Former state legislator announces party switch

Cindy Neighbor will try to regain seat as Democrat

? A Republican former state legislator from Johnson County said Thursday she was switching parties to become a Democrat and would try to reclaim her House seat.

Cindy Neighbor, of Shawnee, plans to challenge state Rep. Mary Pilcher-Cook in the 2006 election.

Pilcher-Cook defeated Neighbor in 2004, after Neighbor defeated Pilcher-Cook in 2002.

Neighbor’s defection to the Democratic Party is the second high-profile party switch in recent weeks in Johnson County.

In November, Johnson County’s top prosecutor, Paul Morrison, announced his switch to the Democratic Party and said he would challenge Atty. Gen. Phill Kline, a Republican, in the 2006 election.

Neighbor, a lifelong Republican, said she was switching to the Democratic Party because the Kansas Republican Party had become too narrow-minded.

“In a democracy, people should educate themselves and shouldn’t be told to function like puppets,” Neighbor said.

While in the Legislature, Neighbor was a strong supporter of funding for public schools.

She said some Republicans tried to avoid the issue of school funding by simply complaining about “activist judges.”

She said Johnson County and state GOP officials were making Republicans like herself feel unwanted.

Pilcher-Cook and Douglas Patterson, chairman of the Johnson County Republican Party, did not immediately return calls Thursday seeking comment.