He doesnt have the backing of either major party, and hes never run for elective office.
Rick Kloos also lacks the coveted name recognition that would help him rise above the crowded field of Kansas gubernatorial candidates.
Even so, Kloos contends his policies and values make him the best choice.
Kloos, a frustrated Republican who went independent, stopped in Iola Monday as part of a 52-day, statewide tour taking him through all 105 Kansas counties.
Kloos, his wife, Pennie, and son Nathaniel, stopped by the Register to discuss his candidacy, and his goal of rising above an increasingly partisan environment that he says thwarts good government.
Im not trying to start a new party, and Im not trying to bash a party, Kloos said. Im about finding middle-ground balance. Theres a hard right, and a hard left. I want to be in the middle of that.
A native of Miltonvale, about 50 miles northwest of Manhattan, Kloos has worked in several fields, from real estate to the clergy. About nine years ago, Kloos kick-started Gods Storehouse, a non-profit organization in Topeka that oversees a boutique and coffee shop and partners with other churches, agencies and nonprofits.
Ive been in public service all my life in some fashion, Kloos said. Looking at where our states been, my desire as an independent is to put Kansas back in the hands of the people.
His frustration with the state was borne out of the policies, not the politics, he said.
He uses the contentious issue of funding education as an example.
Kloos advocates an Education Redesign concept, in which schools place added emphasis on vocational training, to strike a healthy balance for students headed to college.
Such a concept, with added technical training, requires more funding, he notes.
When you look at the state budget, 51 percent goes to schools, and some call it our greatest liability, Kloos said. We need to shift the way we think. We need to look at education as an asset, not a liability.
Likewise, the state should expand its Medicaid services for its poorest citizens.
Its real simple, Kloos said. Rural areas depend on education and hospitals, good health care. Take those two away, and there goes half your economy.
