Chief financial officer Chris Chronis this morning unveiled a new feature of the county’s Web site, www.sedgwickcounty.org, that will allow anyone to see what money is coming in and going out. Commissioner Karl Peterjohn had asked for the financial data to be made readily public, explaining he had been frustrated as a citizen when seeking financial information from government agencies.

The checkbook also will show payments to vendors.

“This is just one more step to take the mystery out of government,” commissioner Tim Norton said.

The checkbook will go live today on the home page of the Web site.

On Tuesday, the Senate pasted Senate Bill 238 on veto proof margin of 32-6. The bill applies to all abortions.

“It gives her full information on the reality and status of her pregnancy and of her unborn child so she can make the best possible decision voluntarily and through informed consent,” said Sen. Mary Pilcher Cook, R-Shawnee who supported the bill.

In addition to allowing women to see images of an unborn child, the measure would also require all sites providing abortions to post a sign reading:

“Notice: It is against the law for anyone, regardless of their relationship to you, to force you to have an abortion. By law, we cannot perform an abortion on you unless we have your freely given and voluntary consent. It is against the law to perform an abortion on you against your will. You have the right to contact any local or state law enforcement agency to receive protection from any actual or threatened physical abuse or violence. You have the right to change your mind at any time prior to the actual abortion and request that the abortion procedure cease.”

For more, read Wednesday’s Wichita Eagle.

City elections are five months away, but already it appears District 6 will have two fairly well-known candidates vying to fill Sharon Fearey’s position, which she will leave because of term limits.

Bob Aldrich plans to announce his candidacy next week. Aldrich has played roles as vice president of the Orchard Park Neighborhood Association, precinct committeeman, park board member and Wichita Pachyderm president. He came in third place (by six votes) in the 2005 primary for District 6, then quickly pitched support to Richard Lopez, who ended up losing to Fearey, who got 57 percent of the turnout.

Aldrich will likely face Park Board President Janet Miller, who announced an exploratory committee in early October before a crowd of supporters in Midtown. She said if she senses enough support, she’ll run. Miller, who’s husband is State Rep. Nile Dilmore, D-Wichita, has also been heavily involved in city issues for years, including a prominent role on the Task Force to End Chronic Homelessness.

It’s also likely the race will see other candidates, given that the district is one of the most politically active on the city level in Wichita.

Here are the hottest items:

• Pick a new vice-mayor to replace Paul Gray, who is finishing his one-year term. (See procedure here.)
• Vote to sign an agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers to do a massive, $4.5 million flood protection project on the Cowskin Creek that will essentially cut a 300-foot wide overflow shelf into the shoreline. City drainage engineers say it could reduce flooding by more than a foot in some residential areas during the type of downpour that comes about once every 100 years. (See previous Eagle story.)
• Consider a $45,000 contract for drug and alcohol testing of transportation, police and fire employees. That kicks in some new random tests agreed the unions agreed to about a year ago, and it comes at a time when both the police and fire unions’ men and women are working under an expired contract.
• Decide whether to OK a $67,225 remodel of the planning department’s meeting room that includes audio/visual components.
• Rename Harvest Park, 9500 Provincial Lane, as “Bob Martz Park” in honor of former District 5 City Council member Bob Martz, who died of an apparent heart attack in January.
• Vote to rezone an oddly shaped swath of land near McConnell Air Force Base to “Air Force Base District” as part of the city’s massive rezoning around the base to show military officials who may be preparing the next round of base closures McConnell is prepared for future expansion and has terrorism safeguards.

See the full agenda.

Here’s a glimpse of people’s reactions to the now-pressing question:

Asked about the vacancy, former mayor Bob Knight pointed to Rip Gooch, the former state senator and former City Council member. Gooch, however, said, “I’ve done that.” He said maybe his daughter Bonita Gooch, publisher of The Community Voice, could take it on. She has a background in public administration, he said. Several people have urged her to step in, he said. Rev. Titus H. James came up too. He’s the pastor of North Heights Christian Church.

Brewer said there’s “an ocean” of good people who could fill his seat. He said many of them are on his District Advisory Board. Lavonta Williams seems to be high on the list. She appeared in Brewer’s campaign ads, boasting Brewer’s neighborhood clean-up efforts. She’s also a teacher and is on the Visioneering diversity task force. James Thompson’s name also surfaced — as did the rest of the DAB, which includes: Gerald Domitrovic, Shane Dundas, Treatha Brown-Foster, Steve Roberts, Debra Miller-Stevens, Inga Taylor and Shontina Tipton.

Tell us who you think will be able to get 100 signatures, support of the DAB and four votes from the City Council.

Carl Brewer’s watch party will be at 7 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott in Old Town, 820 E. 2nd St. Mayor Carlos Mayans’ party starts at 7:30 p.m. at The Broadview Hotel, 400 W. Douglas. Les Osterman isn’t planning on a party. Sue Schlapp’s party will start at 7 p.m. at BG Bolton’s Sports Grill, 11423 E 13th Street. Paul Tobia will be at his home.

School board candidates Karl Peterjohn, Cindy Duckett and John Stevens will have a watch party at Oscar’s Sports Box at 353 N. Mead. Jeff Davis, Barb Fuller, and Betty Arnold, will be at the River City Brewery at 150 N. Mosley. Kevass Harding will make an appearence there but will spend most of the night at his church with his supporters at 1502 N. Dellrose.

We will hit as many of these places as possible. Stay tuned.

“I think you said it all, it’s a little different,” Mayans said.

Their comments came during the candidates’ last face-to-face debate on KNSS NewsRadio 1330 this morning after host Gene Countryman asked whether the taxpayer-funded signs, which are on billboards all over the state, were a good idea.

“It just seems baffling to me,” Countryman said. (Get a podcast of the show here.)

The Greater Wichita Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and Greteman Group, which made the ads, also took some heat in 2004 when the ad campaign was first displayed. The slogan — “We got the goods” — didn’t sound right to some grammar hawks. Ad writers, however, said the casual wording was intentional — like the “Got Milk” campaign.

As of Thursday evening, about 1,000 people voted in person. Another 4,800 mailed-in their ballots and another 4,000 mail-in ballots are still out and could come back by Tuesday.

Here’s a historic look at turnout in spring general elections:

2005: 38 percent (same sex marriage on ballot, too)

2003: 32 percent

2001: 12 percent

1999: 16 percent

See Tuesday’s Wichita Eagle for more on municipal election turnout in Wichita and across the nation.

That’s the message in a recent Sedgwick County Republican Party mail-out flier that says “Wichita wins with Republican principles.” It lists Republicans Carlos Mayans, Sue Schlapp, Paul Gray and both Paul Tobia and Jeff Longwell for city races. Also on their list: Cindy Duckett, John Stevens, Karl Peterjohn and Jeff Davis for Wichita School Board positions. Then, the tiny asterisks: “*We encourage you to support the candidate of your choice.”

It’s not just the Rs showing their party colors, though. Mayoral candidate Carl Brewer, a Democrat, has also had help from his party — most notably from former Lt. Governor Tom Docking, who was one of three prominent Democrats to endorse Brewer in a letter sent to local Dems.

For more on the partisan nature of non-partisan elections and list of candidates’ registered party affiliations, see this previous post.

Now a poll has been taken by KWCH Channel 12 and The Wichita Eagle. It shows Brewer up 22 percent over Mayans in the race for mayor. The automated phone survey polled 470 likely voters and was conducted by Survey USA a week before the April 3 election.

Of those asked, 58 percent plan to vote for Brewer, 36 percent plan to vote for Mayans and 6 percent said they were undecided or planned to pick someone else, presumably a write-in. There’s a 4.6 percent margin of error. In the poll, Brewer leads among all age groups as well as among men, women, black and white voters.