BECAUSE YOU DESERVE BETTER REPRESENTATION THAN WHAT YOU HAVE!

Those of you who followed the bizarre proceedings in the 24th District right after the 2006 election know that, for all intents and purposes, I never really ended the campaign. Now that the far right wing has assumed the 24th District's legislative driver's seat, I believe my campaign's message of Mainstream, Moderate values resonates louder and clearer than ever.

My Republican opponent, while an affable and engaging person, has shown no evidence of leadership abilities in his appointed position, to the point that he has openly admitted a need to ask his colleagues how to vote! Worse still, some of his votes, along with his explanations, would make any true Moderate wince. This legislative district is probably the most Moderate, maybe even the most Progressive in all of Johnson County. In this district, to have a representative borne from the heart of the radical right runs completely against all logic and common sense. To have him forced upon us by the far right wing of a dysfunctional Republican party is a slap in the face of the democratic process. Once was quite enough, but as you may be aware my previous opponent was ALSO appointed by the GOP, rather than elected outright. Two bait-and-switches in a row is more than enough!

As we watched the 2007-08 legislature work (if you could actually call it work), there was little evidence of bipartisan cooperation. From education to healthcare, from immigration to energy policy, corporate special interest groups continue to wield undue influence on our lawmakers, particularly those who follow rather than lead. My solemn vow has been and remains to be YOUR voice in Topeka. You have been underrepresented for far too long. If you're a homeowner, an hourly wage earner, a small business owner, a student, a teacher, retired, disabled or one of the able and willing but unemployed, I am ready to be your voice.

These are the priorities on which we all agree:

Maintaining the Shawnee Mission Schools' tradition of excellence

Making health care available and affordable to all Kansans, young and old

Securing a living wage for us all, rather than ranking among the lowest in the nation

Easing the financial burden on homeowners as they get older, particularly important in these uncertain times

Establishing a forward-thinking, clean and sustainable energy policy that benefits Kansans from one end of the state to the other.

Ending the corrosive practice of predatory lending or so-called "payday loans"

You didn't see those priorities tackled over the past two years, nor advanced in any meaningful way by your current lawmaker. Now more than ever, change is in YOUR hands, and I stand with you, ready to serve!