Fort Scott, KS — Monday night at Fort Scott High School, starting promptly at 6pm, the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum. About 100 local citizens heard from many candidates who are on the ballot for the November 4th elections.

The evening kicked off with a welcome from Chamber Executive Director, Lindsay Madison and the forum was moderated by Larry Gazaway. Candidates were allowed two minutes to make opening and closing remarks and asked three questions chosen from public submissions.

The following are snippets from candidates remarks and responses throughout the evening.

U.S. House of Representatives

Margie Wakefield (D) Dysfunction in congress – Over 29 year’s experience as a lawyer, looking for solutions to complicated problems. Can take this experience to the US House is real ways to make real impact.

Lynn Jenkins (R) – Background in accounting and after serving Kansas, ran for US House of Representatives. We are making headway and looking forward to building on accomplishments so far.

1. Should we continue investigating the IRS for targeting of political organizations?

LJ – Absolutely, this is one of the most disturbing mismanagement of the IRS. We will continue oversight. People shouldn’t be targeted for their political beliefs. We have oversight and will continue to move forward in accountability and seeking fair

MW – Shutting down the gov’t is not going to help us have an efficient gov’t. We need to work together to come up with a solution.

2. Border issue – What is your definition of immigration reform?

Mw – I don’t not support full amnesty. We are not going to depart millions of people. We need to have a real conversation about immigration reform and we need to make them tax payers, quickly. Unfortunately, all the finger pointed is not helping.

LJ – This is a real concern with border security. Those in the House passed border security measure and is stuck in the Senate right now.

Pastor are being sued for not performing same-sex marriagin what protecgtion do they have

LJ- Tthe supreme court, has pretty much put this issue to bed. I anticipate this being a state issue and will land in the judicial branch.

MW – Scotus has sealed the deal, but most likely will fall to the states to decide.

Kansas Attorney General

AJ Kotich (D)

Remarks: Joined Marine Corp in 1969, became an officer and become part of JAG. Biggest issue right now is reducing cost; 8.3 million spent on private outside lawyers.

1. Do you support ID voter laws?

We are here to support the constitution and enforce the laws on the books and that’s what I would do, regardless of my personal opinions.

2. Clerks are issuing same sex marriage certificates, how would your office be involved in that?

We are here to support the constitution and that what I would do, regardless of my personal opinion.

3. How would your administration be different from the current administration?

It would be run more efficiently, would cut spending and utilize the in house resources unless there was a conflict of interest with a case.

Kansas State Treasurer

Derek Kreifels, Assistant State Treasurer bring remarks on behalf of Ron Estes (R), State Treasurer

Manage 24 billion dollars a year. Over the last four years, through our unclaimed property division, has returned more than 60 million dollars to Kansas. This can be seen through www.kansascash.com. Ron Estes was the first elected treasure from Wichita, KS.

Kansas Commissioner of Insurance

How does party affiliation affect the job?

DA – It shouldn’t affect the job at all. We are elected to serve the gen. pub. and really need to serve the questions and protect the interest of all people. It’s regulated because there are large sums of money at stake.

KS – Should not be a political office at all. I’m a business man and will work to bring private business practice to this department.

2. What is the most pressing issue

KS – there have been some long term people in this position. We have had officials for 24 hours – the pressing issues is the affordability and availability in coverage of home owners, affordable care act, etc. I’m not in favor of Obamacare, there are better ways to deal with the mandates.

DA –The most pressing issue is making sure the people have an advocate that best represent the people. Second, is that we need an office that will make sure to hold insurance companies accountable. 3^rd thing – is to make sure we have a competent, efficient department.

Kansas House of Representatives District 4

1. Do you support raising taxes this next fiscal year and why?

MR – I don’t believe growing the government is good, but rather growing economy. Best thing the government can do is leave the creative business person alone.

LC –  I paid no income tax this past year due to state policies to increase small business revenue, in theory to help business’ grow. However, we aren’t seeing revenue for the state increase and we need a new tax structure.

2. Should we require mandatory drug testing on all pregnant women?

MR – Doesn’t seem like the government needs to be involved in this.

LC – I believe this is too invasive procedure.

Bourbon County Commissioner – District #1

Clinton Walker (D) – Dist #1

8 good roads, life cycle replacement program, manage personnel with respect. Heavy on maintenance

Lynn Oharah (R) – Dist #1

1. Gravel roads / dust control?

LO – Gravel roads are in poor shape, we need to have an aggressive program to address these road to protect the public and school vehicles.

CW – First thing is to apply more gravel on the roads, ditches cleaned out and mowed, keep all that road signs clear of obstructions.

2. Economic development, what are your ideas

CW – Three things need continue improvement: education, good roads, workforce. If you have these areas continually improving, you will have businesses coming into our county

LO – Bourbon County has opportunities, but we need to have people dedicated to making proposals to draw business’ to BC. We have a great team, but they need more help to extend their outreach further.

3. Bourbon County Jail is in disrepair – would you support, how big and how pay for it?

LO – Neither bond issue or tax increase is going to work. We are taxed to the max and the jail is in disrepair, something needs to be done. We don’t need to focus on the creature comforts, but we do need to make sure it’s safe. Put it on the ballot and let the people decide.

CW – 75 bed facility (build) or remodeled. Before we do anything, we need to have different options and present to the public. Once we have a unified approach and strategy then we need to put it on the ballot.

Bourbon County Sheriff

1. As an admin, how would your admin be different?

MF – I would focus on building a team. Currently, there is not much teamwork and communication

BM – We are working to exchange information protocol on shift changes. We have established a new records information system.

2. Illegal drugs, what are the plans to combat this?

BM – We need more personnel, so we can assign manpower to the hotspots and following up investigations. We are working with area agencies, but we still need additional manpower to combat these issues

MF – Worked many cases alone. I don’t receive much information on current cases or calls. We need to focus on what we have and make it work.

Where does $$ come from to provide more?

MF – Tax payers, yes, I would support a small tax increase.

MB – The best route is to work  a plan with the commissioners to develop a strategies to release the funds. There are grants out there to increase personnel and other options. It’s critical to develop relationship with commissioners to ensure our citizens are getting proper security and safety.

Early voting has started at the courthouse already. For more information on the November 4th election, including a sample ballot, you can click here.

See you at the polls!

 

 

 

FORT SCOTT, KS – Last Friday afternoon, a group of local young professionals gathered in a local pizza place for their monthly meeting. The meeting was the Young Professional League of Bourbon County (YPL). Heather Griffith, President, related the mission and vision of YPL is to engage young professionals to advocate for a better community through relationships and creative collaboration. YPL seeks to be a place for young professions who care about the advancement of Fort Scott and creates a place for their voices to be heard.

YPL was established in 2007 and continues to meet the first Friday of every month with varied topics of discussion. Mostly these are centered on economic and social issues within the city and surrounding areas. This also includes community members coming and giving presentations once a quarter about different activities and initiatives in the community.

This past meeting, the two candidates running for County Sheriff came and shared their platform, policy changes they would like to see in the future if they are elected and answered some general questions from YPL members. YPL is hosting a candidate forum October 20^th the high school. Candidates who will be on the Nov 4^th ballot will be present for comments and questions.

Other general announcements made at the meeting to give you a scope of other activities YPL participate in were: Decorating a pavilion at the Zombie Chase in Gunn Park, serving in the soup line November 5^th, prepping for the job fair for high school students in January followed by hosting a chamber coffee later in January.

YPL is always looking for more members and active young professional to join. Dues are only $35 a year and membership is a great way to meet new people and became involved in Fort Scott. If you have further question, you can check out their website by clicking here or you can contact Heather Griffith at her office:
Director of Economic Development
City of Fort Scott
620.203.0318
www.fscity.org

 

 

Fort Scott, KS – If you are interested in getting out and about this weekend, plan on stopping and spending time at the Gordon Parks Celebration of Culture and Diversity event this weekend. Many of you may know Gordon Parks was born in Fort Scott, but can you name the cultural impacts he made as an artist? He was mostly known for photography, but also was a writer, musician, film director and composer.

This weekend’s events serve to honor Gordon Parks but also to hold further discussion of the issue of poverty and the many social implications within our communities. As a tribute to Gordon Park’s love of photography, a central theme of this weekend’s celebration is telling stories through pictures. The 26^th annual Gordon Park’s Photography Competition finalist will be on display. You can view them by clicking here.

Here are two of the entries:

There are numerous events going on all weekend and most of them are free to attend. Certainly, you would benefit by participating all weekend, but if you need to pick and choose, you can click here for the entire weekend schedule. A few of the highlights include the “Poverty A-Z Exhibit,” a multi-media presentation incorporating photography and music. The display will be in the Ken & Charlotte Lunt lobby from September 19 – October 17^th. Karen Haas, Curator of the Lane Collection of Photography at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts will discuss Gordon Parks photography, Friday 1:15-2:45pm, free event in the Ellis Fine Arts building (theatre). Friday closes with a “Celebration Tribute Dinner” with presentation of the 2014 “Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award.” Cost $30, Liberty Theatre, reservation required.

Saturday, “The Learning Tree,” Gordon Park’s biographical film will play in the Ellis Fine Arts Theatre at 9am. FREE. Finally, the weekend ends with “Picnic on the Patio” in the Ellis Center Geraldine and E.C. and Gordon Outdoor Patio – $8 (weather permitting).

For more information about this celebration or the life and work of Gordon Parks, please contact:

Jill Warford, Executive Director
Ft. Scott Community College
2108 S. Horton
Fort Scott, KS 66701
1-800-874-3722, ext. 5850 or
[email protected]

Fort Scott, KS –

Fort Scott is the county seat for Bourbon County, also comprising of the highest population density in the county. It only makes sense the Emergency Manager (EM) would be in the center of it all. William Wallace, a 12 years FEMA veteran, is at the helm of all disaster preparedness activities happening in the county.

It’s easy for the EM position to go unnoticed during times of nice weather and everything going smoothly, much like most people live their lives. However, it’s the careful planning and mitigation of the EM that helps coordinate the emergency services during incidents that can expedite recovery efforts and more importantly save lives.

An important aspect of Wallace’s job is investigating the county and ensuring municipalities have taken important steps to mitigate against potential disaster that could occur in the county. Wallace’s office keeps close tabs with Topeka and FEMA Region 7 in assessing threats and solutions for Bourbon County. Mitigation may include fortifying current systems, such as electrical, to ensure a more expedited return of power. Another great example, just as this article is being written, the CDC has just announced the first case of the Ebola virus in the US. This is an issue where the EM may consult with the county health department to ensure we have a strategy should action need to be taken.

“Another big job in emergency management is the facilitation of all emergency services,” Wallace said. “I knew we had an excellent team after the tornado incident in April,” commented Wallace. Inter-agency cooperation during an incident is a critical component to ensure effective and efficient response and recovery. “Relationships and communication are a key component to ensure this happens,” Wallace said. During the relationship building process is something known in the emergency field as ‘exercises.’ These can range from simple discussion based “tabletop exercises” to a full scale disaster exercise. Wallace mentioned they try to have as many exercises during the year as possible without disrupting the daily responsibilities of the emergency service personnel.

Wallace also has an interest in increased communication within the county during times of disaster. They are launching a new alert system called CodeRED, you can read more about it here. Just as the EM is responsible for mitigation on a county level, he is also concerned about families taking steps in preparedness within their home. The emergency service will work tirelessly during a disaster to reach families and ensure safety. However, Wallace highly recommended families take some basic steps to increase each family’s preparedness. His top three recommendations for preparedness are:

1. Be ready to sustain your family for a minimum of 48 hours. This includes: water, food (not requiring heat), power (batteries) and adequate clothing and shelter
2. Communication plan. This includes family, extended family, cell phones, phone chargers, etc. Make a plan on how you are going to be able to communicate and when, during a disaster. For example, during a disaster cell phones maybe tied up, but you can send text or try calling, but should only try calling at designated times to preserve cell battery. Or if you are close enough, arrange meeting places.
3. Pay attention to media. It’s important to be able to access the latest communication the EM is sending out. This could be through radio, television or CodeRED. However you choose, it’s a good idea to have a back-up and check batteries periodically to make sure they are still working.

Wallace also discussed the possibility of working with the Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. CERT is a nationally recognized program that aims to provide citizens with some basic preparedness and organizational training to respond to local disasters. There is a wealth of information online if community members are interested in learning more about preparedness and mitigating disasters, including FREE online FEMA courses.

For more information about Bourbon County Emergency Management:

210 S. National Ave.
Fort Scott, KS 66701
620-223-3800 x124
620-223-3234 fax
[email protected]

Additional Links:
Bourbon County Fire District #3 FB
Hazard Risk Assessment for Bourbon County
Sign up for CodeRED
Ready.gov
Additional links from Bourbon County EM Site

 

Bourbon County, KS – Communication during a potential time of disaster has proven to save peoples lives. Emergency personnel are always on the look for better ways to communicate to those living in their jurisdiction more effectively.

Starting this October, Bourbon County is launching a new alert system. This alert system is named “CodeRED.” Bourbon County Emergency Manager, William Wallace is enthusiastic about the possibilities of this system. “Not only can you receive alerts about potential dangers, but the user can choose to receive notifications about county wide events and news,” Wallace said.

CodeRED is a high-speed mass notification system that can deliver alerts to your land line or texts to your cell phone or email. Registration for the alerts is free and simple.  Click here to go to the Bourbon County web page to register.  There is also an app you can download for smart phones by clicking here.

For more information or questions:
620-223-3800 or [email protected]