Topic: Trifecta

Interview of Audrey Langworthy, October 18, 2019
Interviewed by Joan Wagnon
This 2019 oral history interview of former Kansas State Senator Audrey Langworthy covers her first race to unseat long-time State Senator Norman Gaar, a race she won in 1984 and her four subsequent terms--a total of 16 years. Some of her new colleagues in the Senate steered her to the Assessment and Taxation Committee which she ultimately chaired and loved. Langworthy's tenacity comes through in the interview as she talks about the steep learning curve when she got to the Senate and to the Tax Committee. She received death threat letters after her vote on capital punishment which she sent Show Moreto the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. This interview includes an interesting discussion of strategy developed to pass the 1999 transportation plan and Langworthy's role in it. Her depiction of her views on leadership, her "personal first bill" on the Oregon Trail, and the Bi-state Cultural District bill are worth reading for insight into how Langworthy operated in the Senate and how the increase in the number of women Senators changed the culture of the Senate. Show Less

Interview of Kenny Wilk, May 16, 2024
Interviewed by Chris Courtwright
Representative Kenny Wilk described himself as "curious" when he first arrived to the House--curious about how committees worked, who the people were. A Farm Bureau Citizenship Seminar had kindled his interest in politics. Rochelle Chronister, Assistant Majority Leader mentored him to meet everyone in both chambers. And he did! The interview is full of stories about the people with whom Wilk served, and what he learned from them. He moved from one area to another: budget policy, tax policy and economic development policy. He lost two leadership races, but that allowed him Show Moreto focus more intently on policy initiatives that came from committees he chaired: Kansas Bioscience Authority, the animal health corridor, NBAF, tax relief for military veterans, the Economic Growth Act, the tax exemption for machinery and equipment. Even after leaving the Kansas Legislature, he continued to serve. First, by chairing newly elected Governor Brownback's transition team, then by serving on the Kansas Board of Regents and the Kansas Bioscience Authority. His current job with the University of Kansas Health System keeps him involved with public policy issues, such as Medicaid Expansion. Show Less