Chats: 76th District House Republican candidates
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Both candidates for the Republican nomination in the 76th District of the Kansas House of Representatives participated in online chats at The Gazette office Wednesday afternoon. Here are transcripts of those sessions.
Tony Trimble
Tony Trimble, a Burlington businessman, is a candidate in Tuesday’s primary for the Republican nomination for the 76th District Kansas House seat now occupied by Peggy Mast.
Q What are your reasons for running for office?
A I believe that our state Legislature should place a greater focus on our economy and specifically on job creation and bringing new industry into our state. Additionally, our Legislature should work diligently to reduce state spending and allow Kansans to keep more of their own money.
Q What do you do for a living? How will that experience help you if you were to win the election?
A I am a small-business owner. My primary business is NationsTank, an independent truck sales company that markets tanker trucks manufactured by Progress Tank of Kansas City.
Additionally, my wife and I own a building located in downtown Burlington that houses our retail flower and gift shop, Abby’s Attic Flowers & Gifts. As small-business owners, we understand the requirements of sales tax, commercial property tax and workers’ comp laws along with the other issues facing small businesses. This experience will help me as a legislator to better understand the challenges faced each day by Kansas business owners.
Q Mr. Trimble, what elected or appointed offices have you previously held and for how long? If none, what boards or commissions or other community service posts have you held and where? Thank you.
A In 1985, I was appointed to the position of state trooper with the Kansas Highway Patrol and served the citizens of Kansas in that position until 1992. I am an active member of the St. Francis Catholic Church in Burlington and have been active in my community as a little league soccer and baseball coach.
This is my first time to run for public office.
Q What are your plans to enhance energy projects within the state? Are you in favor of the coal-fired plants development, wind, solar and adding to Wolf Creek?
A Yes, yes, yes and yes. If elected to the state Legislature, I will vote yes to build the coal plants in Holcomb.
I believe we should do everything possible to expand our use of wind, solar and the Wolf Creek power plant.
Q Would your votes have been different from Peggy Mast’s votes on any specific pieces of legislation during the last session? If not, how can you advocate voting for you for change? If yes, which ones?
A The Legislature failed to approve the coal-fired power plants. Since 2000, state spending has escalated from $7 billion to $12 billion.
Our Legislature spent $15 million on the capitol’s underground parking garage, our representatives choose to spend $100 million to remodel the capitol and now the cost has ballooned to over $250 million. All this occurred during the 12 years that Peggy Mast has been in office. The people of Kansas deserve better.
As a powerful senior 12-year veteran of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Mast should have been able to stop this overspending by our state government.
Peggy Mast
Peggy Mast, the incumbent, is running for the Republican nomination for the 76th District Kansas House of Representatives seat. She has been representing the people of her district for 12 years.
Q What are your reasons for running for office?
A I love serving the people of the 76th District. It is the greatest learning experience of my life. Just today, I was on the phone with the EPA in Kansas City learning about herbicides. Yesterday, it was the Kansas Department of Agriculture and Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Q Supporters of Tony Trimble have accused you of having “multiple husbands” and having left your kids in Madison to be raised by someone else. This is not at all characteristic of the Peggy Long Mast that I had heard about or even come to know before you became my representative. Would you please tell your constituents the truth as you so characteristically do? Thank you.
A It is no secret that I have been married more than once and I guess that qualifies my experience to be defined as multiple. I have been more than happy to tell my life story to anyone who asked. Our children were raised in Hamilton. I was married to their father for 26 years and moved to Madison after the divorce. I am now married to one great man who loves me unconditionally. He has three grown children and one grandchild. I have four grown children and 9 grandchildren.
Q What are your plans to enhance energy projects within the state. Are you in favor of the coal-fired plants development, wind, solar and adding to Wolf Creek?
A There is no doubt that the need for more energy is very real. I am supportive of the coal-fired plants in Western Kansas. The technology that was planned for them would provide a combination of new technology that would make them the cleanest plants in the state. They planned on working with KSU in using a closed system that would use the CO2 to grow algae and then use the algae as a fuel source. I am also excited about the possibility for H2O. I just viewed a video this morning of autos that have been developed that can run on water.
Jim Hill, who recently lived in Emporia, came to Topeka at my invitation and made a presentation before our Utilities Committee as well as speaking with Mark Parkinson. Adding on to Wolf Creek would be a wonderful event for my entire district. It would bring new economic development, create some good high-paying jobs, and help with future energy needs. I have done all I can to help that happen and will continue to do so. Solar and wind are both more expensive than most other types of energy but I have pledged that if my district wants wind power, I will support it.
Q What is your position on how Kansas should deal with the illegal immigration issue?
A We worked hard last year to address this issue and the surrounding states have already passed legislation that makes it important for Kansas to do so as well. I polled my district on this issue this past session and found that 84 percent of my district wants it to be addressed. My hope is to work on it again in 2009 and hopefully get legislation passed that will help to curtail the problem.
Q What do you see as the primary differences between yourself and Tony Trimble?
A As I see it, the biggest difference between the two candidates would be experience. I have worked on so many issues in the Legislature and served on so many committees. That has given me the knowledge needed to get things done in Topeka. It takes a while to gain confidence in the process as well as moving up to positions on leadership. I have attained both objectives by serving as chair of Legislative Post Audit and vice chair of Health and Human Services, Social Services Budget Committee and Business, Commerce and Labor.
Q In your time serving as the 76th District House representative, is there a legislative action that you have been involved in that you are most proud of? What are some issues that you plan on addressing should you be re-elected?
A The issues that I take the most pride in are the ones that involve people from my district. With the help of the local police department and KBI, we were able to pass legislation that would give law enforcement an opportunity for arrest of individuals who had illegal identification. This was an important issue for those who suffer from identity theft. It took us three years to get it through the process, but it was well worth it.
Of course, a very memorable experience will always be a seventh-grade class in Olpe who aspired to name the state fish. I will always remember having to pile statute books on the floor so that they could talk over the podium when they were testifying before the Federal and State Committee. I was so very proud of those kids!
At this time, I don’t have any legislation that I am thinking about introducing new, but I am always open to new ideas.
Q Long-time supporters have recently felt that you’ve lost sight of the 76th District needs and have focused on things like gansta rap and taken a negative political side to issues that affect our jobs and economy. After a decade in the House, what is your most significant accomplishment for this district? How would you answer Mr. Trimble’s charge that it’s time to change leadership?
A I was surprised when people took offense of my compassion for one man who walked around the Capitol every day carrying an American flag and who wanted someone to pay attention to the message of “gangsta rap” music.
I did not feel that took me away from the 76th district when an individual had written a letter of concern when that music was played at a local football game with his young son present.
I wish that you would define your negative note on my actions against our economy. I cannot imagine where that comment is coming from. Regarding the need to “change,” I feel that we have challenges ahead regarding our economy, energy and health care. My experience in those fields gives me a better understanding of how to address them. I would welcome a call anytime regarding anyone’s feelings about the job I’m doing. I’m always open for comments.
Q During Mr. Trimble’s chat time, he indicated that as a “powerful” 12-year representative, you should have stopped various legislative wrongdoings, including overspending, failure to curtail the power of the bureaucrat who single-handled stopped the Sunflower coal fire plant, etc. Apparently he believes he could have done so had he been in office. What, if anything, do you believe a freshman representative could accomplish that a veteran could not?
A I think that it is impossible for someone who has watched the process from the gallery to understand how the legislative process works. That is why I regularly invite people to come up and “shadow” me for a day. That gives them the opportunity to learn a lot more about the task of serving the Legislature. It is interesting that my opponent does not find fault with my votes, but rather with my inability to change the votes of other people. The Kansas Legislature is as diverse of the people of our great state. Each person who casts a vote has their own reason for doing so. My job is to represent the people of my district and hope that my vote is in the majority.
Q 1) Do you consider yourself a George W. Bush Republican? 2) Do you agree with the policies of George W. Bush including his war in Iraq, the budget deficit and the rising price of gasoline? 3) Why have you spent time dealing with gangsta Rap rather than with positive programs to help small business?
A To be honest with you, I don’t think much about my response on federal issues, or on local issues. I try to deal with state issues and my own responsibility as a citizen, both locally and nationally.
I don’t like the rising cost of gasoline any better than anyone else. I hate it that gasoline prices in Kansas are higher than in surrounding states.
My husband runs a small business in Emporia and I feel that I have done a great deal to help small businesses in my district. Just recently, I traveled to Salina with a small business that I had recommended to the Department of Commerce for their efforts to expand, employ more people and expand their product line. The National Federation of Independent Business has recognized me for my support of their membership, and that is usually small business.
Q The Emporia Police Department is sadly lacking in the financial resources to replace aging equipment and cannot meet staffing levels, what will you do to help find funding to help the department get up to the standards that most police departments in the state are at?
A This is the first time I have heard about the unmet needs of the local police department. At this time, I cannot think of a way to address it because it is largely a local issue.
I do know that other law enforcement agencies in the state have gotten help with equipment from the highway patrol or from federal sources. I would be happy to help link the department up with contacts for those agencies if they would like.
Q Peggy, With the coal plants in Holcomb on the back burner for now, what plans do you have to bring more industry and jobs to Kansas? With all of the wasteful spending the Legislature seems to be able to pass ($250 million to rehab the Capital building, $15 million for a parking garage), it seems they need to spend some time trying to bring some more of a tax base into Kansas.
A I regret the coal-fired plants decision because the plants would have expanded the tax base to Kansas. The legislation would have also sent a message to other industries that wanted to locate in the state that we have regulatory stability. Right now, that message is not there.
I agree with you that the Capitol building has been far too expensive and unnecessary when we have pressing needs in the state. My Granddad always told me “You can’t eat scenery.”
I am thankful that our single biggest industry in Kansas is agriculture and that sector is looking very good right now. Hopefully we can go back and restore some confidence in our state this next year.
Comments
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RobertMcCall (anonymous) says...
Just what we need Mrs. Mast, a coal-fired plant that would dump eleven million tons of carbon dioxide in Kansas air every year with most of the generated electricity going out of state.
July 31, 2008 at 10:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
Good for you, Mrs. Mast. I am glad to hear that you supported economic development in Kansas, especially in a way that we could get another state to help us pay for it. That's how we acquire wealth, is by creating a product (in this case electricity) and selling it to others, just like we do wheat and airplanes. To do otherwise only reshuffles our own money. This project, which the governor vetoed thrice, would have pumped into Kansas' economy $3,500,000,000.00, providing jobs and infrastructure for years to come, plus revenue for roads, schools and capital improvements. The governor vetoed it based upon regulatory standards that don't even exist. She apparently thinks that by running off $3.5 Billion in investment in Kansas, that the coal that would have been burned in Holcomb will now not be burned, that the electricity that would have been generated will not be generated and that the jobs that would have been will never be. The problem with her analysis is that another state will burn that same coal, reap the benefits of low cost power, have the jobs, the better schools and improved roads, all that could have been ours. Now, we will be enriching another state when we buy the electricity (at a premium, no doubt) from them. Mrs. Mast is not the problem; but Mrs. Sebelius is.
August 1, 2008 at 12:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RobertMcCall (anonymous) says...
And how many people would have died in the process? And what is your source for the $3.5 billion Jayhawker? Putting our resources into clean energy would save lives and generate income. Thank you Gov. Sebelius. And thank you T. Boone Pickens!
August 1, 2008 at 12:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RobertMcCall (anonymous) says...
Over 23,600 deaths a year are attributed to coal-fired power plants. Se below:
Selected Health Impacts from Air Pollution from Power Plants in the United States
Health Effect
Incidence
Cases Per Year
Mortality
23,600
Hospital Admissions
21,850
Emergency Room Visits for Asthma
26,000
Heart Attacks
38,200
Chronic Bronchitiss
16,200
Asthma Attacks
554,000
Lost Work Days
3,186,000
Source: Conrad G. Schneider, Dirty Air, Dirty Power (Washington, DC: Clear the Air, June 2004), based on Abt Associates Inc., et al., Power Plant Emissions: Particulate Matter-Related Health Damages and the Benefits of Alternative Emission Reduction Scenarios (Boston: June 2004).
August 1, 2008 at 12:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
And what clean energy would that be, Mrs. T? The $3.5 Billion was published with the application documents and used by every newspaper and other media as the cost of the project. You have raised a good point, though, and that is that the cost of production would have increased by now. I agree with you on Mr. Pickens. We need to drill for more oil, where ever it can be found, we need more coal and nuclear energy production, we need more wind (something that our governor opposes in the Flint Hills) energy, more solar, more of anything that we can find. As Pickens points out, however, we are 15 years away from having the "green" alternatives developed to the point that we can replace petroleum products.
August 1, 2008 at 12:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
Did you happen to get the stats on car accidents while you were at it? How about horseback related deaths? Plane crashes? Roller Coasters? Slips and falls in Grocery Stores? Should we ban them all? Incidentally, the numbers that you would find on all of these deaths would be "hard numbers" (not based upon opinion); the numbers on coal fired generation plants are highly subjective, based upon opinion and greatly manipulated. With the standards applied by our governor on this plant, the Wright Brothers would never have gotten a permit to fly the first airplane. If Mrs. Strickland wants to run on a platform opposing economic development in general, or the electrical generation project in particular, she is welcome to do so.
August 1, 2008 at 1:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RobertMcCall (anonymous) says...
It could very well cost $3.5 billion but that doesn't mean that $3.5 billion in sales would be "pumped into the economy" as you claimed in your original posting. And Sun Flower Electric still owes millions for earlier built plants. And what about the number of lives lost, the lost days of work and the chronic illnesses documented in my above posting? Also, you originally claimed that there was no violation of any existing statute but you are wrong as usual. The original permit wasn't issued because it violated the Federal Clean Air Act! Rather than waiting for the court cases to be settled, the legislature got involved. Let's see how the courts rule.
August 1, 2008 at 1:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
I will write slowly, Mrs. T, in order to be clear. The $3,500,000,000.00 was the construction costs. Certainly, a portion of that would have gone to specialty manufacturers, but the bulk of it would have been spent in Finney County. After construction and the plants went on-line, there would be many high paying jobs relating to management, technical, linemen, maintenance, and so on for years to come, all being pumped into the Kansas economy. By selling some of the electricity to Colorado, Coloradans would assist in paying for the electricity, making it cheaper for Kansans. Your above posting documented nothing that there aren't 50 other experts to refute. I am writing very slowly now, because I want to be very clear: These plants would not have violated Federal Clean Air Standards. These plants exceeded the Federal Clean Air Standards. That is the problem here. The governor imposed standards that do not exist. By making Kansas the only state in the nation to have requirements (that are not yet promulgated) exceeding even the Federal standards, she has effectively run off any investor that would bring economic development of that kind to us. It is absolutely a shame.
August 1, 2008 at 1:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RobertMcCall (anonymous) says...
I'm not sure how Mrs. Strickland fits into this Republican Primary discussion, but I would guess that any responsible candidate will weigh both sides of the issue and work on balancing energy needs and environmental concerns. And your reference to automobiles, horses, plane crashes, etc is just another red herring that you and Mrs. Mast are so famous for. Where would the airline industry and automobile industry be without standards?
Robert McCall (what's your name?)
August 1, 2008 at 1:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
If you want, we can have a very basic discussion about how industry helps the local economy. I assume that Mrs. Strickland understands how that works, but if she opposes this development, it is not clear that she does. That is the kind of thinking that will send us to the poor house.
August 1, 2008 at 1:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RobertMcCall (anonymous) says...
The permit was not given in the first place because it did not meet the Clean Air Standard (Massachusetts vs. EPA 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruled that carbon dioxide is a pollutant that can be regulated under the Clean Air Act). And what 50 other experts deny the documented study on deaths, illness and lost days of work. And who the "H" is Mrs. T? Was she married to that guy on the "A" team?
August 1, 2008 at 1:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
Would you be the Robert C. McCall in Hutchinson or the Robert McCall in Newton? Come on, we all know the game that's being played here. You need a different tactic.
August 1, 2008 at 1:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
No one denies that the Federal Clean Air Standards regulate carbon dioxide. It establishes acceptable levels per unit of air. These plants all exceeded those requirements. The governor decided that she would impose a stricter standard, but never specified what those standards were. That is what the legislation dealt with and what the on-going litigation is about. Some believe that the governor's real motivation was to endear herself to east and west coast liberals to position herself for the vice presidential nomination. I hope that that was not what was going on here - that we got sold down the river to promote one person's (Mrs. Sebelius) political ambitions. On the expert question, experts will say whatever the paying client wants to hear. Just like Lobbyists. We are all familiar with court cases that turn out to be "battles of the experts" with one side's expert saying what is good for that side, and the other experts saying just the opposite.
August 1, 2008 at 1:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RobertMcCall (anonymous) says...
Coal-fired plants:
23, 600 deaths
Over 3. 6 million hours of work lost.
This is devastating to an economy.
August 1, 2008 at 8:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TheWatcher (anonymous) says...
This is an excellent article that everyone interested in the debate over coal-fired plants should read:
http://coalcontrol.com/kansas-coal-pl...
One of the hazards cited in the article is the risk to children:
* Children are most susceptible to effects posed by power plants.
* Scholarly researchers have found that infants in areas of power plants with high levels of particulate matter pollution face a 26% increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and a 40% increased risk of respiratory death.
August 1, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
We haven't built a new oil refinery in the United States for 30 years. The last Nuclear plant was about the same. In Kansas, the last major power plant went on line in 1978. At some point, we are going to have to put all of our concerns in proper perspective if we want electricity.
August 1, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TheWatcher (anonymous) says...
Jayhawker you are a bright young man and Peggy is fortunate to have you as an advisor. You are correct that we need to invest in energy resources but at the same time, it is important that we protect the environment from carbon dixiode emissions and greenhouse emissions. Likewise we need to take the economy into consideration. The expenditures we make on energy must not be poured down a carbon rat hole. The expenditures we make must guarantee economic growth while meeting clean energy needs.. It's not easy to combine these objectives but it is possible when the people who know what they are doing are put in charge and whose decisions are not controlled by special interest groups.
August 1, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
The Watcher: Thank you for calling me a "young man," since I haven't been so for many, many years. Although I respect Mrs. Mast, I am not an adviser, but if I were, I would tell her that, in my opinion, she is doing fine. I agree with you on the special interest groups. Those groups are like experts - both sides have them. I think that sometimes there is a perception that those of us who want economic growth care not about the environment. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have to be realistic. You said that we need to put our money and talent into clean energy, and I agree. My question is: What would that be that would produce enough to meet our needs? Wind is an excellent start, but not efficient enough or to the scale that we require. It is a piece of it, but not the whole. You mentioned T. Boone Pickens in a post above, and I agree with you that we need to listen to him. He says that, at best, wind could generate 20% of our electrical needs in 10 years from now. What about the immediate 10 year period and the other 80% thereafter? This coal proposal really, truly, is clean, with the latest in technology, etc. I agree with you that we need to combine all of our resources and look for alternatives and put people in charge who know what they are doing. To be honest, my concern is that the party of our governor doesn't know what it is doing, is too closed mind to anything other than "green" and doesn't appreciate the precarious position that we find ourselves in. Thanks for the post.
August 1, 2008 at 5:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RobertMcCall (anonymous) says...
Jayhawker, I don't how you can in one breath say that Peggy Mast is doing fine and in the second breath agree that special interest groups are the problem. Peggy Mast has the deserved reputation in Topeka as being the representative MOST in the pocket of special interest groups. I don't agree with many Republicans but I think Senator Brownback is correct when he observes that there should be term limits for politicians (one reason he will not be running for the Senate again in 2010). And the time has come for Mrs. Mast to follow the advice of Senator Brownback...enough is enough.
August 1, 2008 at 7:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
Golly, TheWatcher, how many user names and passwords to you have to keep up with, anyway? You're more organized than me - I'd lose track. If you passed on your ability to organize to your students, they gained a lot from you. It is a valuable ability to have.
August 1, 2008 at 9:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RobertMcCall (anonymous) says...
LOL Jayhawk..despite your conservative Republican roots, you do have a great sense of humor. At least you aren't confusing me with Mr. T's wife tonight. Peace brother!
August 1, 2008 at 9:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blulitespecial (anonymous) says...
I'd comment on the power situation,but jayhawker,you covered it all! Kansas should have been planning for the power infrastructure shortcomings 20 years ago.It's going to be another 10 years before we see any solution,and that will be too little-too late.
I've seen Rep.Mast go out of her way to support working Kansans in situations I had thought were strictly "Democrat" domains- when many representatives and the Guv were silent.
August 1, 2008 at 11:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TheWatcher (anonymous) says...
And Mrs. Mast was in the house for 12 of those 20 years...does that tell you something. As Robert McCall pointed out in an earlier posting Senator Brownback is right about self-imposed term limits.
August 2, 2008 at 2:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )