Kansans deserve a governor who will rebuild trust

When was the last time you testified before the Kansas Legislature? Or let the governor’s office know how you felt about a pending state contract with a private vendor? For most of us, the answer is never. Even if we wanted to, where would we begin to find the calendars and schedules to let us know how to do it?

As a seven-year member of the Kansas Legislature, and then as the 14th state secretary of agriculture, I was honored and privileged to have a front-row seat to government in action. My tenure ended in January 2011, at the beginning of Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration. And for the last eight years, many Kansans and I have been shocked by the rapidity with which the institutions we cared for have been dismantled, largely outside the public’s eye.

There are many critical issues this election cycle — education, roads, taxes and the tragedy of lost children at the Department for Children and Families. But all these issues are connected by the biggest issue in this election: the fact that all state agencies have been starved and their talent pools hollowed out. It will be up to the next administration to rally all Kansans willing to serve to rebuild the stability of state institutions and the services they provide.

But Kansans cannot rebuild their agencies if they have lost faith in their government. Here in 2018, when we are better connected worldwide than ever before, our state government seems as inaccessible as it has ever been. Committees hold hearings with little notice. Long-term contracts are handed out with no bids. Even the Legislature, acutely aware of transparency problems heading into the 2018 session because of the reporting of The Kansas City Star, still passed a piece of legislation removing certain requirements for attribution on campaign materials — making it harder for us all to know who pays for the pieces of mail crowding our mailboxes.

It is time for change in Kansas. We need an independent state auditor to serve as a watchdog for the interests of Kansans and enforce the transparency we deserve. We need full reform of the legislative process to make it accessible for regular Kansans. We need an administration that has government experience, but doesn’t come freighted with the burdens of the past eight years. Kansans need to believe once again that their government belongs to them.

Our state’s capacity to attract and build businesses depends on the implicit trust that our government is open and fair. A cornerstone of investment is that dependability and stability. If that is lacking, even short-term solutions to the problems of the last eight years will ring hollow.

Calling for new education funds or a long-term transportation plan without the additional layer of public trust gleaned from an independent state auditor means that we could end up with a new administration little changed from our past — backroom deals, no-bid contracts and promises delivered to large political donors. Kansas must do better.

I was a part of state government when it used to function well, but I have not been a part of the miasma of secrecy that has gripped the governor’s office and the Legislature these last eight years. My running mate, Katrina Lewison, is a West Point graduate and a decorated war veteran. Her discipline and leadership skills were gained in an arena worlds away from the current culture in Topeka.

Kansans are ready for the next generation to step up and lead the state back to a brighter, more positive future. They are ready for leaders whose dedication to openness extends beyond the Senate walls.