Good turnout for candidate forum at GOP meeting

All primary candidates were invited to speak.

Three of the five mayoral candidates attended the meeting and a fourth, Mark  Holland, sent a representative to speak for him.  Nathan Barnes did not attend the meeting. Six of the 11 commissioner candidates attended the meeting and all shared their visions for the county and answered several questions from the audience. (Another forum was going on the same evening.)

More than 60 members of the Wyandotte County community crowded into the meeting room and the adjoining areas in order to hear the candidates speak and answer questions from the audience.

Most of the questions were about property taxes. Most candidates agreed that property taxes in the county are a primary concern.  Mayoral candidate Janice Witt responded by saying that lowering property taxes in Wyandotte county is merely a “..Jedi mind trick,” she said.  “You cannot un-spend already spent funds.  You have to replace the funds.”

Mayoral candidate Ann Murguia stated concerns for areas in the county east of I-635 where the “…tax base is shrinking at a faster rate than western Wyandotte

County is growing.” 

Several of the candidates commented that was the largest forum that they had attended.  Wyandotte County GOP chair Mark Gilstrap said he was pleased with the turnout of the event, "I feel good about that since we were in competition with at least one other forum,” he said.