August 8, 2004
ssharp@ink.org
Friends:
I know, I know. I’m late. Needed a couple of days to readjust to post-campaign reality! Yes, I won!
I am very humbled by your outpouring of support for respectable, reasonable, and responsible leadership for Lenexa and Shawnee. The overwhelming victory is purely due to the hundreds of volunteers, thousands of votes, and every spare minute of door-to-door through the neighborhoods of the 17th District. Thank you for your calls and notes, and again, I apologize for the delay!
Tuesday was certainly an exciting evening filled with numbers, friends, family, volunteers, and hundreds of supporters for candidates across Johnson County.
Now, I need your prayers and support as we march toward the General Election. As you know, I have a Democrat and a Libertarian running against me, and I will need your help!
Yard Signs
If you have a yard sign, you should have received a note a couple of weeks ago reminding you to pick it up after the Primary and keep it for the General Election. THANK YOU for letting me borrow your yard. If you would like a yard sign for the General, please reply.
Inside Kansas Politics – Tune in 1510 AM at 10:00 am Saturday morning, or on www.1510.com
This week on IKP, we will be joined by U.S. Senator Pat Roberts and KS Representative Ed O’Malley to discuss national security policy, the 9/11 report (what he can tell us without the Secret Service coming out of the walls), and election wrap-up.
Last week’s IKP focused on the intricacies of election week – with guests Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh and Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt.
Some perspective on Tuesday's results:
- If you own a business, or heck, if you work for one - you are
probably worried:
- Reforms in our debilitating Worker’s Compensation will most likely be blocked again.
- And with a change in the Kansas School Board, we can look forward to a return of the science debates that made Kansas infamous on late-night talk shows. The business community is reeling - people don't want to bring their business to Kansas when those issues are making national headlines.
- The House and Senate actually became even worse places for education finance reform, creative new ideas for finance formulas, or increased funding. We can look for more time spent on social agendas instead of issues which the state is mandated to consider (i.e. schools, roads, health care).
- Responsible decision-making has been swatted down by outside interests - Reps. Bill Kassebaum and Cindy Neighbor, the sponsors of this year's education plan were both defeated by SIGNIFICANT amounts of money that poured in from out-of-state interest groups. They were punished for choosing the right thing over the political thing.
As you can see by my comments in Thursday’s Lenexa/Shawnee Sun, I was disappointed that:
1) there is no "Ad Watch" at the local level, for smaller races. At this level, candidates can, and do, say ANYTHING to get elected (both in print and on your doorstep), because there is no checks and balances to discourage it! See article: Contentious Primary
2) so little coverage was given to the UNPRECEDENTED amount of East Coast money that was poured into Kansas elections. Unfortunately, voters in many districts were swayed not by Kansans, but by East Coast interest groups with unlimited funds. See article: 18th District Rematch.
Stay Tuned!
Keep up with all the latest legislative news from across the state by reading your Sharp Record. The popular “Resource” pages and “Question of the Week” will also return in the next edition. As always, please feel free to respond with your thoughts and suggestions!
No political victory is complete without a request for your monetary support as well. To ensure another victory in November, please consider contributing your time or resources to Sharp for Kansas. Click here to donate online or to print a contribution form. If you contributed during the Primary Election, the calendar has restarted and you can contribute up to $500 from now until the General Election. Thank you for your generosity - EVERY contribution helps!
I remain your faithful public servant,
Representative Stephanie Sharp
17th District, KS House
Serving Lenexa and Shawnee
913-894-1201