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| County Candidates Tackle Issues Before Election |
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| News - Linn County News | |||
| Wednesday, 28 July 2010 08:00 | |||
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Republican voters will decide next Tuesday which local candidates will advance to the general election in November in two races in Linn County. The first race pits two Parker women against each other for the opportunity to face an incumbent in the race for the 4th District seat in the Kansas House. Renee Slinkard, who identifies with the Tea Party organization, faces off against Caryn Tyson, who has served in the Linn County Republican Party organization. The winner will go against incumbent Democrat Shirley Palmer in November for the seat that represents Linn and Bourbon counties. The second race, for Linn County Commissioner from the 1st District, has three-term incumbent Herb Pemberton being challenged by Roberta Childers. Both candidates are from the La Cygne area, and the winner is expected to be challenged by independent Doug Martin in the November general election. Roberta Childers Roberta Childers, La Cygne, was born, raised and educated in Linn County. She has three grown children, six grandsons and four great-grandchildren. She said her family has been in Linn County since the 1870s. A graduate of Pleasanton High School, Childers worked for 30 years as a manager and administrator in the nursing home industry, which she said is the second most regulated industry in the United States. “Before entering the workforce, I took several hours of refresher courses,” Childers said. “While an administrator, I maintained 100 hours of continuing education units annually to keep my license current.” Her other experience includes raising a family, traveling both abroad and throughout the United States and working for the election committee on occasion. “I’ve attended commissioner’s meetings for the last four years,” she added. Childers belonged to the Professional Business Women’s Organization and the Kansas Association of Homes for the Aging before retiring. She is a member of Americans for Prosperity-Kansas, a group that works toward the goals of lower taxes, less government and greater personal responsibility. “I have attended 2nd District conventions in Topeka to get to know our state representatives and better understand the workings of our state government,” she said. She points to her experience as proof of her qualifications for the job. “In my 30 years in the nursing home industry, I was responsible for as many as 60 employees and 75 residents,” Childers said. “My experiences include budgeting, policy and procedure, personnel and community involvement. “After attending commission meetings for four years, I am concerned about the direction our county is heading. I believe my experience will make me an asset to the county and help us get back to the basics.” Her priorities as a commissioner include more open and transparent government. “Taxpayers need to be aware of how the county operates and how the money is spent,” she said. She also said it is important that the county controls spending. “We can stay in budget by reviewing the county resources to see if there’s room for improvement, especially with what is taking place at the federal and state levels,” Childers said. “We must start to tighten our belts and get back to basics.” That also means working to keep taxes low. “The taxpayers should be able to vote on any project that could affect the county for generations to come,” she explained. “The county shouldn’t be involved in running any business. Its role should be to provide infrastructure, protect its citizens and be a good steward of the taxpayers’ money. However, she also believes the commission should promote tourism and encourage and support small businesses. “This would be a good source for additional revenue and a great way to highlight the natural beauty and historical significance of our county,” Childers said. Herb Pemberton Herb Pemberton, La Cygne, is seeking a fourth term as the Linn County commissioner from District No. 1. A 1960 graduate of La Cygne Rural High School and a lifelong resident of the area, he and his wife have three children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. A retired businessman, cattleman and farmer with experience in excavating and heavy equipment, Pemberton is an elder in the La Cygne Christian Church and a Sunday school teacher. He said his main qualification for the job is that he has been at it long enough he has the experience needed to do it well. He said with the economic problems, things have become more difficult in the past two years. “This is the toughest two years I’ve seen,” he said. At the same time, he points to the successes in the county that have happened while he has been on the commission. He noted the building of the IPC plant near Pleasanton, which created as many as 130 jobs. Pemberton also points to the county’s efforts to help rebuild medical clinics in Mound City, La Cygne and Pleasanton, the redevelopment of commercial enterprises along the new U.S. 69 Highway and the continued success of Linn County Park as a tourism attraction as evidence the county has many positive things going for it. His priorities include increasing economic development opportunities. “We want more private businesses in the county to create more jobs,” he said. “That is very important.” “I’m also concerned about infrastructure: bridges and roads,” Pemberton said. “We need to get them back in shape. We had a very hard winter last year.” And though he realizes the proposed airport near Pleasanton is controversial now, he believes down the road; it will be important to the county. “I wouldn’t have been for the airport if it hadn’t been for the grant,” he said referring to a $1.2 million Kansas Department of Transportation grant that was given to the county to help develop the facility. He said despite criticism and claims to the contrary, he would ensure the project would stay within that budget, even if the runway ended up being shorter than planned. “We will stay within our budget,” he added, “We can’t afford not to.” Pemberton also said he would like to see a re-emergence of farm-based businesses in the county, including businesses that added value to farm commodities and businesses that support and supply agriculture in the county. Renee Slinkard Renee Slinkard and her husband, Don, who she married when she worked for the telephone company, are retired and live in rural Parker. The couple has two children and four grandchildren. Thirty years ago. they started a small service business, Custom Welding and Steel Fabrication Inc. that serviced the Kansas City area. While working for AT&T, Slinkard earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in management from Baker University. When she retired from AT&T as project manager, she did substitute teaching and then decided to become a healthcare professional and earned her registry in Diagnostic Medical Sonography working in metropolitan-area hospitals. Slinkard said her “vast experience as a business owner, communications project manager, teacher, healthcare professional and mom bring me knowledge and good judgment to better represent the people of Bourbon and Linn County.” “I plan on rocking the boat in Topeka, because I am not politics as usual,” Slinkard said. “I will bring to Topeka the voices of many residents in Linn and Bourbon County. “I welcome challenges and will stand up to the good old boys to push legislation according to what ‘We the People’ want. As a Tea Party organizer and speaker, I have attended many rallies in (Washington) D.C. and Topeka voicing my concerns over issues such as our liberty and freedom, healthcare, taxes and wasteful spending.” Slinkard said she will take to Topeka her diverse experience and passion to get things done on issues that Linn and Bourbon County citizens want. That includes pushing the legislature to obey the immigration laws in our country and cut wasteful spending. “Benefits for illegal immigrants cost taxpayers $400 million a year,” she said. “I will push legislature to get the in-state tuition law reversed, and enforce e-verify. “Taxes are a burden to Kansas citizens and I will seek to provide tax breaks for businesses and individuals. Quality education for our children is a must, and so is a balanced budget in our education system. Slinkard also said she will strive to stop the many mandates and laws taking away freedom and liberties of citizens in Kansas. “Politics as usual is not my style,” Slinkard said, “and I challenge the legislators in Topeka to start listening to the people who they represent. We have got to get back to what our founding fathers had intended when they wrote the great document, The Constitution of the United States. Caryn Tyson Caryn Tyson and her husband, Tim, have been married for 21 years. She said they are proud to live in Parker, as Tim is the fifth generation of Tysons in Linn County. Tyson and her four siblings are fifth-generation Kansans. They were born and raised in Kansas, and her parents owned and operated the Glasco Locker Plant where she worked alongside her family and friends. She graduated from Kansas State University where she simultaneously earned two bachelor’s degrees, one in mathematics and the other in computer science. While pursuing her degrees, Tyson worked at the K-State Meat Lab where she was exposed to world-class agricultural research. Later she completed her master’s degree in engineering management at the University of Kansas. She is project management certified by PMI and the State of Kansas, and has had educational training and real-world experience in managing budgets. After graduating, Tyson began working in the information technology industry and has continued working in this field for more than 20 years. Her work included space shuttle support for NASA, where she received multiple awards for achievement and teamwork. Another interest of hers is being in business with her husband. Through the years they have worked to produce quality cattle in Linn County and to steadily add to their herd. They own and operate Tyson Ranch, which is an important part of their lives. Tyson said she has been involved with grassroots activities for many years and has worked to get others involved. She currently serves as Second District Chair of the Republican Party working with 26 counties in Kansas. She has coordinated volunteer efforts to host grassroots training, fundraisers, candidate forums and other activities where people can learn and become involved in their community. Tyson was also elected as the Liberty Precinct Committeewoman where she is active in the Linn County Central Committee. She has volunteered as a coach and mentor and enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially her nieces and nephews. The Tysons are supporters of local National Rifle Association and sportsmen events. Tyson said she is most qualified to be state representative because of her education, experience and training in the budget process and Kansas government without being an incumbent. Through her project management training and experience on government contracts, she has seen first-hand the inefficiencies and wasteful spending. “Kansas government is in need of someone who has experience in analyzing problems, designing, and implementing solutions, and I am confident that my 20 years real-world experience could do just that for our state,” she said. Tyson’s top priorities include more fiscal responsibility, more limits on government, protecting freedoms, supporting traditional values and increased economic development. “Kansas uses a baseline budget process,” she said. “This process encourages spending, not saving. The state prepares a baseline budget from the previous years’ money spent. “If money is not spent in the previous year, the budget is lowered. Many state departments and agencies will spend the money, whether they need it or not, in order to avoid lowering the baseline budget. As your state representative, I will work to address this process in order to stop the wasteful spending.” “I support excellence in education and as your representative I will collaborate with efforts to deliver to our children an education that allows each student to compete in the workforce and have a rewarding career in Kansas. “In the classroom we need equal opportunity not equal outcomes. We must find ways to improve education without over taxing the taxpayer.” Tyson also said that she will stand to make Kansas a leader in the battle to defend the rights of states against an overzealous and activist federal government in Washington by protecting the state’s sovereignty. “The federal government is overstepping its authority on one hand, and neglecting its responsibility on the other,” she said. “As a Kansas legislator, I will sponsor and support legislation that will strengthen Kansas law to Arizona-like law and reverse Kansas laws that grants citizen privileges to illegal immigrants.” A supporter of freedom, Tyson said it is important that we never forget we are the heirs of our forefathers’ revolutions. “Today, these freedoms are being challenged from within,” she said. “I will fight to protect our freedoms such as the First and Second Amendments.” Tyson also believes the strength of Kansas lies in the strength of its families. “I am a pro-family advocate and support these and other traditional values,” she said. “As your representative, I will stand for these values and base legislation on these principles.” She also said she would work to create an environment where private industry and family farms can prosper and grow. “That means keeping taxes low, government spending down, and doing away with unneeded regulations,” Tyson said. “This will stimulate the economy and put people back to work more effectively than any government program.”
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