ShawneeDispatch.com

With the end of the Kansas Legislature’s 2008 session last week and an imminent June 10 filing deadline for legislative seats, lawmakers now may turn their attention to this November’s elections.

Shawnee voters will help determine the outcome of six races for the Legislature, with one sure newcomer in the Senate district covering the city and at least four incumbents running for re-election in the five House of Representatives districts in the city.

The guaranteed newcomer is created by 10th District Sen. Nick Jordan, R-Shawnee, who will leave his seat to run for 3rd District Congress against current U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore.

One candidate for Jordan’s seat may be new to the Legislature, but she isn’t completely new to the political scene. Republican Sue Gamble, currently a member of the State Board of Education, filed last October for the 10th District seat, which covers Shawnee, Lake Quivira and a portion of Lenexa.

She is the lone candidate at this time, though when Jordan first announced he would not run for re-election, former 18th District Rep. Mary Pilcher-Cook said she intended to file by petition for the seat. Patrick Regan, co-owner of Coldwell Banker Regan Realtors in Shawnee, filed for the 10th District seat in October, but his name is no longer listed on the secretary of state’s Web site.

In the House of Representatives, Jill Quigley, R-Lenexa, has filed to run for re-election to the 17th District seat, which covers south-central areas in Shawnee as well as Lenexa. Quigley was elected last summer to fill out the term of Stephanie Sharp, who stepped down.

In the 18th District, covering northeastern Shawnee, Democrat Cindy Neighbor will run for re-election, having filed in November. But she will face opposition from Republican John Rubin of Shawnee.

Rubin, who filed in February, retired in 2004 after 10 years as a Social Security administrative law judge. He said as a judge, he was barred from participating in political activity, and family matters kept him from running in 2006.

Now, he says issues he sees as important have prompted him to run. He describes himself as a conservative who wants to control spending and address issues like immigration and healthcare.

“I think my background and life of public service … gives me the qualifications, the experience and the judgment to make decisions in Topeka,” he said.

Another new face has filed in the 23rd District, which covers southeastern Shawnee, but it remains unclear if the incumbent will seek re-election.

John Crabtree, in the last year of a four-year term as a Merriam City Council member, has filed to run in the district as a Republican.

“I truly enjoyed helping the people and serving the community as a city councilman for Merriam, continue to do community service, just on a grander scale,” he said.

Crabtree, 36, an event coordinator for large corporations, said he would like to focus on education, economic development and healthcare if elected.

The incumbent in the 23rd District, Judy Morrison, R-Shawnee, has yet to file. Morrison, who was first elected in 1998, did not immediately return calls or e-mails requesting comment.

Four-year legislator Anthony Brown, R-Eudora, is the lone candidate to file thus far in the 38th District, which covers southwestern areas of Shawnee between Ogg Road and Kansas Highway 7.

In the 39th District, incumbent Owen Donohue, R-Shawnee, also is the only candidate, having filed Friday. However, Joe Novak, current principal at Mill Valley High School, indicated last year that he would run for the seat as a Democrat. The 39th District covers northwestern Shawnee as well as Bonner Springs and Basehor.

Post a comment

ShawneeDispatch.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.
Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.

Requires free ShawneeDispatch.com registration.