Topic: Attorney General
Interview of Mike Dealy, November 24, 2020
Interviewed by Rex Buchanan
In this 2020 oral history interview, Mike Dealy discussed his observations of Kansas water policy implementation during his career as the Manager of a Groundwater Management District (GMD). He reflected on the degree to which water policy permeates all aspects of society and politics. He recalled how the GMD Board's interest in water quality added a dimension to water management that didn't exist in all GMDs. He also noted that changes in the composition of the GMD Board of Directors had an impact on policy development and reflected on the importance of broad representation in the elected Board of Directors. Show More He concluded that broad representation ideally can result in cooperation among all water users in a GMD, irrigators, municipalities, and industries, which is key to a successful management plan. Show Less
Interview of Bob Stephan, October 21, 2020
Interviewed by Michael (Mike) Matson
Former Attorney General Robert T. Stephan, in this 2020 oral history interview, recalls the highlights of his years serving the State of Kansas as Attorney General (1979 to 1995). Stephan's career as a champion of children as well as victims of crime and discrimination was shaped by his upbringing in Wichita and his strong sense of what it right. Stephan laments the increasingly partisan atmosphere of the National Association of Attorneys General, an organization to which he belonged during his time in state service.
Interview of Carla Stovall-Steckline, May 4, 2026
Interviewed by Dale Goter
This interview of former Kansas Attorney General Carla Stovall Steckline highlights the importance of her two terms in office as the first and only woman elected Attorney General in Kansas. She has a fascinating story, starting as the county attorney in Crawford County where Pittsburg is located. The county attorney told her "Crawford County juries are not ready for women in the courtroom yet." So she ran against him and defeated him. What she found was "so much child sexual abuse there that I would never have imagined existed." Governor Hayden appointed her to the Show Morestate Parole Board and she became more visible in Republican politics while learning about the problems with sexually violent predators. Former Attorney General Bob Stephan noticed her and she had lots of interaction with his office. When Stephan announced his retirement, he backed Stovall for the AG position. During the campaign a young college student at Pittsburg State was murdered violently and became a campaign issue. Stovall proposed the Sexuallly Violent Predator Law that became the biggest issue in her campaign. After the election, several other heinous crimes occurred which propelled the proposed law into the public arena. Stovall ended up defending the law at the U.S. Supreme Court. (See End Notes to the transcript for her explanation of that court process.) During her second term she was pursuing litigation against the tobacco companies. She won $1.6 billion dollars from the tobacco companies and the legislature dedicated that money to children's programs and set up the Children's Cabinet to administer the fund. She was also involved with water legislation about the Colorado River. At the end of her two terms, she was persuaded to run for Governor, but ended up withdrawing from the race because her heart wasn't in it. She met and married Larry Steckline and left the political work behind, although she started a charity to help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault which she operates today. Show Less