Social worker, former candidate to fill open Overland Park seat in Kansas House
A Kansas City area social worker and former candidate for the Kansas House of Representatives will join Kansas Legislature, filling the house seat vacated by former Rep. Brett Parker.
The Johnson County Democratic Party elected Heather Meyer, 41, to fill the Overland Park house district Tuesday night.
Meyer ran for the seat in 2014 and lost before returning to school and earning her social work degree.
She currently works for a Kansas City area organization providing services to individuals living with HIV and AIDS.
Meyer, who is openly bisexual, will be the state’s fourth openly LGBTQ lawmaker.
“I’ve been an activist out int he community trying to make positive changes for a while,” Meyer said. “When the seat opened up Brett and I had some conversations and decided it would be a good time for me to go ahead and step in and carry the district forward until I run again in 2022.”
Parker, Meyer’s predecessor, announced in May he would resign from the Legislature to focus on other career opportunities.
At the time Parker was serving as executive director of Prairie Roots, a political organizing group he launched with former Democratic Senate candidate Barbara Bollier.
According to the group’s website, Parker is no longer the executive director.
Last week the American Athiests organization announced they’d hired Parker to serve as their State Policy Manager.
