A forum for judge candidates is being aired daily on the Kansas City Kansas Community College cable television station.
The three Democratic candidates for an open Wyandotte County District Court judge position are Tony Martinez, Mike Nichols and Jane Sieve Wilson. They are running in the primary election on Aug. 7.
Airings are at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day through Aug. 6 on Spectrum Channel 17 and Google TV Channel 146.
The candidate forum was co-sponsored July 18 by Business West and Kansas City Kansas Community College.
The remaining days and times the forum will be shown on cable TV include:
July 30, 7 p.m.
July 31, 10 a.m., 7 p.m.
Aug. 1, 10 a.m., 7 p.m.
Aug. 2, 10 a.m., 7 p.m.
Aug. 3, 10 a.m., 7 p.m.
Aug. 4, 10 a.m., 7 p.m.
Aug. 5, 10 a.m., 7 p.m.
Aug. 6, 10 a.m., 7 p.m.
Wyandotte County Democratic Party Chair Dr. Valdenia Winn and other officials cut the ribbon Sunday to open the new Wyandotte County Democrats campaign office at 79th and Parallel Parkway. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)
The importance of the urban vote was emphasized Sunday as a new campaign office was opened by Wyandotte County Democrats at 7843 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.
“We’re going to be running get-out-the-vote and election activity for the November election,” Ethan Corson, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party, said.
The Democrats plan to talk to voters person-to-person on their doorsteps and on the telephone, he said.
Much of the coordination for opening the new office was done by Rashane Hamby.
Gary Enrique Bradley-Lopez, Wyandotte County Young Democrats chair, said he is hoping to go door-to-door to campaign and talk to voters. He also plans to communicate with voters through social media.
He said once they get past the primary on Tuesday, Aug. 7, the Young Democrats will participate in campaigning efforts.
Several candidates and elected officials attended the event from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Among those attending were Democratic candidates for 3rd District, House of Representative.
Democratic candidate for governor Laura Kelly, who is a state senator, attended. Lieutenant governor candidates Dale Cowsert, who is running with Arden Andersen, and Chris Morrow, who is running with Carl Brewer, also attended this event.
Also attending were Mike Nichols and Tony Martinez, who are running for an open judge position.
Nathaniel McLaughlin, a candidate for commissioner of insurance, also attended. McLaughlin does not have opposition in the primary, and said he is trying to be visible to the voters.
Wyandotte County Democratic Party Chair Dr. Valdenia Winn, who is also a state legislator and president of the Kansas City, Kansas Board of Education, cut the ribbon to open the office, along with several other officials.
Some of the other elected officials present included State Sen. Pat Pettey, Unified Government Commissioner Mike Kane, and Rep. Jerry Stogsdill.
The Wyandotte County Democrat office opening Sunday at 79th and Parallel Parkway was well attended. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)Gary Enrique Bradley-Lopez, left, said the Wyandotte County Young Democrats plan to participate in the get-out-the-vote effort. (Staff photo)Laura Kelly, a state senator who is running for governor, left, talked with Nathaniel McLaughlin, right, who is running for state commissioner of insurance. (Staff photo)Chris Morrow, right, who is running for lieutenant governor on a ticket with Carl Brewer, also attended this event. (Staff photo)Dale Cowsert, left, is running for lieutenant governor on a ticket with Arden Andersen. Terry Manies, right, is the campaign manager for Marci Francisco, who is running for state treasurer. (Staff photo)Sharice Davids, left, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd District, visited with voters Sunday at the opening of the Wyandotte County Democrat campaign headquarters near 79th and Parallel Parkway. (Staff photo)Mike McCamon, a candidate for U.S. House, 3rd District, wore his slogan on his T-shirt at the campaign office opening Sunday near 79th and Parallel Parkway. (Staff photo)Tom Niermann, center, back, a candidate for the U.S. House, 3rd District, attended Sunday’s event. Also attending were Tony Martinez and Sen. Pat Pettey. (Staff photo)Brent Welder, right, a candidate for the U.S. House, 3rd District, visited with UG Commissioner Mike Kane at the opening of the Wyandotte County Democrat campaign office Sunday. (Staff photo)Sylvia Williams, right, a candidate for the U.S. House, 3rd District, visited during the Wyandotte County Democrats campaign office opening Sunday near 79th and Parallel Parkway. (Staff photo)Mike Nichols, left, who is running for judge, attended Sunday’s Wyandotte County Democrat office opening. (Staff photo)Tony Martinez, right, a candidate for judge, visited during the Wyandotte County Democrat campaign office opening on Sunday. (Staff photo)
Sylvia Williams, right, one of six Democratic candidates for U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd District, handed out campaign literature Saturday to Robert Cobin at the Heather Heights neighborhood group meeting at the Neighborhood Resource Center, 4953 State Ave. (Staff photo)
by Mary Rupert
Sylvia Williams, a candidate for U.S. House, 3rd District, campaigned in the Midtown area of Kansas City, Kansas, on Saturday, knocking on doors and also attending a meeting of the Heather Heights neighborhood group.
She explained her stance to the neighborhood group on issues including equal pay for women, access to health care, a higher minimum wage, education and guns.
Women still only get paid 77 cents on the dollar compared to men, and the nation could use women who would go to Washington and try to work for equal pay, she said.
Williams said a lot of the people in Congress are lawyers, but what Washington really needed was not people who argue, but people who can sit down and solve problems.
The neighborhood group met at the Neighborhood Resource Center at 4953 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
One resident at the meeting recalled some unequal treatment of women at work and said she was glad to have someone work for equal pay for women.
Another resident mentioned the importance of education and students getting quality educations.
Williams said she would do anything she could at the federal level to support schools, and she would like to make sure something like the Brownback experiment with cuts to schools doesn’t happen again.
A Democratic Congressional candidate, Sylvia Williams, spoke to a neighborhood group Saturday in Kansas City, Kansas. (Staff photo)
A resident at the neighborhood meeting also brought up the topic of guns, and talked about the time he saw people in cars shooting at each other on the street.
“You can’t go anywhere without the fear of guns next to you,” the resident said.
Williams said she favored universal background checks, closing loopholes on gun shows, and is against military-style automatic assault weapons. She said she isn’t anti-Second Amendment, and her dad was a hunter, but he would have thought today’s society is senseless for allowing military-style assault weapons.
Williams recently has been knocking on doors north of Parallel Parkway, and 62nd Place north of State Avenue, in the Midtown area. She also plans to visit an area north of the Kansas Speedway.
She said she’s knocked on more than 2,000 doors herself.
Williams said officials need to make sure they do a good job representing everybody.
“People really appreciate it,” she said of the voters’ reactions to her neighborhood visits. One 87-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, man told her she was the first candidate to ever come to his door.
Williams said that while people often refer to her as a moderate, she wanted them to know that she was in favor of universal access to health care.
“We need to figure out how to modernize the minimum wage system,” she said. It’s not as simple as saying raise it $2 an hour, she said. “We need to raise the overall rate, and make sure we tie it to inflation, with annual adjustments,” Williams said.
She said her polls have shown that Social Security and Medicare are some of the top issues here. With Republicans discussing making cuts to Social Security and Medicare, it is a very important concern for residents.
The 3rd District needs to send someone who will really fight to keep Social Security and Medicare intact, she said.
Williams, a resident of Leawood, has worked 29 years in the financial field. In the community banking area, she was one of the first women to be a department manager and has served in senior management positions. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a Master of Business Administration in finance. She is originally from the Parsons, Kansas, area. She also has done volunteer work at her daughter’s public school, has been a youth group leader, and volunteers at her church.
Williams said she has a strong leadership team. Kelly Kultala, a former state senator from Kansas City, Kansas, who ran for the 3rd District, U.S. House, in 2014, is Williams’ campaign manager. Joan Wagnon, former state Democratic Party chair, is a senior adviser to her campaign. Tyler McCall, who ran for a legislative office previously in Missouri, is the campaign coordinator.
In all, six Democrats are running in the Aug. 7 primary for the 3rd District seat. Williams said she and Brent Welder, also running for the 3rd District, have sent out mailers and done television ads. The other four Democratic candidates for the office are Sharice Davids, Mike McCamon, Tom Niermann and Jay Sidie. Incumbent Rep. Kevin Yoder, a Republican, is running for re-election, with two Republican opponents.
“I feel pretty good about the race,” Williams said. She added she has tried to stay above any infighting among the candidates.
Leonard Stallings, president of the Heather Heights neighborhood group, listened to the presentation by candidate Sylvia Williams on Saturday. (Staff photo)Irene Breedlove, secretary of the Heather Heights neighborhood group, listened to a presentation by candidate Sylvia Williams on Saturday. (Staff photo)
To see previous stories about the 3rd District campaign, visit:
