Retirements and other changes have opened up more Kansas Senate seats in this region than usual. Voters have clear choices in many of the races. Below are The Star editorial board’s recommendations for contested seats.
District 5 — Democrat Kelly Kultala knocked out veteran lawmaker Mark Gilstrap in the primary and would be a dynamic asset for the Wyandotte County delegation. She worked hard for her constituents as a former Unified Government commissioner and is executive director of the Community Foundation of Wyandotte County. Her Republican opponent is Steve Fitzgerald.
District 7 — Republican David Wysong, the incumbent from Mission Hills, should return to Topeka and lead the charge for a statewide smoking ban. He is the founder of a capital management firm. His Democratic challenger, Susan Myers, shows potential, but Wysong is a good senator.
District 8 — Republican Thomas C. (Tim) Owens has served in the Kansas House for seven years and deserves to move up to the Senate seat that Barbara Allen is vacating. A lawyer and former Overland Park councilman, Owens is a moderate who weighs issues as they come up. His Democratic opponent, Judy Macy, served two terms in the House in the 1990s.
District 9 — Voters in this Olathe district have a golden opportunity this year, with retired Olathe School District Superintendent Ron Wimmer running on the Democratic ticket. He is strong on the issues and would be good for schools, his Senate district and the state. Republican Julia Lynn was seated after Kay O’Connor resigned her seat mid-term. Lynn has continued in O’Connor’s unhelpful mode, including her opposition to properly funding public schools.
District 10 — Democrat Pete Roman, a management and technology consultant, is by far the better choice to fill the seat that Nick Jordan is vacating to run for U.S. Congress. His work experience enables him to quickly identify problems and work on solutions. Republican Mary Pilcher Cook has served in the House, and showed little interest in issues beyond limiting abortion and stem-cell research.
District 11 — Republican incumbent John Vratil, a lawyer, has clout in Topeka and is a huge asset to the Johnson County delegation. He should be re-elected over Democrat Robert MacFarland.
District 23 — Stop the presses. While we have disagreed with veteran Republican Karin Brownlee on many issues, we recommend her in this race. Brownlee is a fighter for the region, and has thrown her clout behind the proposed Johnson County Education and Research Triangle. Her Democratic opponent, Bill Jackson, has not made much of an impact.
District 37 — Bond Faulwell entered the race late, after another Democratic nominee withdrew because of illness, but the adjunct college professor is up to the task. Faulwell, a former deputy regional administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration, has strong stands on the issues. He is a better choice to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Dennis Wilson than Republican Jeff Colyer or Libertarian candidate Rob Hodgkinson.
Coming Monday: Area Kansas House recommendations.
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Well, all I can say is I will vote for an alley cat before....
I vote for Karin Brownlee who is only a front man for big biz and developers in my book especially since I have first hand experience with what she has done for BNSF and The Allen Group with respect to the proposed Gardner intermodal. She is no more there to protect the people's interests than a man in the moon. She will continue to receive my contempt for her hypocrite ways and moral wrong doings.
Every time I see one of these candidates continue with their tax incentives, tax abatements, tax refunds, TIFs, etc., etc. for big biz, developers and special interests then I know they do not care one iota about the education of our children in Kansas since these incentives do nothing but take millions and millions from our schools across the state plus other government entities. The US used to be No. 1 with respect to education and we now stand about 24th in the world - the politicians and others continue to rob tax dollars from our schools and dumb down our kids. There is a crisis in our schools and much of it is brought to you by these politicians who are not there for the people. Make your vote count and voice your opinion to these yahoos as to what you expect from them or you will vote them out of office too.