BY JADEN MOUNT
Tiger Media Network
The Republican primary for the Ellis County First District commissioner continues to draw closer. Registered Republican voters will have to choose between current Commissioner Marcy McClelland and former Ellis County Health Administrator Robert “Butch” Schlyer.
The coming election marks the end of McClelland’s first term as county commissioner. June 1 served as the deadline for party candidates to file for the election. McClelland didn’t file until “the very last hour, on the very last day,” according to Schlyer.
“I wasn’t sure [about running],” McClelland said in her interview on KFHS Online Radio’s The Sandbox. “And I decided that I could make up my mind on that day.”
Contrary to Schlyer’s focus on experience, McClelland has put forth her qualifications as a community leader.
“I’m a people person. I am visible in the community,” she said. “I’m a strong community figure. I was a 4-H leader. I have an interest in genealogy. I consider myself an ambassador for Ellis County, representing the county at different functions and so forth. And, I’m a taxpayer.”
Regardless of this difference, both Republican candidates have relatively agreed on what is the largest issue facing Ellis County: the budget.
“The largest issue we face every year is the budget,” McClelland said. “We as commissioners don’t like to raise taxes. However, if we don’t raise taxes, there are some services that have to be cut. And when you want to cut services, it’s really kind of bad … Do you not maintain this road or do you not fix this bridge? Further, we have the ambulance service. So are we going to curtail the ambulance service or curtail some fire department services because we have the rural fire department under us. And, you know, it’s really a hard decision.”
McClelland’s filing has resulted in the only local primary race in Ellis County. Ellis County native Chris Rorabaugh was the sole Democrat to file, automatically giving him the party nomination in the November general election. John Walz, another native to Ellis, has filed as an Independent as of June 8.
If you are a registered voter in the Republican Party and live in the First District of Ellis County, you will be able to cast your vote for either Schlyer or McClelland at the Aug. 7 primary. For more information on voting in your area, contact your local Kansas Department of the Treasurer Office.