(Editor's Note: Candidates from several races were featured in Monday's Candidate Forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Great Bend - Barton County. This is the second of several recaps of the event with candidates grouped by the race for which they are a candidate. This story focuses on the Barton County Commission District 4 race with candidates Tricia Schlessiger and Kevin Rose. Monday's full event, which was livestreamed by Eagle Media, can be viewed by CLICKING HERE).
By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Ahead of the Aug. 4 Primary Election, the League of Women Voters of Great Bend - Barton County hosted a candidate forum Monday evening at the Great Bend Events. Several candidates for various local elected officers were allowed a short introduction, then given two minutes to answer a random question they were provided beforehand. Candidates were also given the opportunity to answer a question of their choice. The Barton County Commission, District 4 race features two candidates.
Tricia Schlessiger is the incumbent commissioner for the district. She and her husband have raised six kids on the family farm just outside of Ellinwood. A graduate of Kansas State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School of Banking, Schlessiger spent 20 years in the banking industry. She has served on various boards and committees in Ellinwood, and is wrapping up her first term on the Barton County Commission.
Schlessiger drew question No. 1 pertaining to concerns about large-scale data center proposals, specifically around resource use of water and the local power grid.
Schlessiger said Barton County is a zoned county, meaning data centers are currently prohibited. The board of commissioners could direct the planning commission to create regulations through an established process. The state of Kansas also has established water-use regulations. But the voters of Barton County would have a voice.
“We would need to listen to our constituents,” Schlessiger said. “Each and every citizen, and each and every tax payer of Barton County would need to be heard: do you want data centers? That would be the question. We would need to have open-door meetings and listen to what the people want. Then we have a process in place.”
Kevin Rose was born and raised on a farm in Stafford County before moving to Barton County in 1988, where he now lives near Great Bend. Along with farming, Rose worked at a local John Deere dealership for 28 years before helping open Heartland Ag Systems in Great Bend where he worked for 10 years.
Rose drew question No. 2 about the county’s role in the implementation of social services, health care, and infrastructure. As federal and state funds continue to dwindle while demand for services grows, what steps can the county commission take to maintain current funding levels?
Rose is the father of a handicapped son, and he recalls having a difficult time finding insurance and resources for assistance.
“As a commissioner, I would want to try to find every way we could, not only through the state and federal levels, to help the residents of Barton County be able to afford or get help that is needed,” said Rose. “They say there’s a lot out there but you have to fight for it, and you have to really dig. It doesn’t come easy.”
Early voting is currently underway at the Barton County Clerk’s Office on the second floor of the Barton County Courthouse, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, until noon on Monday, Aug. 3. Regular polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 4.