Topic: Representation
Interview of Dave Heinemann, July 10, 2014
Interviewed by Burdett Loomis
In this 2014 oral history interview, Dave Heinemann recalls his long career in the Kansas House representing Garden City, a career that spanned the years during which there were important changes in Kansas government. He served during an era when rural influence in the Legislature was waning due to fundamental changes in legislative districts. Heinemann's recollections of how legislators serve their constituents and how they worked with one another to craft legislation paint a picture of collaboration in the creation of public policy. His perspective points to the importance of personal relationships with colleagues within the chamber, Show Moreacross the rotunda in the Senate, and with the Governor's office.
Another oral history interview of Heinemann is included in the Reflections on Water collection on this site.
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Interview of William (Bill) Reardon, August 2, 2019
Interviewed by Jim McLean
Bill Reardon is a story-teller, famous in the Democrat caucus for his jokes, stories and anecdotes, told with great enthusiasm. This entertaining interview is filled with some of those stories. Reardon talks about how he was inspired by seeing John F. Kennedy in Kansas City and also by his brother and father, both political figures in Wyandotte County. Reardon divides his legislative service into two periods—the bipartisan problem-solving work of the first 15 years, and a more ideologically driven, partisan era in the last 15 years. His descriptions of developing and passing the 1992 school finance bill are consistent Show Morewith other interviews of legislators serving at that time. Reardon tells stories about how leadership worked and discloses his observations about the Brownback years when he was serving as a lobbyist for the school district. Show Less