By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Businessman Greg Orman of suburban Kansas City is seeking to right Kansas’ economic ship in his independent run for governor.
Orman’s running mate is Sen. John Doll from Garden City.
Orman, who formally launched his campaign in January, talked to the Hays Post by phone Wednesday.
“As I travel throughout the state, it has become very clear to me people are dissatisfied with what they are getting out of Topeka, and they are definitely dissatisfied about what they are getting out of Washington,” Orman said. “Kansans have known for the last 10 years intuitively that something in Kansas has gone very wrong in the state.
“Ultimately, I believe what happens over the next five years in Kansas is going to determine the path our state is on for the next several decades. I want this to be a place where my two daughters and all our sons and daughters and grandchildren feel inspired to build their lives. I think we need to put it on a different path—one that is focused more on solving problems and less on scoring partisan points.”
Orman noted he and his running mate are not accepting contributions from PACs or lobbyists.
Orman laid out ways he thought business in Topeka needs to change to bring about a more prosperous Kansas.
He said he would begin by outlining an economic development strategy for the state.
Kansas has many strengths it can leverage to grow the economy, Orman said, including its geographic location in the center of the United States. As the economy is moving from being a bricks-and-mortar economy to a distributive economy, Kansas should be the distribution capital of America, Orman said.
Not only does Kansas have access to rail, but the state has access to low-cost inputs for manufacturing from agriculture and energy.
Orman said Kansas needs to have regulations that encourage businesses to locate here. In his discussions with entrepreneurs across the state, Orman said businesses have found getting sites approved to be cumbersome and time-consuming, which has driven some companies out of Kansas.
Orman proposes the state enter into regulatory compacts with local governments. If they agree to certain timelines for regulatory approval, the state will target highway and economic development dollars to those areas.
On taxes, Orman said he believes the Brownback tax plan resulted in tax avoidance. The repeal of tax breaks for LLCs has resulted in increases in tax revenue.
Orman said he saw ways of continuing to use state funds more efficiently. However, instead of across-the-board cuts, he said he would make targeted adjustments to the budget.
“We are engaged in a costly and expensive border war with Missouri over economic incentives,” he said. “We pay to move companies from one side of State Line Road. Missouri then pays to move our companies from the Kansas side of state line road to the Missouri side of State Line Road.”
Orman suggested working with Missouri to create a “no-fly zone” in Kansas City to avoid this costly back-and-forth poaching of businesses.
Criminal justice and marijuana
Orman also would seek to streamline the criminal justice system. He would support making the possession of small amounts of marijuana a ticketable offense. He thinks minor offenses should not include detention, especially for juveniles.
“We waste a lot of resources in Kansas arresting kids who are buying dime bags of weed,” he said.
The candidate supports the legalization of medical marijuana and growing industrial hemp. He did not go so far as saying he supported the legalization of marijuana for recreational use.
Orman said he supports a reevaluation of the Kansas criminal justice system.
“Ultimately, I think we can look at our whole criminal justice system, starting in pre-trail confinement and going all the way to the people we choose to imprison and just evaluate,” he said. “Do we really have a system that is serving the needs we are hoping to serve, which is No. 1 to keeping the public safe, No. 2 to deter negative behaviors, but No. 3 to do it in such a way that is responsible from a resource standpoint? The people who entrust us with their money deserve to have us spend their money well.”
He said he was concerned about pay for corrections officers, noting low pay may be contributing to a high turn over at the state’s prisons.
“We can’t have prison guards continuing to work 12-hour shifts, and, in some cases 16-hour shifts, and expect to keep those guards safe and expect to maintain public safety as well,” he said.
The third thing Orman said he would like to do to save Kansas money is negotiate pricing for Medicaid prescriptions. The state’s portion for medication through Medicaid is 10s of millions of dollars per year.
Schools
On school funding, Orman said although the Kansas Supreme Court in its latest ruling on school finance did not approve the state’s level of funding, it did set parameters the Legislature can work from.
Orman said the real issue is making sure students receive an equitable education throughout the state and much of that is trying to make up gaps for low-income students. He said he supported targeted solutions, such as summer reading and learning programs.
Orman’s wife was a public school teacher in Turner. He said, “My wife said to me ‘Greg, the best education policy is a growing economy, because so much of what happens to that student outside of the classroom has an impact on their educational outcomes.’ Do they have to work until 2 in the morning at a convenience store to help their family pay bills? Do they have a single parent, and the parent is working two or three jobs and can’t be involved in their education?”
Immigration
Immigration has been a hot topic in the Republic primary race for governor. Orman said he supports federal immigration reform, but he does not support ending a state policy that allows undocumented Kansas residents to pay in-state tuition. He said he did not think that move would save the state money. It would likely mean a drop in enrollment as these young people would not be able to attend college.
“At the end of the day, these kids are living here. We want them to improve their lives,” Orman said. “We want them to be put in a position where they can do higher value-added work, contribute more to the economy, contribute more to our communities. I think it really misunderstands the situation if we raise the prices and think these kids will be able to pay it.”
Health care
Orman supports the expansion of Medicaid in Kansas. He said he thinks in can be done with an attention to cost by focusing on population health and trying to keep people healthy instead of treating them when they are sick.
Orman said he thinks Kansas sends a horrible message to people who are working in Kansas and not making a lot of money.
“The message is if you get sick, quit your job,” he said. “In Kansas to qualify for KanCare, you have to make 41 percent of the federal poverty line. To qualify for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, you have to earn 138 percent of poverty line. So if you are a single, working mother making 10 bucks an hour and you get sick, the only way to get health care is to quit your job. I think that is the absolute wrong message. We want to be building pathways for people to improve their lives and give them opportunities to contribute more.”
He said he also saw health care accessibility as a workforce development issue. If a worker can live in Colorado and make $13 an hour and receive health care or work in Kansas, earn the same amount and not receive health care, he said they are going to choose to live in a state where they can access health care. Orman said Kansas has put itself at a disadvantage compared to the states who have expanded Medicaid.
Correctd: 11:04 a.m. July 27 for time of campaign announcement.
One-year-old Autumn Grace Smith was killed in September 2017 at her family’s home in Lawrence. Her father, 32-year-old Chance Smith, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and two counts of aggravated endangerment of a child.
