TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court is wrestling with whether it should censure a former Wichita-area judge over allegations that he was not candid in answering questions about earlier accusations of improper behavior.

An attorney for former Sedgwick County District Judge Timothy Henderson said Monday in arguments before the Supreme Court that the latest case against Henderson is moot.

Henderson lost his Republican primary race for re-election in August and resigned, effective Sunday.

The high court suspended Henderson for three months without pay in 2015 after a disciplinary panel found he had sexually harassed female attorneys and staff by repeatedly making offensive remarks.

Disciplinary Examiner Todd Thompson told the Supreme Court that while it no longer can suspend Henderson, it should censure him to help maintain public confidence in the courts.

By STEVE KORANDA

Former Democratic Gov. John Carlin and former Republican House Speaker Mike O’Neal have starkly different views on the condition of Kansas government. That divergence was plain as the two met Thursday in Topeka for a discussion about the size of government recorded for the Statehouse Blend podcast.

O’Neal and Carlin agree on one thing — that they don’t know exactly what the “right size” of state government is.

“It’s not about high or low,” said Carlin, but about finding the right tax level to get return on investment.

O’Neal said the goal of the 2012 tax cuts, passed while he was Kansas House speaker, wasn’t shrinking state government, it was boosting the economy. He said government will shrink, at least temporarily, while waiting for the economic growth that tax cuts are aimed at boosting.

“It’s not a shot of adrenaline, as I think we’ve found out,” said O’Neal. “In fact, it’s very hard for anyone to have predicted the stagnation nationally, because everybody thought they’d pull out of the recession quicker than they did.”

Carlin said the results of the August primaries, where multiple incumbent conservatives lost to more moderate challengers, were a referendum on the state’s tax policy and direction.

“I think it’s an understanding of the people of Kansas that what we tried did not work,” Carlin said.

O’Neal now heads the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, which had endorsed all the incumbent Republican legislators defeated in the primaries. He said this is just another swing in Kansas politics like others in the past.

“People want something different,” said O’Neal, suggesting there’s an anti-incumbency movement and distrust of government at all levels in 2016. “Lower taxes tend to stimulate our economy, that’s still our philosophy.”

O’Neal said for years Kansas had a very high number of state employees based on its population and advocates for a focus on growing the private sector.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean firing everybody in state government and outsourcing everything, but there are certainly some efficiencies,” O’Neal said.

Carlin argued a loss of state workers in the wake of the tax cuts has had a negative impact on state services like mental health care.

“There’s pain. Citizens know that,” Carlin said. It’s not just about increasing services, he said, “it’s about getting back to quality.”

Without a change in course on tax policy, Carlin said the state won’t be able to invest in infrastructure and education, and he says that means Kansas won’t be competitive in attracting people and business.

“If we don’t invest at a level that gives people confidence that we’re funding a quality public education system, then people look at leaving, not coming,” Carlin said.

O’Neal said Kansas isn’t in the tough spot Carlin thinks it is.

O’Neal blame the media for not telling positive stories about the state and attacking the administration of Gov. Sam Brownback.

“It pains us to hear all the people who hear things are going down the toilet. If you talk about that enough, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy,” O’Neal said.

He said Kansas still does well in many state comparisons and has a low unemployment rate.

“The good news is we’ve got low unemployment. The bad news is we’ve got low unemployment,” said O’Neal, adding that unemployment is so low businesses actually are having difficulty finding qualified workers for some jobs.

Carlin said that trend will continue unless Kansas changes course and invests in education. O’Neal said Kansas has been generous in its funding of public education.

— Stephen Koranda is the Statehouse Bureau Chief for KPR

 

BARTON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Barton County are investigating a shooting at the school district offices.

Just after 9 p.m. on Sunday, sheriff’s deputies responded to the USD 428 administrative offices, 200 block of Patton Road in Great Bend, according to a media release.

Upon arrival deputies observed the front main doors of the office had been shot repeatedly.

The investigation indicates four rounds were fired from a 9 mm handgun, entering the building and lodging in the walls.

The sheriff’s office has recovered shell casings and bullets from the scene.

Witnesses stated a Dodge Neon or Cobalt was seen leaving the area at the time of the shooting.

Damage is estimated in excess of $6,000. No one was in the office at the time. No injuries were reported.

The sheriff’s office is seeking the public’s help in locating the suspect. Any person with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers of Barton County.

SALINE COUNTY – A Kansas man died in an accident just after 2.am. on Saturday in Saline County.

A Mitsubishi Montero driven by Amanda Myers, 29, Salina was westbound on State Street at Lightville Road west of Salina, according to Saline County Undersheriff Roger Soldan.

The SUV traveled into the ditch and rolled.

Both Myers and a passenger Wesley Meyers, 52, Salina were ejected.

Wesley Meyers was pronounced dead at the scene.

Emergency Responders transported Amanda Meyers to Salina Regional Health Center and later transferred to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.

They were not wearing seat belts, according to Soldan.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A man has been arrested in the death of a Johnson County Sheriff’s deputy after crashing into his stopped patrol car.

Overland Park Police spokesman, Officer John Lacy, says the 38-year-old suspect is jailed on suspicion of reckless second-degree murder in the death of Master Deputy Brandon Collins.

The crash happened Sunday after the 45-year-old Collins stopped a driver for a traffic infraction on U.S. 69. Lacy says Collins had made contact with the driver and returned to his vehicle when it was rear-ended. Collins died at the scene. No one else was hurt.

Lacy says the suspect fled on foot and was captured in the area.

The results of a drug and alcohol tests are pending. Lacy said he didn’t know if the suspect had an attorney.