Letters on River Festival, Sam Williams, Jeff Longwell, foster care bill, professor bill, homeless students, campaign letters deadline

River Festival a beloved tradition

The following letter was written by Dave Carter, Chris Goebel and Ron Ryan, each a former Admiral Windwagon Smith:

This year we are proud to celebrate our 44th Wichita River Festival, a beloved Wichita tradition.

On Feb. 13 we announced the first increase of our admission button price in nearly 10 years. This decision was not made lightly. The staff of Wichita Festivals has listened to citizens, both supporters and detractors, to determine what elements should be included in our community celebration. We’ve embraced your suggestions: better concerts, a safer and more family friendly festival zone, more children’s activities and more river events.

We have heard what you, the citizens of Wichita, hope for from Riverfest, and we are eager to give you the event you want. But we will need to pay for it.

Our goal is to raise enough revenue to give you a festival you love, while keeping the admission cost reasonable, so everyone can come to the party. The button price is increasing to $10 for adults this year, which we know might be tough for some folks. This is why we are offering early bird pricing through May 7. Plan ahead and your Riverfest button will still be just $5.

Many Wichita natives have grown up with Riverfest, and we want to make sure new generations have the same opportunity to build festival memories they will cherish. That’s why the child button will remain $3.

We are honored to be a part of our city’s history and are looking forward to joining our friends and neighbors downtown May 29 through June 6. Thank you for your support throughout the years.

Uniquely qualified

Wichita is a $600 million complex business. How fortunate could we be to have a CPA who has been managing partner of a very successful business as our mayor? This would be Sam Williams.

Williams has been deeply involved in the Wichita community, saying his move here 25 years ago to join Sullivan Higdon and Sink advertising agency “was the best thing that ever happened to my family.”

He has participated in every one of the nine Visioneering Wichita city-to-city visits, and has learned “best practices” from each one. He has been the leader of the United Way and the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce. He has been an employer and knows what Wichita needs to increase employment and opportunity.

He and his wife, Marilyn, have six children, all of whom have attended USD 259 public schools, and nine grandchildren – all of whom have remained in Wichita.

A CPA who has run a company, knows and loves our community, is an experienced leader, and knows how to promote our great city – what more can we ask?

Wichita has an opportunity to elect a uniquely qualified person as our next mayor – Sam Williams.

Proven leader

Jeff Longwell has my steadfast support as our next mayor of the city of Wichita.

I have known and worked with a number of great leaders during my 29 years of service in the United States Air Force and as a member of the Kansas State Board of Education. I place Longwell among a handful of outstanding leaders with whom I’ve worked.

I have known and respected Longwell throughout his service on the Maize school board and the Wichita City Council. He is a proven leader who has demonstrated his talents and commitment to our city, and his leadership has had a profound and positive impact.

He is the leader with the vision and passion we need now and tomorrow to move Wichita forward. I am proud to endorse Jeff Longwell as our next mayor.

Bill off target

A proposal by Sen. Forrest Knox, R-Altoona, to establish an “elite” foster parent category is dangerously off target (Feb. 11 Eagle).

Good parenting requires the knowledge to understand children’s needs, the loving commitment to put children’s needs first, and the resources to actually meet those needs. It has little to do with whether you’ve been married only six years or whether you and your spouse both work – just two of many disqualifiers under Knox’s Senate Bill 158.

Yes, the bill is moralistic. Knox acknowledges that, pointing to the Cleavers in the 1950s sitcom “Leave It to Beaver” as an ideal family.

But it’s also laughably impractical. The “Leave It to Beaver” dad wouldn’t even cut it. He smoked, you see, and he kept a bottle of brandy in the house – both disqualifiers under Knox’s bill.

And it’s dangerous. The Kansas Division of the Budget warns that it likely is inconsistent with federal law, putting $25 million in federal funding for Kansas foster children at risk.

Kansas should do more to support all foster parents – not just those who live the way one politician wants them to.

Academic parade

The Feb. 15 Opinion pages had a remarkable exposure of academics.

One professor condemned Gov. Sam Brownback’s action to rescind his predecessor’s executive order giving new rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender state employees in Kansas (“A shameful perception”). The professor’s justification was a convoluted argument that those LGBT employees were protected whether the governor made the change or not.

A gaggle of professors from across the nation wrote a letter objecting to the proposal to not allow professors to use their job titles in newspaper letters or commentaries (“Don’t suppress real expertise in state”). Another professor wrote a commentary complaining about the same thing.

These university professors seem to believe they should receive preferred treatment by the world, including our free press, whether worthy or not.

For those not familiar with the private sector: Employers frequently require their key employees to sign employment agreements stipulating the employees may not associate the employer with letters to the editor or any action that would be harmful to the reputation of the employer. Why should professors involve their employer in comments not specifically approved by the governing body of the university?

If professors would like to participate politically, they should simply give us their name or get into politics. They shouldn’t associate their comment with their universities.

Show you care

I am able to get up in the morning, shower in the comfort of my home, and put on clean undergarments and clean fresh clothes. But that is not the case for many students and parents right here in our community.

As in the past four years, Dress for Success Wichita is carrying out the “I Care” donation drive to support the McKinney-Vento program for the homeless at USD 259. This year we have been made aware of the need for blue jeans. The jeans do not have to be new, but we do ask that they be in good condition, washed and folded or on a hanger. All student sizes are welcomed. We are also collecting toiletry items, especially new male and female undergarments, toilet paper, feminine personal products and dry snacks.

“I Care” is a great little project for families and office staff to participate in. The donation of a single item truly does make a difference.

Drop-off dates for “I Care” items are Feb. 27 and March 5, or any date in between. Convenient locations for drop-offs: USD 259’s central offices, 201 N. Water, to the attention of McKinney-Vento program, “I Care” project; or Northeast Magnet High School, 5550 N. Lycee, Bel Aire, to the attention of “Brad CS - ‘I Care’ project.”

If you have any questions or need help having boxed items picked up, please contact me at bekahpalm@hotmail.com. Thank you for reaching out and showing you care.

Letters deadline

Letters to the editor about the March 3 primary must be received by 1 p.m. Thursday in order to be considered for publication.

This story was originally published February 21, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Letters on River Festival, Sam Williams, Jeff Longwell, foster care bill, professor bill, homeless students, campaign letters deadline."