Students and residents gathered in the Kansas State Union Courtyard Sept. 25 to hear State House District 67 Republican candidate Angel Roeser and Democrat candidate Kim Zito go head-to-head, debating topics including the economy, healthcare and abortion.
The first question of the debate was on how each representative would support continued economic growth in Kansas.
Zito said gov. Laura Kelly has done a “tremendous job” but argued there is still work to be done.
“We have won the golden shovel, and that took a lot of work, and our governor has brought business and commerce to this economy, and we have seen a lot of job growth,” Zito said. “One of the things that our local chamber has done here is it goes out to other states and it solicits businesses to come here. … Come to Manhattan, come to our community. It’s a wonderful place to be. When it’s attracting those businesses, it’s often asked, ‘How are the schools and is abortion legal?’”
Zito said protecting women “has a direct effect on our economy.”
“Of course, we have wonderful schools, and it makes sense that when families are moving their kids here they want to make sure that the communities have good schools that their families can raise their kids in,” Zito said. “‘But is abortion legal?’ … they’re asking that question [because] they want to make sure … that Kansas values women, that Kansas can have a healthcare system that puts maternal health care first. They want to make sure that, should they start to raise a family, that they have a healthcare system that they can be safe in. Right now we are under attack here in Kansas, and this has a direct effect on our local economy and our state economy … we have to make sure that we just go forward and protect women.”
Roeser said a “unique approach” should be taken to address the economy.
“Fort Riley is home to the Big Red One, and supporting our military families and those who are here because their loved one is stationed here or retired here because they were once stationed here, is critical to our economy, and those who invest in working in it,” Roeser said. “Kansas agriculture spans across the entire state. The rest of the country looks to Kansas for the answers regarding that issue.”
Roeser said the best thing to do for the economy is to use its “young talent.”
“K-State brings in thousands of students and faculty from across the globe,” Roeser said. “I’m proof of that. And what we can do best for Manhattan and for the state of Kansas is what we can do to help retain that wonderful young talent that we have here within these walls that we are currently sitting in. The Manhattan area chamber of commerce has done lots to invest in the next generation with the young professionals program, which I’m currently a chair of — our goal is to help retain and recruit good quality talent to drive our workforce. With the support of the chamber and other organizations that are driving that initiative is my guarantee to dedicate myself to that initiative and the growth of the economic development sector in the state of Kansas.”
The candidates then explained their plans on how to reduce living expenses across the board.
Roeser agreed the cost of living has gone up and addressed how it’s been hard for families, senior communities, students and veterans to make ends meet.
“These are real concerns from real people in our community, and what we can do as a state, to lower the taxes, particularly the property taxes, to alleviate those renters, which does have a direct impact on them … [this] is what’s going to help alleviate the affordability issue that we are currently having as a state,” Roeser said.
Zito said while she understands affordability issues, the legislature is ignoring the “real issues.”
“Do you realize in the last two years, after we voted no on Aug. 2,” Zito said. “They created 25 anti-abortion bills and five have become law. And do you realize that instead of dealing with property taxes, they’re just legislating women’s bodies? Instead of dealing with funding public schools, they’re just legislating bodies. Instead of expanding Medicaid, they are just legislating women’s bodies. Property taxes are going up year after year [by] double digits, and that’s affecting our wallets, and that’s affecting your rents and that is something that the state legislature needs to reform.”
Zito argued property taxes are “going up because of the Brownback tax schemes.”
“These are something that legislators, that democratic legislatures, are constantly fighting year over year,” Zito said. “The Brownback tax schemes are always, always a threat. … They are the ones who want the property tax, who don’t care about property taxes. They want the income taxes, the flat tax, and they will always come after the flat tax at the expense of local governments, and then local governments have to put the pressure on property taxes, and that comes down on you and me.”
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “In 2012 and 2013, at the urging of Gov. Sam Brownback, lawmakers cut the top rate of the state’s income tax by almost 30% and the tax rate on certain business profits to zero.” This was meant to stimulate “strong growth in economic output, job creation, and new business formation.” Kansas, however, underperformed in all measures after the tax cuts.
Roeser said the solution will come from a “bipartisan effort” to make the decisions to fulfill the budget.
“We have a rainy day fund, and the rest of those dollars are going back into the pockets of taxpayers,” Roeser said. “That’s what helps us alleviate affordability. Seeing that money come back to Kansas taxpayers, that effort to end the burdensome regulations that are stopping us from being able to do business efficiently, that’s the bottom line of this issue.”
The candidates discussed how the state can help schools reverse declines in academic performance and alleviate burdens faced by educators.
Zito said she wished the debate on public education would end, arguing it needs to be fully funded to alleviate the burden.
Let’s fully fund special education,” Zito said. “How about that? And then we wouldn’t have to take it out of the general fund when we have to dip into the general fund to fund the special education. It is a safe constitution mandate that we fully fund education … and yet we have this debate every single election.”
Roeser said this issue is personal to her.
“I have continued to proudly pledge my support for fully funding K-12 education and fully funding special education — that has never changed,” Roeser said. “… I do not support the diversion of public dollars to private schools. Period, my position remains consistent. I will stand with our students, I will stand with our educators and I will stand with our community on this issue.”
The candidates then discussed policies to lower the number of uninsured residents.
Roeser said Kansas doesn’t have a Medicaid issue, but a healthcare one.
“Our local health care providers in our area have been very clear that Medicaid expansion would help them,” Roeser said. “The legislature should consider all options for care that’s going to give help to those who need it, including the reimbursement rate for those providers who serve our community … I see firsthand what insurance is doing to our wonderful providers in our area that are doing their best to keep this community healthy.”
Zito said she supports Medicaid expansion and emphasized there are only 10 states left which haven’t expanded Medicaid, Kansas being one of them.
“Expanding Medicaid would give access to hard-working Kansans’ healthcare,” Zito said. “My opponent here opposes it, and don’t let her tell you otherwise. If you go to her website, she actually has it listed under a priority. It’s a priority that she opposes Medicaid … 70% of Kansans want this done. It will help our neighbors and our friends.”
Roeser rebutted Zito saying Medicaid expansion is only a “piece of the puzzle.”
“There are many issues in Medicaid and healthcare as a whole that we need to remediate, if we’re going to be honest, I don’t think that all of those issues are going to be solved in Topeka,” Roeser said.
Candidates next discussed how they would make secondary education cheaper.
Zito said she is “for all education,” but has a problem with the state legislature making funding difficult and “holding dollars hostage.” She said it makes it harder to attract students, hurting the economy.
“K-State’s a pillar of our economy and we want our students here in Kansas to be able to go to — whether it’s K-State … or KU — and then stay in Kansas,” Zito said. “And so we need to be able to make college or trade schools affordable and then have them stay. So we need an economy here in Kansas that works for hard-working Kansans. We have college tax credits available here in Kansas. Our state treasurer has made available college tax credits for college schools, for Kansas schools, and that is one way that we can make college affordable.”
Roeser said she is a proud graduate of K-State and had opportunities in college which were pivotal to both her and other students’ success.
“Those students are going to become the next leaders of our state leaders and our industries across the state,” Roeser said. “What we can do to support them in that endeavor and get them to stay in this beautiful state is important to the state of Kansas and important to me. Supporting our state universities and technical colleges is not just a priority of a representative, it is a requirement, and it is one that I look forward to fulfilling.”
Andrew Le, chair of the diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging committee, said while he thought the debate went well, there were some instances where he “didn’t agree with some of the sentiment being said about one another.”
“I’m a really big believer on focusing on the policies rather than focusing on the politics of it all,” Le said.
Roeser said the main goal of the debate today was to help inform voters.
“There is nothing as raw or as candid as being able to see unscripted responses from both of the options on the ballot,” Roeser said. “And so I think you know that being the bottom line, I think it was an incredibly successful debate. I am very glad that people got to learn more about me and my opponent and our issues and be able to make informed decisions regarding their votes this November.”
Zito said the goal of the debate today was honesty.
“… My opponent is trying to play herself off as an independent,” Zito said. “And there’s a reason why there are no independents and there’s a reason why there are no moderate Republicans. You cannot be either of those in today’s environment, because we are not having debates anymore about cordial policy issues.”
Roeser said while she didn’t get to say everything she wanted to say, she felt the debate was a success.
“So I’m 23, which would mean that I am potentially going to be the eighth or ninth youngest Kansas legislator in history,” Roes said. “I am a Gen Z kid by heart. I went to college in COVID. I survived all the different things. I lived through all the same culture trends that the other students did. And so what we can do as students to invest in the future is to go out and vote in November. That’s how we’re going to be able to gain control over what happens to us instead of becoming victims to it.”