Several candidates for elective office weren’t about to let a few glitches stop them from spreading their respective campaign messages Tuesday.
The candidates were a part of an online forum hosted by Allen County Farm Bureau, and moderated by ACFB county coordinator Debbie Bearden via Zoom.
Participating were Allen County Commission hopefuls David Lee, Michelle Meiwes and Craig Mentzer, who are seeking to fill Bill King’s seat on the commission for District 2, which covers much of the northern regions of the county. Unable to appear was Republican candidate Eugene Weatherbie.
Also participating were County Commissioner Bruce Symes and challenger John Brocker for Symes’s seat for District 3, which encompasses all but the northeast quadrant of Iola, and areas south of town; and Allen County Sheriff Bryan Murphy and County Commissioner Jerry Daniels, who is bidding to oust Murphy as sheriff.
All but Meiwes are Republicans and will be in races decided during the Aug. 4 primary election. As a Democrat, Meiwes has no opposition in August, but will face either Lee, Mentzer or Weatherbie in the November general election.
Also taking part in the online discussion were Alana Cloutier, a Democrat, who will face either Kansas Rep. Kent Thompson or his challenger Armando Hernandez in November. Neither Thompson, who was unable to attend because he was working in the hay fields Tuesday, nor Hernandez participated.
State Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Republican who represents Allen County in the Kansas Senate, spoke, as did her challenger, Mike Bruner of Humboldt, a Democrat. Those two will face off in November.
State Rep. Kenneth Collins, who represents the eastern third of Allen County — primarily points east of U.S. 59, including Moran — spoke, as did challenger Lynn Grant of Frontenac. Collins, a Republican, and Grant, a Democrat, also will have their race decided in November.
Despite being plagued with the occasional technical snafu, Bearden was able to allow all participants to get their full say in the 2-hour forum.
A brief summation of each participant’s comments follows.
Note: The Register will profile the candidates further in the coming days. Thursday’s edition will cover the sheriff’s race.
County Commission
District 2
David Lee pointed to his extensive history of service, first in the military, then in other elective office roles as a USD 257 school board member, Allen Community College trustee and LaHarpe councilman.
“I love to serve; I feel an obligation to serve,” Lee said. “I’m uniquely qualified to tackle the known and unknown issues the county is going to face.”
He points to two areas of interest for Allen County: economic development and infrastructure.
“We see counties to the south and east and wonder what they’re doing right” by bringing in various industrial employers and other entrepreneurs, he said. “I wonder, what are we doing that we’re not able to entice those opportunities to Allen County.”
The county should not be considered a bank, but rather a conduit for businesses to seek financial assistance through other means, such as Community Development Block Grants, he continued.
