University Daily Kansan, June 19, 1980
Page 3
Legislative races begin tomorrow
By DAN TORCHIA Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
Political activity in Kansas is gearing up this week for tomorrow's noon film deadline that will signal the start of the state legislative race.
State House seats come up every two years and the Senate each four. This year, all 140 seats in both branches are up for grabs.
Lawrence and Douglas County voters will elect representatives in the 43rd, 44th, 45th and 46th House seats, and the 2nd District in the Senate.
Three incumbents, all Democrats, are running again. Betty Jo Charlson of the 4th District, who is finishing up his second term, is the 46th District. John Solbach of the 45th is completing his first term and is running again, as is Arnold Berman in the 47th District.
BECAUSE THE only Republican representative, John Vogel of the 43rd District, is not running, and Charlton Hussey has been elected, and 44th districts have no incumbents.
David Berkowitz, Democratic party chairman in Douglas County, said he expected the three Democratic incumbents to be re-elected.
But John Lungstum, chairman of the Douglas County GOP, said the Republicans also had a good chance this year.
"Our candidates know what it takes to win, and they are willing to spend a great deal of time at it," he said.
Primaries, if needed will be August 5. Here is a rundown of the races and candidates.
43RD DISTRICT: Dave Miller of Eudora is the GOP candidate who will fill Vogel's vacancy. Miller is an insurance broker. He was KU student body president in 1972. He announced his candidacy May 6.
44th District; the Republicans have two candidates for the seat. Wint Winter Jr, has announced his candidacy. Winter, an area lawyer, is the son of State Sen. Wint Winter, R-Ottawa
Jackson Arbrister is the other GOP candidate, Arbrister, a Douglas County Sheriff's Lieutenant, has announced and filed.
Jessie Branson filed yesterday for the Democratic position. Branson, past president of the Douglas County and Kansas Associations for Mentally Retarded Citizens, has served on the governors' Committees on health care.
45TH DISTRICT: There are two Republican candidates running in this district also. Glenn McGonagle, former director of the physics and astronomy lab at KU, announced in April.
McGonagle will face Kent Snyder in the august primary. A part-time KU student and area realtor, Snyder filed viederday.
46th District: This is the new district created by the reap of voters who had been announced Republican candidate, Willie Amison is considering. Amison, a former KU football player, lost to the 44th District race two years ago.
Democratic incumbent Solbach planned to file today. Solbach an area lawyer, is best known for sponsoring the Landlord-Tenant Act.
Charlton has filed in this district, as her home fell in the 40th District when she was appointed to represent the 44th when Glover resigned last year.
2ND DISTRICT: The Republicans have not announced a candidate, and officials would refuse to say who was considering.
Sheriff aspirants favor change
Republican Rex Johnson has been Douglas County sheffield 16 years. Three Democrats, including one who accused Johnson of corruption last fall, will battle each in the Aug. 5 primary. One candidate will run against him in November.
Bv IAN SIMPSON
Staff Reporter
Johnson, 47, is a formidable adversary. He won a narrow victory over Jim Huskey in 1978, and he is well-placed even by his political opponents.
THE SIZE of the office has increased greatly since 1964. During his tenure, the sheriff's department has grown from a staff of 10 to 46. The proposed 1981 budget is $997,000, which is more than 10 times the 1966 budget.
But his opponents say it is time for new blood after 16 years of one man in the same office.
Even Douglas County Republican chairman Jim Langstrum said this week, "There comes a point when change for change sake becomes important. Incumbency is a two-edged sword."
One candidate, Gale Pinegar, 38, a former Lawrence police detective and now a private investigator, said the department needed more training and improved communications with the Lawrence Police Department.
PINEGAR SAID he wanted to increase the number of commissioned officers to 35 and to establish civil service classifications for all employees to improve service and job security.
Early in October 1979, Pinegar alleged that Johnson mistakened funds used to repair a department vehicle in rural Douglas County, June 26, 1979 accident in rural Douglas County.
He also wanted to have police officers hold deputies' commissions to permit greater coordination of police and county operations.
Pinegar brought invoices he said documented the abuses to the attention of District Attorney Mike Malone.
Pinegar he got the invoices from a friend in Lawrence law enforcement. He has refused to identify the source of the documents.
MALONE AND THE County Commission asked the Attorney General's office to examine the charges.
The state conducted a one-day investigation into the allegations. On October 9, Tom Haney, the deputy attorney general who oversaw the inquiry, cleared Johnson of all allegations.
Neil Worman, special assistant to the attorney general, said Monday. "The complainant did not have his facts straight."
Pinegar brought the charges against Johnson because, he said. "I was told about the invoices and as a citizen and taxpayer of Douglas County I brought it to the attention of the County Commission."
PINEGAR SAID of the investigation,
"I'm not satisfied with the attorney
general's investigation, but it's good
enough for me. Period."
Johnson said the attorney general exonerated him. "If I don't have a few enemies I am not doing my job. I hope I am professional enough to go out and make a case and not go off half-cooked."
"I have a clean bill of sale," he said.
Action . . .
"But we're going to upgrade KU's plan," he said, "so that we indeed have an affirmative action plan."
from page 1
The current KU affirmative action plan closely resembles the K-State plan that was changed, Edwards said. The plan contains a program philosophy statement and a list of procedures for granting envisions and filing federal forms.
THE OFFICE OF FEDERAL Contract Compliance recently forced Kansas State University to revamp its entire affirmative action plan after an investigation revealed that the plan did not follow federal guidelines.
Edwards said the University was not embarrassed by the lack of goals and timetables in its current plan. He said federal law requirements changed in 1978 and the University was working to program into compliance within a year.
"Affirmative action goes one step further when all things are equal. What we can do is take positive steps to insure that effected classes are given the opportunity to move up the promotional ladder."
Edwards said the reasons for KU's relatively poor minority hiring record were the small pool of qualified minorities nationwide and KU's difficulty in attracting these qualified minority people.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, he said, is the emphasis for the affirmative action program at KU. The proposed goals
and timetables are not quotas, but simply objectives to be strived for.
Affirmative action, Edwards said, comes in only when all qualifications are equal.
"They are like two sides of the same coin." Edwards said of equal opportunity and affirmative action. "Equal opportunity means that everyone should have a fair shot at a piece of the action.
Merle Rothwell, 35, another Democrat who has filed for sheriff, dismissed Pinegar's allegations against Johnson.
Rothwell, a construction contractor, said, "Rex Johnson is a very honest man," and that he respected him and the performance of his department.
Although he thought many improvements needed to be made, Rothwell said he would be comfortable if Johnson remained in office.
Rothwell has a background in emergency services and said he favored improved training for deputies, including emergency medical training.
HE WANTED THE CREATION of a reserve deputy force, greater communication between the city and county law enforcement agencies and improved use of the crime facilities of the University of Kansas.
Rothwell also favored the expansion of the force to deal with the inflow of people the county will experience with the completion of Clinton Reservoir.
"Clinton Lake scares me and it scares a lot of people." Rothwell said.
He said he had no law enforcement experience—'absolutely none'—but thought his administrative talents as a doctor would improve the department.
Rothwell thought the county had outgrown Johnson's administrative capacities. The position of sheriff is now less of a riding around in a patrol car, he said.
ROTHWELL AND Pinegar said they would campaign door-to-door. Rothwell said he expected to spend $1,000. He also planned primary expenses at $3,000 and $8,000.
Eudora Police Chief Bill Long has also announced his candidacy, but has not filed yet with the county clerk. Long could not be reached for comment.
Johnson said his record showed improvement in personnel and better communications between the police and sheriff's office.
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