This summer, I was sworn in as a member of Kansas House of Representatives to complete the term of the late Rep. Patsy Terrell. It is a solemn duty to speak on behalf of my neighbors and friends who live in Hutchinson, and I plan to do all I can to serve you well in Topeka in the coming years.

I’ve lived in Reno County for most of my life, and the 102nd District in Hutchinson has been my home for more than 20 years. It’s where I raised my family and where my grown children, Erica and Mitchell, and my granddaughter, Lila, call home. I have a long and deep connection to our community, and I want to do all I can to make a real difference in our neighborhoods.

Becoming your representative was not planned. Until I was sworn in, the highest political office I’ve ever held was as president of the PTA at my kids’ school, many years ago. I was 20 years old when my daughter was born, and I earned less than $1,000 a month. I worked for seven years as a machinist at Mega Manufacturing, while attending HCC in the evenings. When money got tight, I took a second job at Home Depot. In 2002, I began working for The Hutchinson News as a copy editor, eventually becoming a reporter, and later, an editor. Through the years, there were few times I didn’t worry about how to pay my bills, or how to make sure my kids had what they needed. I know firsthand how tough it can be for working families.

Those years of worry and struggle have shaped my ideals about what government can, and should, do for the residents of Hutchinson. Too often the voices of the average person aren’t heard. Their work isn’t seen, and their problems aren’t taken seriously by those entrusted with the responsibility to represent them in goverment. My primary goal in Topeka is to serve as a direct link to you, and work to find ways to create more opportunities for more people.

To do that, however, I need your help and involvement to know more of those things that stand in the way of your family’s progress, and I need to hear your vision for the future of Hutchinson. Please reach out to me – write, call, email, text, social media – and tell me your story. Tell me how I might better serve you and your family, how we can elevate your voice in Topeka, and how we can create policy that helps enrich the lives of you and your family.

Your servant,
Rep. Jason Probst, D-Hutchinson, District 102

For more information visit probstforprogress.com and follow @thatguyinhutch