Four candidates vying for two seats representing parts of the northwest corner of 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 18, covering parts of Merriam and Shawnee, generally between Quivira Drive/Pflumm Road and Knox Street, and from 47th Street to 75th Street.
- House District 39, covering parts of Bonner Springs, Lake Quivira and Shawnee, generally between the Kansas River to the north and west, Quivira Drive/Pflumm Road to the east, and 67th Street/Shawnee Mission Parkway to the south.
Who is running?
House District 18
- Democratic incumbent Cindy Neighbor, of Shawnee
- Republican Robert Whitman, of Shawnee
House District 39
- Democrat Zach Maier, of Lake Quivira
- Republican incumbent Angela Stiens, of Shawnee
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 [1:40]
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? [6:53]
2. 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? [13:57]
3. Housing affordability and the state’s new by-right housing law: More than a dozen readers who sent us emails brought up housing affordability, saying rising rents and home prices are pushing housing out of reach for many. On the other hand, some readers expressed worry about the pace of apartment construction in their neck of Johnson County. What is one specific thing the Legislature should do to make housing more affordable in Johnson County? … Several Johnson County cities opposed the new by-right housing bill. It is a matter of local control, but it also opens up certain zoned areas that have been contentious in recent years to more housing. How do you balance the need to build more housing in local communities with the fact that maybe some communities don’t want more housing? [23:03]
4. Data centers: This came up in the last forum: 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. Currently, Kansas offers large data center operators sales tax exemptions in exchange for commitments on water conservation and energy grid preservation. Some readers, though, are calling for a statewide moratorium on data centers. What is the state’s role? What regulations would you like to see in place? Do you support a data center moratorium? Why or why not? [31:18]
5. Gun violence and gun safety: We got several questions from this crowd in the last forum. This person from the audience notes hundreds of Kansans lose their lives to gun violence and die by gun suicide. What practical measures if any can the Kansas Legislature take to keep Kansans safe from gun violence? How would you approach this issue? [38:19]
6. Defining marriage and “the bathroom bill”: Do you support removing the prohibition currently in the Kansas Constitution that says marriage is between a man and a woman? What about reversing SB 244, which is colloquially known as “the bathroom bill”? [44:34]
7. Working across the aisle: Many readers, about a dozen in fact, based on the emails we received … said they’re tired of partisan finger-pointing and want to hear what candidates would actually get done. Without mentioning the other party, name one issue you’d work on with lawmakers across the aisle, and one compromise you’d be willing to make. [51:03]
Keep watching: The Post’s candidate forum for Kansas House districts 17 & 30
