Three positions are up for election on the Board of Public Utilities, BPU District 2; BPU At-Large Position 1; and BPU At-Large Position 2.
BPU, District 2
Incumbent Thomas W. Groneman is challenged by Brian Matlock in BPU District 2.
Groneman, a lifelong Wyandotte County resident, has served two terms on the BPU board. He is a graduate of Wyandotte High School, and received a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas. He served in the U.S. Navy at the Naval Communications Station in the Philippines, and was assigned to duty aboard the USS Enterprise, Kitty Hawk and Constellation. He also worked as a probation officer for the 29th Judicial District, Wyandotte County District Court.
Groneman is the former Wyandotte County register of deeds and from 2003 to 2011 was director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control for the state of Kansas.
Groneman voted for a recent moratorium on utility shutoffs.
Matlock, a native of Nampa, Idaho, has a bachelor’s degree from Southern Nazarene University and a graduate degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary. He has lived in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood for about 12 years, he said, and has been active in the Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association.
He has worked as a case manager, youth counselor and graduate instructor.
Matlock, who formerly ran for U.S. Senate, describing himself as a “Republican socialist,” previously spoke during the Aug. 18 BPU meeting to ask about federal funding programs for housing and if the BPU was transitioning from coal to renewable energy. (See story at https://wyandotteonline.com/candidate-brings-up-utility-assistance-topic/)
At the Friday, Oct. 22 Zoom candidate forum sponsored by Business West and KCKCC, Matlock described himself as an economist and community health worker. He does research on public health data, he said.
He said there was a lack of transparency and community outreach involvement at the BPU. He cited giving almost a half-million in raises to BPU executives during the pandemic as being out of step with the community.
Matlock said the moratorium was absolutely the right decision to make sure people eligible for aid were getting that aid. Getting federal funds pumped into the local economy was helpful in getting the economy functioning, he said. Aggressively seeking those funds is important, he said. He’d like to see some ARPA funds allocated to help people get out of arrears who have been struggling. There are many who have lost their jobs and are struggling with health issues, he said.
According to Matlock and Haley, the PILOT fee and other fees on the BPU bills are regressive taxes that hurt the poor more than others.
Groneman did not appear at the Oct. 22 forum or the First Baptist Church, 5th and Nebraska, forum. He did attend the Mainstream Coalition forum.
BPU, At Large Position 1
Incumbent Mary Gonzales, BPU board vice president, is challenged by Gwendolyn Bass in the BPU, At Large Position 1 contest.
A retired teacher from the Piper Public Schools, Gonzales lives in the Rosedale area. She was first elected to the BPU in 2001.
Her strengths are that she is an ethical and honest officeholder, she said at the Oct. 22 forum. She returns calls and answers communications, and tries to work toward solutions, she said. She works to increase cooperation between the UG and BPU, she said.
“The strength of the BPU are our employees,” she said. “I will strive to continue to keep the BPU our community-owned municipal utility.”
Gonzales said perhaps they will never have another pandemic that put people in the financial positions they were in these past few years. The moratorium was good in this situation, she added. She voted for the moratorium, but she was in favor of ending it a little earlier than the current Nov. 3 ending date.
Most of the other utilities in the metropolitan area had ended their moratorium months before, she said.
The BPU now needs to make sure customers know of all of the possible assistance that is available, she said. That includes KERA funds from the state, United Way, the federal low-income energy assistance program, Gonzales said. The help is out there, if customers reach out, she said.
Gonzales’ questionnaire is at www.wyandottedaily.com/mary-gonzales-candidate-questionnaire/.
Bass was not at the Oct. 22 forum. She has received some labor endorsements. Bass also did not attend the Mainstream Coalition’s BPU forum and the First Baptist Church, 5th and Nebraska, candidate forum. A questionnaire was not received from her. Her campaign information online did not include positions on issues.
BPU At Large, Position 2
State Sen. David Haley is running for the BPU At Large, Position 2, seat. Also on the ballot is Mark Gilstrap, a former state senator.
The incumbent, Ryan Eidson, did not make it through the primary.
Haley said he would be a BPU member who could speak to broader issues on the BPU board. He said he would be transparent and accessible to the issues. He added that many BPU members live in the Piper area.
How to handle those who have gotten so far behind is a tremendous question to ask, Haley said at the Oct. 22 forum. They have worked with social service agencies, and BPU is identifying those who need assistance. It’s possible there will be those who fall through the crack.
“In these unprecedented times, we aren’t exactly sure what the fallout will be, and which one of our neighbors will face the interruption of services, going into the holidays, of all times,” he said. He said he hopes the existing board will look compassionately at those who have a reason for being interrupted, knowing this is unprecedented and not likely to reoccur.
During his campaign, Haley pointed out several areas in the BPU that hurt the poor more than other rate payers, including the PILOT fee.
Haley returned a questionnaire, which is online at www.wyandottedaily.com/david-haley-candidate-questionnaire/.
Gilstrap was not at the Oct. 22 Zoom forum. He also was not at the Mainstream Coalition forum and the candidate forum held at the First Baptist Church, 5th and Nebraska. A questionnaire was not received from him.
For more of the candidates’ positions on the issues, the Business West –KCKCC forum is online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sch_fKqsK_4&list=PLMfeRPiOepX1K6tFoAenGCa4wHYYk6Xtt&index=2.
Polls are open for advance voting from 8 a.m. to noon Monday, Nov. 1, at the Election Office, 850 State Ave.
Polls also are open Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. To find your polling place, visit Voter View at https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView, or call the Election Office at 913-573-8500.
To see other election stories, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/category/election-2021/.