Three candidates vying for two seats representing parts of Olathe, Shawnee and Lenexa in Johnson County laid out their priorities in a live forum hosted by the Johnson County Post on Wednesday evening.
The Post is hosting seven nights of forums for Kansas Statehouse and local races ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
The two districts covered in this forum were:
- House District 17, covering parts of Lenexa and Shawnee, generally between Kansas Highway 7 and Pflumm Road, and between Shawnee Mission Parkway and 83rd and 87th streets.
- House District 30, covering parts of Lenexa, Olathe and Shawnee, generally between Prairie Star Parkway/Kansas Highway 7 and Santa Fe Trail Drive west of Interstate 35, and between 83rd/87th streets and Kansas Highway 10 and 135th Street.
Who is running?
House District 17
- Republican Jim Eschrich, of Lenexa
- Democratic incumbent Jo Ella Hoye, of Lenexa
House District 30
- Democrat Amelia Wiederaenders, of Olathe
- Republican incumbent Laura Williams, of Lenexa
How to watch the Post’s forum
The Post livestreamed Wednesday’s forum on our Facebook and Youtube pages, and a recording of it 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 [4:41]
2. Property taxes and state tax policy: Property taxes are readers’ No. 1 issue, and the Legislature plays a key role. This past session, a valuation-cap amendment cleared the Senate but failed in the House, and a local-spending cap was vetoed, so Kansans again got no meaningful tax relief from Topeka. What specific policies would you vote for in Topeka to lower residential property tax bills for Johnson Countians? If you support the valuation cap that could mean less revenue for localities. What local services might go first under that kind of regime? What would you imagine how local governments would be impacted by a measure like that? … What do you say to the idea that capping local spending plays into taxes as well, that spending either at the state or local level is part of the reason why taxes are so high? [8:13]
3. Public schools and special education: Readers want to hear what statehouse candidates say about fully funding public schools and special education, in particular. At least 17 readers raised this concern in response to the Post’s ask for questions. Four Johnson County school districts are moving toward potentially suing the state over special education funding, arguing Kansas has for years paid less than what state law calls for, leaving districts to cover the gap. Would you vote to fully fund special education? How would you pay for it? [13:40]
4. Education-related question on school vouchers: Do you support school vouchers? This came up last night. People kind of take this issue and read it more broadly as your support for public education. Do you support taking public dollars and putting it towards private families, private schools, school vouchers being made the prime example of that? [17:34]
5. Data centers: A lot of questions came up about data centers, including from the audience. More than a dozen readers asked to hear candidates’ stances on large data centers proposed across Johnson County. Readers are concerned about who will pay for the water and electricity these facilities use, as well as sound data centers emit. Currently, Kansas offers large data center operators sales tax exemptions in exchange for commitments on water conservation and energy grid preservation. This person from the audience asks how will you ensure proper research on the impacts on communities is done and that the residents are involved in the process of approving any installations of data centers? What’s your stance on local control? When it comes to data centers, what can the state do? … Additionally, some readers are calling for a statewide moratorium on data centers. Do you support a data center moratorium? Why or why not? [20:35]
6. ICE activity and the state’s role: This next question comes from the audience. This person asks, with the surge of ICE activity, how do you propose to protect Kansans or people who live in Kansas? Do you see any role for the state in this regard? [25:17]
7. Republican supermajority in Topeka: This next question comes from the audience. This person asks a multi-faceted question on the current state of politics in Topeka. How has the Republican supermajority helped or hurt the ability to make meaningful changes when it comes to things like health care, property tax relief, public education funding, etc.? [28:43]
8. Gun rights and firearm safety: I’ve got a whole stack of questions (from the audience) related to firearm safety, gun rights, gun safety. What specific actions do you feel are appropriate regarding gun rights? What is the balance between gun safety and gun rights? Explain your position. … What policies would you support to reduce firearm suicides and help keep firearms temporarily out of the hands of people who might be experiencing a mental health crisis? [32:22]
9. Raising the Kansas minimum wage: Another question from the audience. Do you support raising the minimum wage of $7.25 in Kansas? [39:11]
10. Sports gambling revenue. Another question from the audience. How is sports gambling revenue used across the state, and how would you suggest it be used differently to benefit the state? [41:26]
11. State budget and the Chiefs stadium: Kansas is using STAR bonds to help pay for a new Chiefs stadium in KCK and team HQ and training facility in Olathe. More than 20 readers emailed about this, most of them expressing worry about the long-term cost to the state budget of this project. Do you or did you support the stadium deal? How would you keep the state budget balanced in the years ahead? [44:12]
12. Helping young people with rising cost of living: Next question from the audience. Do you have any plans to make it easier for young people to find their place in the economy amid rising inflation and cost of living issues in Kansas? [48:25]
13. What you’ll do in Topeka for the benefit of all Kansans: One final question from the audience, and you can dispute the premise or framing of the question how this person sees it, but they ask what will you do in Topeka to make meaningful change for the good or benefit of all Kansans instead of reducing the work in Topeka to “culture war” issues? [52:18]
Keep reading: WATCH: The Post’s candidate forum for Kansas House districts 19, 24 & 28
