Topeka ? Kansas Democrats are seeking to remove House Speaker Ray Merrick from his leadership post because of disparaging remarks he made about government employees, but party leaders acknowledge they don’t have much of a say in who holds that position.

Merrick, a Stilwell Republican, told The Wichita Eagle last weekend that government workers produce nothing, and are a net consumer whose employment amounts to a Democratic jobs program that doesn’t stimulate the economy. His remarks didn’t sit well with some of the roughly 36,000 state employees, whose ranks include law enforcement officers, teachers, social workers and court officials.

The Kansas Democratic Party said it has started an online petition, which has been signed by about 1,400 people, to make Republican legislators aware of how Kansas residents feel about Merrick’s comments, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.

“The Democratic effort to fire Ray Merrick, I understand why they’re upset,” said Rep. Stephanie Clayton, R-Overland Park, who added that she has heard from constituents who are upset.

The House speaker position is essentially chosen during a Republican caucus in early December. Merrick has only one formally declared competitor so far, Rep. Virgil Peck of Tyro, who once compared illegal immigrants to feral hogs before later apologizing.

The firestorm for Merrick began Sunday with a quote published in the Eagle, in which he took aim at Democrats and former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

“Government employees produce nothing. They’re a net consumer. And you got that cost forever and ever and ever because they’re on the KPERS (pension) plan, they’re on all the government insurance and everything,” Merrick said. “That is employment to Democrats. Hire more (government employees). And that was Kathleen: she’d brag about her employment number, ‘Oh, I got a lot of people employed.’

“Yeah, you got a lot more government employees employed. That doesn’t stimulate the economy,” he said.

Merrick spokeswoman Rachel Whitten provided a statement to the Capital-Journal in which he says his comments were “poorly phrased and poorly contextualized.”

“There is no question that state employees provide valuable services and contribute to the Kansas economy every day. …” Merrick said. “There are thousands of state workers who devote their lives to serving fellow Kansans, and I commend them.”