University Daily Kansan
Friday, October 27, 1978
STATE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS
5
Vogel says communication key to success
BY TAMMY TIERNEY
Staff Reporter
Sixteen years as a state representative
of the State of New York in the
Republican John Vogel powered the
new State Senate.
Vogel, 63, says he owes his years in office to one-on-one communication with his guardian.
He predicts that this communication will win his race against Democrat Jim Supica in the election.
"It's very easy for someone who's never been in office to complain about lack of representation, but if you're doing your job, you appeqau you don't have time for running around."
"My opponent is running on the idea that I've been around too long," he said. "But I maintain that if you do your job well and maintain that there's no reason why you should be replaced."
"SUPICA DOESN'T know what kind of communication I get. I try to take care of the individual by mail, telephone or in person. I know that's where the votes are. If you don't like that, until it is taken care of. I always try to have my desk cleared at the end of the week."
Vogel, a graduate of the University of
Kansas School of Business and a former school teacher, said that at the time he decided to run for office, politics was the last thing on his mind.
"I had no idea I was going to run," he said. "When the filing deadline came up in June of 1962, I was out in the field harvesting wheat."
"A group of Lawrence businessmen came out to the farm and said that because I had been so active working with the Chamber of Commerce and had been on the school board, he gave a good Grant Township they thought I'd be a good candidate for state representative.
"THEY ONLY GAVE me two days to make up my mind, but I finally did and here
Balancing farm with the representa-
tive's job was not as difficult as it sounded.
"The Legislature is usually out by the time the busy season comes around and now that I can hire help I really don't have any problems," he said.
He said that his family had always approved of his legislature job.
"They were supportive when I first
John Voael
decided to run and they have been ever since," he said.
During his years in office Vogel has served on a number of house committees, including natural resources, livestock, education and ways and means. He was chairman of the agriculture committee for 12 years, longer than any other chairman.
VOGEL SAID THERE had been many changes in the House since his first term in office.
"When I first came to the House, representatives only had a desk on the floor," he said. "It was very difficult to help. Now they give committee chairmen their own offices and it's much easier to get a secretary to help out with the work.
"Probably the biggest improvement was giving each of the representatives his own telephone. It's a big help to be able to give them the best that easily with your constituents."
Vogel also noted changes in the kinds of bills the Legislature considered.
"Fourteen or fifteen years ago a bill for a sex discrimination law would never have gotten out of committee," he said. "I think there is an interesting bonus has more of an interest in the individual."
In keeping with individuals' interests, Vogel said he thought the Legislature was putting more emphasis on the community rather than the state.
"THEERE WAS A TIME when it was considered a good idea to build up state institutions for the handicapped or the mentally retarded," he said. "Now I think
they're trying to do away with them and are more oriented toward community facilities
"I think this is a good idea because, after all, the community is where an individual lives."
One of his prime interests, Vogel said, was maintaining a high quality of primary education. He said that receiving a good education would also alleviate学习 problems later in life.
Vogel said he would favor decreasing the pupil-teacher ratio to 15 to one in the lower grades and would hold pupils back when he could not master material for that grade.
"THERE'S TOO MUCH emphasis on age," he said. "Too many pupils are passed on simply because they reach the age to move on to a higher grade. If their academic problems were caught and corrected at an early age, they would be able to keep up with their age group."
Vugel said he did not favor Proposition 13-
type legislation as a viable tax plan for
them.
"I don't think Proposition 13 would do too
much good here, because we have not reassessed the value of property. I think we need to establish a 1 or 1.3 percent tax lid on the assessed value of property instead."
Although he co-signed a similar bill several years ago, Vogel said he did not propose a 3 cent tax on cigarettes for athletes and athletics would be missed by the Legislature.
"I DON'T KNOW if there's that much interest in it," he said. "I doubt very much if I have one."
He said he did not think that the proposed sale of beer at football games for funding of women's athletics would meet with success in the Legislature either.
"I don't think they'd be receptive to it," he said. "It gives a college football game too."
Vogel predicted there would be much emphasis on careful spending in the period this year.
"I think they'll take a close look at the financial conditions of the state of Kansas and set priorities for spending," he said. He added that he would look carefully at the dollar this year."
Frustrations prompt campaign
By TAMMY TIERNEY
Staff Reporter
This year's Democratic candidate for state representative from the 43rd district once considered himself an unlikely prospect for political office.
Jim Supica, a 26-year-old law student at the KU School of Law, said although he had always planned on going to law school, politics were never his final aim.
In fact, he said it was his frustrations rather than his aspirations that prompted him.
Before entering law school, Supica worked for two years as director of Headquarters, a Lawrence crisis intervention and short-term counseling
During the time he worked at Headquarter, Legislature passed a law that would allow police to abuse counselors and centers without, Supica says, consulting those who actually work with them.
"None of the legislators bothered to go out and talk to people who are active in drug use."
Supica said that the legislators' lack of awareness in that issue both frustrated him and his colleagues.
Supica said he was also displeased with that he felt was a lack representation in that team.
"The last two times I went to the polls",
he said, "there was no one running against
"When someone has been in office that long, they need some competition to keep up."
More than anything else, Supica said that his experiences at Headquarters had shaken
his campaign and attitude about being a legislator.
"I've always been interested in helping organizations," he said. "Headquarters is a real grass-roots organization based on the people of need帮助 other neeol."
IT'S A GRASS-ROOTS idea that Supica had to carry into his campaign.
Greater representation, increased government accountability and continued maintenance of low taxes are some of the reasons Suplica said he would focus on if elected.
Supica said that another policy he had used to keep his campaign "grass-roots" was putting a $25 limit on all campaign contributions.
"I campaign by knocking on doors for two or three hours a night," he said, "just saying hello and discussing different issues. I know that things that come up that I never thought of."
"I think a lot of people have a legitimate complaint about legislators taking large campaign contributions in return for votes on specific issues," he said.
"I think communication is really important," he said. "So if I'm elected, I want to make sure that people are hearing."
Christmas shopping with McQueen Jewelers convenient layaway plan.
Happiness is . . .
month in west Lawrence, southeast
Lawrence, Baldwin and Eudora."
GOVERMENMT OVERSPENDING is
something else Suika said is concerned
with her child.
"People in the government don't act as if money was real," he said. "I don't have a friend who is an employee, I do feel that government money can be used more efficiently at the local level for business."
He said he would work to keep taxes from being a burden on the individual homeowner, and that he was particularly interested in taking a sales tax off of groceries.
"When you're looking at a family that's making just enough to be sure," he said. "We're not going to make it."
To compensate for the money lost by taking the sales tax off of groceries, Supica said he would favor placing a severance tax on all gas and oil exported from Kansas.
"To my knowledge," he said, "a 'percent severance tax on all gas and oil going out of Kansas would compensate for taking the tax off groceries."
Although he said his district contained fewer students than any other Lawrence district, he also said in some youth-oriented issues, and that neither his age nor his bachelorhood that
As far as KU-oriented issues, Supica said he did not favor the proposed 3 cent cigarette tax or the proposed sale of beer at football games as methods of funding either men's intercollegiate athletics or women's athletics.
James Gang Auto Parts
1830 W. 6th
"auto parts professionals"
843-8080
2016 W. 23rd
842-0304
the GRAMOPHONE
... SELLS YAMAHA shop FOR LESS!!!
QUALITY STEREO EQUIPMENT
KIEF'S DISCOUNT RECORDS AND STEREO
Holiday Plaza
Lawrence, KS