By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Representing different political parties, Mark Rondeau and Dr. Sherri Brantley will not be on the same ballot in the Aug. 6 primary election for the Kansas House, District 112 seat. They will go head-to-head in November's general election. Both candidates participated in last Thursday's candidate forum presented by the League of Women Voters of Great Bend at the Great Bend Senior Center.
Rondeau, a longtime attorney who moved to Great Bend in 1983 after serving in the United States Air Force, was present to answer the question of which three issues are most important to District 112 and how to address them. He believes there are more than three issues but spoke of the toxic political environment, property tax reforms, and governmental overreach. He offered a solution for high property taxes.
"The reality is, that money has to come from somewhere, and I haven't heard anybody propose anything about how to do that," he said. "I have a proposal. We need to legalize the sale of cannabis in Kansas and tax the living daylights out of it, and use that money to offset property taxes. That money is already going to Oklahoma, to Colorado, and God forbid, to Missouri. We can keep it here and reduce our property taxes that way."
Great Bend Chamber CEO Megan Barfield read written answers from Brantley, who moved to Great Bend in 1975 and has two Master's degrees and a doctorate. Brantley said the three biggest issues were small business, improving infrastructure, and lowering taxes. Her plan to lower taxes includes returning to grassroots collaboration efforts and connecting with communities in the 112th district to create a tax-relief taskforce for reciprocating ideas she can take back to Topeka.
Check out Thursday's candidate forum in its entirety below.