WATCH: The Post’s forum for Kansas Senate District 7 in northeast JoCo

Two candidates vying for a Kansas Senate district covering the northeastern corner of Johnson County participated in a forum hosted by the Johnson County Post Tuesday night.

The Post is hosting more than a dozen separate forums for Kansas Statehouse districts in Johnson County ahead of the Nov. 5 general election.

Tuesday’s forum was hosted at the new Merriam Plaza Library in Merriam.

The forum focused on Kansas Senate District 7, which includes the cities of Fairway, Mission, Mission Hills, Mission Woods, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Westwood, Westwood Hills, as well as parts of Overland Park and Leawood.

Who is running?

• Attorney and incumbent Democratic Sen. Ethan Corson
• Republican Dave Dannov, a retired executive of Merriam-based agricultural and trading conglomerate Seaboard Corp.

How to watch the Post’s forum

The Post livestreamed Tuesday’s event on our Facebook page, and a recording of the forum is embedded below.

Following the embedded video are the questions each candidate answered during the forum.

Timestamps are included in bold at the end of each question to help you navigate through the forum video if you’d like to jump around.

Questions and timestamps

1.  Opening statements [4:15]
2. Biggest priority for Senate District 7: We are holding forums for dozens of statehouse districts this fall. What do you see as the biggest priority or need from residents in your district? [7:10]
3. Taxes: Earlier this summer, lawmakers passed and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law a tax cut package that slashes roughly $2.4 billion in property and income taxes over the next three years. The law reduces state income tax brackets from three tiers to two and eliminates the state tax on Social Security benefits, among other things. Still, taxes, particularly, residential property taxes driven by still-rising valuations, remains a much-asked-about issue by our readers. Are there any other tax cuts or tax relief policies you’d like to see the legislature pursue next year? In particular, is there anything the state can or should do regarding local property taxes? [11:112]

   

4. Taxes and spending: How do you balance the competing demands of residents wanting to see tax relief but also wanting state services to not be slashed too much. If you do want more tax cuts, what areas, if any, of the budget do you think could also be cut? [13:50]
5. Seniors and tax relief: We did get a number of questions from readers asking specifically about tax relief for seniors. The state does already offer some property tax rebate programs for low-income and disabled seniors, as well as veterans. We hear frequently from older Johnson Countians living on fixed or retirement income worried about property taxes. Is there anything more the state can do to address this particular group of taxpayers? [16:20]
6. Abortion: Two years ago, Kansas voters rejected a proposed amendment that would have explicitly stripped the right to abortion from the state constitution. It was seen as a major victory for abortion rights supporters. But debate about abortion has not stopped. In the two years since, Kansas lawmakers have debated dozens of bills seeking in some way to limit or impact abortion procedures in Kansas, and it’s widely expected that such measures will continue to come up next year. Do you support any new restrictions on abortion… or laws in any way governing the procedure? Why or why not? [19:10]
7. IVF and contraception: Tied up with this issue of abortion for some readers are concerns about the state regulating other areas of reproductive health, including in vitro fertilization and contraception. Would you support any measures at the Statehouse that would aim to control Kansans’ access either to IVF or contraception? [22:32]

   

8. Education: In recent years, Kansas lawmakers have debated measures that would, in some way or another, allow taxpayer funds to go to students and families NOT enrolled in public schools, including a proposed voucher program and tax credits for families in private and parochial schools. Such measures could come up again next year. If elected, would you support measures that would allow the use of taxpayers dollars to go to individuals enrolled in private or religious schools? Why or why not? [24:10]
9. K-12 education funding: Gov. Laura Kelly has boasted of six consecutive years of K-12 education in Kansas being “fully funded.” A funding bill passed this year also boosts funding for special education. The funding situation appears to be remedied enough that the Kansas Supreme Court is no longer overseeing the funding process. The current funding formula lasts through 2027. Going into 2025, what do you see as the biggest priorities or remaining challenges for K-12 school funding and how would you want to address that if elected? [26:45]
10. Early childhood education (from the audience): What is your position on funding early childhood education? [29:02]
11. Differences with opponent (from the audience): “I don’t see much of a difference between the candidates on the issues so far. So, why are you running? And how do you differ from your opponent?” [31:10]
12. Guns: This question directly from a reader. “In Kansas, the rate of gun deaths increased 32% from 2012 to 2021 and the rate of gun suicides increased 14% and gun homicides increased 102%.” That’s data from the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. This reader goes on, “It is evident that we need to do something in Kansas to curb these growing numbers.” Is there any piece of gun-related legislation you would support that you think would reduce gun deaths and injuries in Kansas? Why or why not? [34:45]

    

13. Crime (from the audience): “I have seen mailers about how crime is on the rise. But I know Kansas Bureau of Investigation stats show crime is much lower in Prairie Village [and Johnson County] than in other parts of the U.S. What would you suggest the legislature can do about public safety? Is there anything the state can do about local crime trends?” [39:20]
14. Elections: Elections in recent years in Kansas, as well as in Johnson County, have gone off without a hitch, according to both state and local election officials. That may be why many readers express bewilderment and even umbrage at the continued suggestion that problems with local elections are possibly leading to widespread voter fraud, miscounts or other issues impacting the final results. Many readers still seem to take candidates’ views on election integrity as a litmus test of sorts. Do you trust Kansas election systems and, if elected, would you seek to put any new limits or rules around voting in Kansas? [42:44]