Carol Strickland files to run for Kansas House
By Bobbi Mlynar (Contact)
Originally published 01:07 p.m., June 3, 2008
Updated 01:07 p.m., June 3, 2008
Emporia Democrat Carol Strickland was at the Kansas Secretary of State’s office on Friday to file as a candidate for the 76th District House seat currently held by Peggy Mast of Emporia.
The 76th District includes Precincts 3 and 13 in Emporia, rural Lyon County, Greenwood County, and most of Coffey County.
Strickland taught school for 39 years and, since retirement, now teaches part-time at The Teachers College and in the department of communication and theater arts at Emporia State University. She also is a volunteer for the National Teachers Hall of Fame and a volunteer mentor for YouthFriends.
“Kansas has been good to me,” she said of her decision to run. “Maybe it’s time to pay back.”
She sees her candidacy as the next step in a long-term effort to improve circumstances for her Kansans.
“After working with students to help frame a better future, I now want to work with our legislators to tackle the tough decisions ahead to make the future brighter for Kansas,” she said in a news release announcing her candidacy.
In an interview Monday afternoon, Strickland named health coverage, higher education, energy, the environment, and an unproductive legislative session as major issues for her campaign.
“I think health coverage has got to be something for the legislature to address. They keep doing task forces and reports and things like that, and nothing ever gets done,” Strickland said. “We just have too many uninsured and underinsured people in Kansas.”
She said that higher education has been short-changed because of the more immediate issue of school funding, and that all Regents institutions have needs, particularly in maintenance that has been deferred.
Environmental concerns also are an issue, she said.
“I think it’s really a time now to send people to the legislature who are willing to sit down, discuss, debate, and work together,” she said.
She has been disappointed in recent legislatures’ failure to make progress on important issues.
“The Kansas legislature used to be a really dynamic force,” she said, adding that it is important to send people to Topeka who will research and analyze issues and make a decision in the best interests of Kansans. She has gained that experience through her career and, in particular, through debate processes.
“People who know me know I’m not afraid of a fight. I can be very vocal about things and not afraid to stand up and be counted,” she said. “I certainly do the research and do the analysis, try to weigh opinions.
“I think the voters want somebody who will be a good listener and be open-minded and then take action for what’s the greatest good for the greatest number of people in this area.”
Strickland said that she believed her communications skills will serve the district well. Part of that will be through legislators’ negotiating decisions to benefit all Kansans
“The value of debate and discussion cannot be neglected,” Strickland said. “We can work out differences and find common ground that will benefit all of us. I think that I am the person that can provide a strong, logical voice for the people of the 76th District. ...
“I want to let people know that I will work hard for them and listen to their concerns. I want the 76th District to be strong and vibrant in state politics.”
Strickland and her husband, Glen, moved to Emporia from Oklahoma in 1986. He was hired as director of forensics at Emporia State University and she was hired to teach English, speech, debate, media, English as a Second Language, Applied Communication and forensics at Emporia High School.
Strickland, a native of Texas, received both her bachelor’s degree in communication and English and her master’s degree in communication from Texas Christian University.
She was named 1999 Kansas Teacher of the Year and was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 2003.
She achieved the three-diamond coaching status in the National Forensics League from 1986 through 2007, the Kansas Speech Communications Association in 1995-96, the Golden Apple in 1997, The Gazette’s K-12 Educator of the Year in 1998, the second team of the USA Today All-Teacher Team in 2000 and was elected in 2007 to the KSCA Hall of Fame.
Strickland is past membership chairperson and building representative for the Emporia National Education Association, a current member of the KNEA-Retired executive council, twice past president of Kansas State Teachers of the Year, current director of finance and membership for the National State Teachers of the Year, past secretary and district representative for the KSCA, among other professional activities.
She is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame Committee, a former member of the KSHSAA board of directors, and a member of the KSCA liaison committee to KSHSAA.
She also is a member of the Emporia Arts Council, the Emporia Literacy Council; Emporia Friends of the Zoo, and Emporia Friends of the Library; president-elect of the Emporia Area Retired School Personnel, and a member and past board member of the Humane Society of the Flint Hills.
Strickland is president-elect of Emporia Area Retired School Personnel, is a member of the Emporia Literacy Council, and volunteers as a YouthFriends mentor.
She was a member of the Leadership Kansas Class of 2000 and in 2007 received a Volunteer Service Award from President Bush to commemorate more than 2000 hours of service to student foreign exchange programs.
The Stricklands currently have a former foreign-exchange student living with them in their rural Emporia home. A student from Moldova, who had lived with them during the 2005-06 school year at EHS, wanted to return to here to attend college. She came back to live with the couple in March and will begin her freshman year at ESU in August, according to a news release from Strickland.
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Posted by justamom (anonymous) on June 3, 2008 at 4:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Congrats and best of luck to Mrs. Strickland. You were a wonderful teacher and will be a welcome party to the Kansas House. My support fully.
Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on June 3, 2008 at 11:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Carol was a good teacher; a very good teacher. Having some experience with unions (such as the KNEA), with which Carol has been very active, I have noticed that their members become single issue candidates. No doubt that raising taxes for education, teacher pay, teacher contracts, teacher planning time, teacher supplemental duties, teachers' paras, etc. are important issues. However, it is a narrow agenda. Peggy Mast has dealt with a broad range of issues and has a broad experience base. Carol is a good person and I appreciate and thank her for her service, but Peggy is my candidate and best suited to deal with the many issues before the legislature, including education policy and funding. The legislative process is set up to reward a legislative district whose legislator has seniority, who are the legislators who become committee chairs and get other leadership positions, if they are from the majority party. Peggy is finally getting seniority and is from the majority party. Our district will best be served by someone like that.
Posted by TheWatcher (anonymous) on June 4, 2008 at 8:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How long has Peggy been in the Republican dominated state house? Eight or ten years? In that period of time, what committees has she chaired? None? She said in the 2006 campaign that she would work harder and move up in the ranks? Where has that happened? There is more to dealing with important issues than opening your email each morning of the session to see what extreme special interest groups want. It would be nice to have a representative for a change who has a history of being able to work with both political parties. My objective is not to be negative toward Peggy, but I do believe it is time for a change .
Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on June 4, 2008 at 12:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Peggy chaired the Legislative Post Audit Committee, a joint committee of both houses and one of the most important committees in the legislature. This committee is the primary oversight body for the legislature. She has also served as Vice Chair of two other House committees and served in several leadership posts. We will not get that kind of representation from a freshman Representative, especially one from the minority party.
Posted by TheWatcher (anonymous) on June 4, 2008 at 1:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
And District 76 benefited how from this? And as far as a minority party, change is in the wind.
Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on June 4, 2008 at 10:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think that it is obvious that having an influential Representative rather than a rookie would provide better, more efficient and faster constituent services and can more effectively promote the district's interest in the Legislature. For example, the Legislature appropriates a large amount of money to aid schools based upon student enrollment, district wealth and many other factors, all decided by the Legislature. The schools that are represented by influential legislators (those with seniority) are much more likely to benefit than those who aren't. The amounts of money involved can be very significant. The same is true of highway maintenance and construction, etc. This same system is in place in Congress, too.
Posted by TheWatcher (anonymous) on June 4, 2008 at 11:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Influential" is the key word. Don Hill, for example, is influential. Peggy never has been witness her barren record for her district. It's more than time for a change.
Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on June 4, 2008 at 11:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Don does a good job for his district. It's important to recognize the significant demographic differences in Peggy's district from Don's. They both nicely reflect the views of their respective districts. You vastly underestimate Peggy if you believe that she lacks influence. Vastly. I suspect that you also vastly underestimate the support that she enjoys from her district and how many voters in the district that she knows personally from past campaigns and constituent service. People like her personally and politically. If you have ever met her, you'll find her to be very pleasant and very interested in her job in the Legislature.
Posted by TheWatcher (anonymous) on June 5, 2008 at 9:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't underestimate the support Peggy has in this district. And you shouldn't underestimate the support that Carol Strickland has. What I do find interesting is your inability to list anything that Peggy has accomplished for her district. And to invoke the tiresome old refrain "Peggy has seniority"...that is tiresome...it is also illogical...if what you say is true, then no one should be elected to a first term. Obama has established that it is time to sweep out the ineffective and establish a needed change for our country and for our state.
Posted by situveux1 (anonymous) on June 10, 2008 at 8:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
While seniority is important, I would have to say that it wouldn't get my vote. However, I'll still vote for Peggy because she helped me a couple of years back when I was having problems with a state agency. Come to find out at the time, I didn't even live in her district. I asked her if she knew that and she said yea, I knew that...and she still went out of her way to help me. She could have very easily passed me off to Don Hill or someone else, but she didn't. People like that are very few and far between now-a-days.
I'm glad our move to another part of town put us in her district. It'll be my privilege to vote for her.
Posted by whatajoke (anonymous) on July 7, 2008 at 9:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Don't forget, there is another person running for this seat as well. Tony Trimble from Burlington has filed as well.
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