Topeka mayoral race draws first openly gay candidate
Topeka ? An openly gay businessman announced Monday that he is running for mayor in Topeka, a city known nationwide as home of the late Fred Phelps and his stridently anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church.
Chris Schultz, a partner in two downtown Topeka restaurants, joined a field of four other candidates seeking to replace incumbent Mayor Larry Wolgast, who has announced he is retiring from public office this year.
In a statement announcing his candidacy, Schultz said his focus will be on road repair, public safety and opportunities for working families.
“We need to continue supporting our most creative individuals and fight to retain opportunities for them to grow their families here,” he said. “(Forty percent) of people who make over $40,000 a year in Topeka don’t reside in Topeka. This must change.”
Topeka has long been seen as a city that was less than hospitable to the LGBT community, primarily because of the aggressively anti-gay picketing by Phelps and his followers.
But that church has been less visible since Phelps’ death in 2014. Meanwhile, Topeka has been trying to cultivate a more progressive public image with the recent redesign of Kansas Avenue and the development of a new arts district in North Topeka.
In addition to operating two Kansas Avenue restaurants — the Break Room, which is closed for remodeling due to a fire in December, and Field of Greens — Schultz also produces a talk show, “Talk About Topeka,” which is distributed on television, radio and online.
Also running for the office are City Councilwoman Michelle de la Isla, businessman Clark Trammell, political newcomer and military veteran Mark Weiser, and business owner Spencer Duncan.