Republican primary opponents for the Reno County Commission discussed taxes as one of their top priorities Tuesday evening at the Stringer Fine Arts Center on the Hutchinson Community College campus.
The Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce hosted the forum with President/CEO Debra Teufel acting as moderator.
Commission District 2
The second commission district encompasses South Hutchinson and rural western Reno County. The candidates running are incumbent Commissioner Ron Hirst and challengers Melony Ball and Ken Nisly.
“I moved here six years ago with my husband who grew up here. I feel I have been more involved here than I ever was back in Overland Park,” Ball said. “I care very much about the people here. I hope to change taxes. I’m tired of seeing mine go up. I’m tired of seeing more government oversight, and hopefully, level out that wage-to-tax ratio.”
Hirst said the main reason he ran six years ago was to improve communication between the county government and its constituents. He said he hopes to continue that message moving forward.
“It seems like when we have good communication and a chance to give civil discourse, we get a chance to study the issue and represent them in deciding what they really want and why,” Hirst said. “That’s primarily the reason.”
Nisly said he is running to represent the rural parts of the county and help provide tax relief.
“There are a lot of people who feel like they’re not being heard in the western part of Reno County,” Nisly said. “Taxes seem to be going up by leaps and bounds which makes it hard for people for Sylvia, Turon and Langdon. I’d like to make it easier for businesses here.”
Commission District 3
The third commission district includes northwestern Reno County, Buhler and northwest Hutchinson. Incumbent Commission Daniel Friesen did not file for reelection, leaving Republican candidates Timothy Davies and Ron Vincent to face Democratic challenger Garth Strand.
“Having been a resident my entire life of district three and seeing what happens in government, I feel like the reason is that I care about what happens for the next generation, and I think we need to consider the continual increase in taxes and need to change the regulations to make Reno County a more friendly place for businesses to come and thrive,” Davies said.
Vincent said he would like to bring some “common sense” to the commission.
“Everything doesn’t have to be this difficult,” Vincent said. “We need a bigger tax base which would create less taxes.”
Commission District 4
Commission district four is the only district entirely located within Hutchinson. It includes much of the central area of the Salt City.
Republican incumbent John Whitesel says he wants to make sure COVID-era regulations never happen again in Reno County.
“Remember COVID? Remember when we couldn’t go to church on Easter or the county-administered mask mandate?” Whitesel asked the audience. “Bird Flu is coming, and you better believe stuff will happen again. Taxes are too high. I’m the only commissioner that voted against raising your taxes by 3.75%. I will work to cut government to keep your taxes low.”
Whitesel’s challenge, Richard Winger, said he would like to focus on cutting taxes and creating a balanced budget for the county.
“I believe taxes could go down, but also inflation has gone up,” Winger said. “We need to have a balance there and have a common sense idea for what is needed for the community-at-large. I look forward to serving and being a part of the community.”
The winner between Whitesel and Winger will face Democratic challenger Lindsey Hatfield.