The Kansas House 60th District was the focus of KVOE’s latest Candidate Forum on Thursday.
Republican incumbent Mark Schreiber is facing Democrat challenger Maddison Glover for the seat. He has served the 60th District since 2017. he’s running continue work on several major topics.
Glover’s reason to run: giving a voice to people who face difficult decisions in their daily lives.
For years, property tax relief was the big topic among residents and lawmakers. That’s not the case anymore, with data center debates raging across the state — including Emporia. Glover says she wants responsible development when it comes to data centers.
Besides responsible development, Glover is also focusing on safeguards and accountability.
Schreiber expects more conversations soon about data center regulations.
Schreiber says the city of Emporia has done a good job of incorporating resident concerns into zoning policy for a possible data center.
The data center discussions haven’t ruled out property tax relief as a major talking point for lawmakers. Aside from possibly taking the ag land approach of a longer average period to smooth out any tax increases, Schreiber says the state’s hands are relatively tied when it comes to substantial relief.
Glover says changes in several policy areas could broaden the tax base.
Another major discussion is virtually guaranteed on public education funding, which is set for either an extension or, more likely, a revision of some sort. Both candidates say any adjusted formula will have to take into account the trend of declining enrollment.
KVOE’s Candidate Forum series continues Tuesday with the candidates for the Kansas House 76th District. Democrat David Claridge and Republican Russel Stukey are hoping to succeed Republican Brad Barrett, who is leaving the seat open after 1 term to focus on his work.
Information is in the KVOE.com Voter Information Guide courtesy Community National Bank & Trust and is online now.
