No coin flips here, unless it’s a three-sided coin.

Voters in the 53rd District of the Kansas House have three candidates to choose from when they go to the polls Nov. 2.

Ann Mah, a Democrat, says health care is the top issue in the district. Jack Woelfel, the Republican, says voters are talking mostly about education. And Thomass Lessman, a Libertarian, is focused on “family issues” such as restricting no-fault divorce.

All three candidates say they see big problems with their respective top issues. And they also differ in how to solve those problems.

On education, both Mah and Woelfel say Kansas schools must be fully funded. But both suggest schools can probably find some fat to trim.

“The first thing we need to do is look for efficiencies,” Mah said.

“It’s called accountability,” Woelfel said. “The school districts receive 85 percent of the state’s general fund, and they don’t account for that. It’s time they tell us where it goes.”

Mah said the state might find new sources of school funding without raising taxes.

“Hopefully, some of the money from the (newly approved) casinos will go that way,” she said. “But you can’t count on that funding.”

Mah wouldn’t rule out a tax increase for schools, but said one should be approved only “as a last resort.”

Woelfel said he also was loathe to increase taxes.

“I am opposed to tax increases of any kind,” he said. “That doesn’t mean I would never vote for a tax increase — I think it would be foolish to make that statement.”

Lessman, meanwhile, said the current school funding controversy was the fault of Shawnee County District Judge Terry Bullock, who ruled last year that the state’s school funding formula was out of whack. The Kansas Supreme Court is considering the case.

“What you’ve got here is an activist judge,” Lessman said. “I think the best way to get rid of the school finance controversy is to get rid of Judge Bullock.”

On other issues:

• Mah makes health care a central part of her platform, calling for the state to consider easing access to Canadian prescriptions drugs and to coordinate a health insurance pool for small businesses. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is working on the latter option, she said.

“I’m pretty excited about what the governor’s doing,” she said. “Ninety percent of Kansans work for small businesses.”

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• Lessman wants an end to what he calls “unilateral no-fault divorce.” It’s too easy, he said, for one spouse to get out of a marriage without the consent of the other. And he favors deep cuts to the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, which he said undermined parental rights in divorce cases.

Lessman said he hadn’t seen his oldest daughter in two years because of current Kansas law.

“Some of it,” he said, “does come from personal experience.”

• Woelfel said he would focus on moral issues: favoring a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and prohibitions on abortion.

“It should always be illegal,” he said of abortion.

Mah said she favored allowing a statewide vote on the marriage issue, but advocates abortion rights.

Lessman said the father deserved a say in a woman’s decision to have an abortion. He is against the marriage amendment.

The 53rd District includes two townships, Clinton and Marion in Douglas County. Two of the 30 precincts involved in the House district are in Douglas County. Most of the district is in Shawnee County.

State House: 53rd District
	Biographical info:	Political experience:	Key issues:
	Thomass LessmanOct. 23, 1977Tech consultant, “fathers and family advocate”Divorced, three daughtersUnreligiousHigh school diploma4124 N.E. Brier Road, Topeka	LibertarianFirst run for office, experience with legislators on families and father issues.	Favors eliminating unilateral no-fault divorce and deeply cutting the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services; says the school funding controversy can be blamed on “activist judges.”
	Ann MahMay 5, 1951Retired Southwestern Bell, training and business consultantMarried; one sonLutheran3351 SE Meadowview Drive, Topeka	DemocratPrecinct committeewoman	Willing to raise taxes for schools, same-sex marriage amendment unnecessary, willing to let small businesses participate in state’s health insurance plan, abortion should be “rare but legal”
	Jack L. WoelfelOct. 7, 1944Software analyst for Blue Cross/Blue ShieldWife, Mary; one son; two grandchildrenNon-denominational4346 SE Maryland Ave., Topeka	RepublicanPrecinct committeeman	Working to direct education funding to classrooms, supports carrying of concealed weapons, holding the line on taxes