Only two area lawmakers in House leadership

Rep.
Dick Kelsey (in photo), R-Goddard, was the only Wichita-area Republican
elected to a leadership position Monday in Topeka. He is the new
majority caucus chairman. That’s the bottom rung of the leadership
ladder, but, Kelsey said, it is still a seat at the leadership table.
On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wichita, retained his
No. 2 position as assistant minority leader.
Kelsey told me that the conservative new GOP team, headed by
House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, would have cooperative spirit
with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and with the Senate. Kansas doesn’t need
fighting, it "needs things to happen," he said, adding that "we’ve got
to step up to the plate."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

6 Comments

  1. mrcontroversy
    Posted December 6, 2006 at 3:17 am | Permalink

    And we should trust them because… ?

  2. ron
    Posted December 6, 2006 at 5:22 am | Permalink

    …because they fight for their viewpoints because of their beliefs. Just like liberals fight for their viewpoints because of their beliefs. Liberals don’t own the truth.

  3. JWink
    Posted December 6, 2006 at 6:24 am | Permalink

    Congratulations to Dick Kelsey and Jim Ward, both from Wichita area, and in leadership of the coming 1997 Kansas legislative session.

  4. Dennis
    Posted December 6, 2006 at 2:06 pm | Permalink

    Good luck getting the Wichita delegation agreeing on anything.

  5. VoiceO'Reason
    Posted December 6, 2006 at 2:31 pm | Permalink

    Dennis, welcome to Wichita. You must be new here not to realize that the local delegation has agreed on and worked on a lot of issues in the last few years. M&E tax, WSU aviation center, and air fares just to name a few. It must be a real let down for people like you to find out that our delegation, Ds and Rs, agree on most issues. Sure the media highlights the fights they have, this sells papers, but this is the exception not the rule. For all the “why can’t we be more like JoCo” cries, our local delegation has accomplished a great deal compared to them. Keep in mind that our form of government encourages debate – when that stops you will then have something to really complain about!

  6. sz
    Posted December 6, 2006 at 8:15 pm | Permalink

    Leadership can take different forms. If the Wichita delegation supported the winning slate, like it appears they did, let’s hope they receive a few key committee chairs in return. If they receive nothing, our community should ask itself if the right people are in Topeka.