 | Jeff Locke is running for Kansas 2nd District State Representative. For more information visit www.jeffreylockekansas.com, you can sign-up to get connected with him and also weigh-in on what concerns you most here in southeast Kansas. The best ideas come from the people who have to deal with the problems everyday. Jeff wants to hear these pearls of wisdom and get to know more about the tapestry of lives here in Kansas. Mail to: Jeffrey Locke 118 West Main Arma, KS 66712 jeffreylocke2012@gmail.com or call 620-238-1378 cell. |
Politics
2012-10-03 14:35:08
Know your local candidates
On November 6th our country will once again be allowed to exercise our freedom, and right to vote in the 2012 elections. As always, we are striving to differentiate ourselves from other media outlets, educating and informing readers and providing information that touches them personally, in their daily lives. All rhetoric aside, we want to dive deep into the issues that matter to you, the voter. In that effort, we've laid out five questions with the following candidates to gather a little insight into who they are, what they're running for, and what issues they can resolve that are important to you, the voter. We can do the same with any and all candidates.
Q&A Times: Who, exactly is Jeffrey Locke? What political office are you running for and what drew you to this?
Locke: I am a native Kansan with four children and three grand children who has graduated from PSU with both a Bachelor's and a Masters Degree and has taught full-time for the last 25 years in southeast Kansas. My experiences have drawn me to run in an attempt to serve the citizens and people of the 2nd district in the capacity of statehouse representative. I have been a public servant ever since I graduated college in my varying roles as a teacher, a city councilman, and as currently appointed by the Governor to serve on the Kansas Volunteer Committee.
Q&A Times: What do you feel are the key concerns of the constituency and where do you stand on those issues?
Locke: The key concerns I have heard repeatedly have been private-sector jobs and economic growth for southeast Kansas, the blocking of Obamacare at the border to protect religious freedom and freedom of conscience as well as to stop that train-wreck of impending job loss as a result of the mandate/tax. The preservation of our God-given right to self-defense with a firearm and the protection of innocent life in the womb. Quality education is also very high on the list and I am uniquely qualified as being the sole candidate employed my whole professional career as a full-time instructor both in the public school and at the community-college level. I am pro-life, and pro-business and I am both a lifetime as well as an endowed member of the National Rifle Association. With my endorsement by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, the recognition of my understanding of the policies necessary for Economic Growth is also apparent.
Q&A Times: What differentiates you from other candidates?
Locke: I will work to stop ObamaCare by way of supporting a Healthcare Freedom Amendment to be voted on by the people of Kansas unlike my opponent. I will support private-sector job creation through concerted policies of both tax reform and regulatory reform. I will support quality schools and not simply throw money at the problem as my opponent advocates. In the case of all state government funding it is cost-benefit analysis and BEST-practice business concepts that should be utilized to guide money to its most efficient use for the tax-payer. And I will sit at the same table as the majority party advocating for southeast Kansas interests, unlike my opponent who sits in the minority, just as he has had to do for the last 19 or 20 years.
Q&A Times: What experience, professional or personal, makes you best to address these issues?
Locke: One example would be my successful professional experiences as the President and Lead Negotiator of our Local for more than a dozen years. This led to multiple ratified contracts and the development of a faculty salary-schedule, a faculty sick-leave pool and probably most striking was the five years of pushing for inclusion to the State Health Insurance Plan. After the decision was made it still took three MORE years to ramp-up to become fully-seated on the Health Plan! I was entrusted by the faculty to represent them through the entire process and have continued to serve the faculty ever since.
Q&A Times: What other information is important to properly introduce you to our area?
Locke: I am a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Frontenac and I am currently the Full-time Instructor of Art at Fort Scott Community College. I have also been the Republican nominee for the 2nd district seat for 2008, 2010 and now once again in 2012. Persistence I believe is probably one of the strongest assets to put to work for the people and that aspect of my character is most readily apparent!
