Gov. Colyer deserves Republicans’ support in August primary

The Aug. 7 primary election is putting some Republicans in a quandary.

Do they vote their conscience, or for the person they think most able to defeat Kris Kobach?

For moderates — those that favor funding public education, keeping the state solvent, and expanding Medicaid — there’s only one choice: Jim Barnett, a former state senator.

But if pubic opinion polls are right, Barnett doesn’t have a prayer of winning.

That means voting for Gov. Jeff Colyer, who’s running neck and neck with Kobach, would be our best bet.

We certainly could do worse.

Colyer, in fact, has come into his own in surprisingly short order in the six months he’s been in office.

Right off the bat he’s done several positive things to help steer Kansas in the right direction, including:

1. Support the legislature’s attempt to adequately fund education;

2. Approve the legislature’s reinstatement of income taxes to previous levels;

3. Heal the strained relationship between the executive and legislative branches, and

4. Throw off the cloak of secrecy surrounding the embattled Department of Children and Families.

WHEN COLYER took office Feb. 1, upon the resignation of Gov. Sam Brown-back, it was like crawling out from underneath a rock, the office was so overcast in gloom and doom. Whatever Brownback’s strengths — humility, strong faith, and a genuine nice guy — they were not enough to steer the ship, and his determination that drastic tax cuts would spur economic growth almost wrecked the state. The worse things got, the more Sam withdrew. In his last months in office, he was a no-show.

So yes, Gov. Colyer’s sunny, calm disposition is a welcome change.

But more importantly, he believes in government and the role it can play in educating our children, providing for our needy and displaced, and, in general, providing services that, individually, we can’t, such as maintaining our roads and bridges and providing law enforcement and a correctional system.

From the get-go, Colyer supported the legislature’s efforts to address school funding and comply with the Kansas Supreme Court’s ruling that our schools be funded in an adequate and equitable manner.