photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County Commission candidates met at a forum on Sunday, September 15, 2024, hosted by NAACP and League of Women's Voters.

At a forum hosted by the NAACP and League of Women Voters, candidates for Douglas County Commission shared their views on public safety, climate change and which issues should be addressed in the county.

All 10 candidates for the County Commission’s four open seats were in attendance Sunday at the Lawrence Public Library except for a candidate from District 5, Kirsten Kuhn, a Libertarian.

The candidates running in each district, including the newly added 4th and 5th districts, are as follows: In the 2nd District, incumbent Democrat Shannon Reid will face independent Brad Chun; For the 3rd District, incumbent Democrat Karen Willey is running against Republican Pam McDermott; Democrat Gene Dorsey, Libertarian Steve Jacob, and Republican Timothy Bruce are candidates for the 4th District; Finally, in the 5th District, the contenders are Democrat Erica Anderson, Republican Rich Lorenzo and Kuhn.

A question that drove a lot of discussion was what services provided by the county contribute to public safety and how candidates would support them if elected to the county commission.

Chun said that after going door to door and speaking with residents, people told him that the first thing they want their tax dollars to provide for them is the safety that comes from their first responders along with the infrastructure that allows for fast response times.

“All of these core services deserve to be well-funded,” Chun said.

“As a county, our resources are finite,” Chun said. “And we have a duty to provide this safety only while spending in a way that produces the best results at a cost that doesn’t put others in jeopardy.”

Willey said that she has spent 12 years as a volunteer firefighter and first responder in the rural area, which has allowed her to engage with these programs both as a commissioner and in her role as a first responder.

“I would add that our crisis services, our crisis system, which is our mental health crisis services, (our) suicide hotline, the juvenile recovery center, Bert Nash, those are also public safety as well as our justice programs,” Willey said. ” … That’s to keep people themselves safe as well as others safe.”

Bruce said he thinks the county as a whole is public safety, whether it’s fire and medical, the sheriff’s office, public works or road safety, it’s all part of what makes it safe to live here in Douglas County.

“It’s all important,” Bruce said. “(We) just need to continue to understand where those expenses lie and leverage them to be extensive and supportive to our citizens,” Bruce said.

Anderson said that counties play a critical role in ensuring that the infrastructure is set up for success and meets the needs of everyone in the county.

“For safety, we must ensure that we have funding,” Anderson said. ” … For Douglas County, we must not just think about property taxes, but we must think about all of the costs that add up to all the costs that we all bear, including health care, infrastructure costs, and we must partner with everyone to ensure that we are addressing them.”

Additionally, candidates discussed:

* Their views on whether or not they would take action against climate change.

Jacob said that climate change is a complicated issue. He said the community was close to getting rid of Evergy’s coal-fired plant.

“I very much want to get rid of that coal plant,” Jacob said. “If it means more windmills, wind farms, solar, we need it. I’m talking about our children and grandchildren. We need to do more, but not break the bank on it.”

Reid said that when it comes to tackling climate change and the increase of severe weather, what deserves our attention is prevention and preparedness. She said science tells us what’s happening in real time, and we can actually plan accordingly.

“(One of the things) I support is the county’s strict regulation of our floodplain and not allowing further development in those areas of unincorporated Douglas County,” Reid said.

Lorenzo said that his family moved onto a small piece of property in the rural part of Douglas County about seven years ago, and it has been a learning experience as they have figured out how to care for the environment in lasting ways.

“We are managing invasive species, soil health and water management on a very small scale,” Lorenzo said. ” … What this experience has taught me is that the number one principle in securing environmental health is the personal decisions we make. A large part of my district is agricultural, and it is my plan to spend time talking with those in agriculture to best support them.”

* Their stance on which issues should be addressed in county government.

Dorsey said that the city law requires all elected officials and the county’s salaries be approved by the county commission, and he said that the commissioners salaries continue to increase year after year.

“I think that needs to change,” Dorsey said.

McDermott said that the local government is the place to listen and respond to citizens with excellence and to make life affordable and safe for the people that live here.

“We have so many ideas and plans for the future that we’re ignoring the pain on the ground today,” McDermott said. ” … I’m committed to building a local government where everyday citizens have access to helping shape the decisions that affect their daily lives.”