member who is running for County Commission in a third decade, running unsuccessfully in 1986 and 2006. The owner of a photography business, he has also previously run for Congress and City Council. He is a proponent of moving the Osawatomie State Hospital, a state-run psychiatric hospital, to Wichita and has been critical of Ranzau’s vote not to fund a position associated with a federal Healthy Babies program grant that would help reduce infant mortality in the area.

Republican

Hugh Nicks is the better choice in this primary because, unlike his opponent, he recognizes that economic growth for the area can’t be achieved by continually opposing spending. A retired marketing executive who owns a farm in the county, Nicks, 72, is making his first run at elected office. He thinks the county can do a better job of attracting businesses, which leads to job expansion and a larger tax base. He thinks Ranzau, with his from-the-bench criticism of other commission members, has talked down to people and can be disrespectful. “You can have a disagreement with someone, and you can do it in a civil fashion. I think that’s been sorely lacking,” he said.

Richard Ranzau, 53, runs for a third team touting his fiscal conservatism while noting achievements such as the Law Enforcement Training Center and the downtown vehicle tag office. He says tough decisions not to spend money are important to be able to achieve other projects and represent constituents who do not want a mill-levy increase. But Ranzau’s rigid stances against spending and tax incentives too often conflict with a need to spur investment for economic development. Ranzau said if elected, this will be his final term on the commission.

This story was originally published July 27, 2018 at 6:02 AM.