I encour­age Kansas read­ers to get to know one or more John­son County con­ser­v­a­tive group.  I’ll men­tion three groups, all recently formed:  the Gardner-Edgerton Repub­li­can Cen­tral Com­mit­tee, the Con­ser­v­a­tive Repub­li­cans of South­ern John­son County, and Kansans for State and Local Reform.

Each group has a unique focus and feel, but the main pur­pose is the same: pro­mote con­ser­v­a­tive issues and can­di­dates, when no one else will.  These groups are absolutely essen­tial – par­tic­u­larly on fis­cal mat­ters – prior to 2013, when John­son County precinct com­mit­teemen and women will next have the oppor­tu­nity to replace Ron­nie Metsker, our county’s lib­eral chairman.

The Gardner-Edgerton Repub­li­can Com­mit­tee was formed March 14.  Its lead­ers are Chair­man Bill Sut­ton, Ryan Kriegshauser, Glo­ria Phelps, Mark Bald­win.  It will work to “ensure the elec­tion of all Repub­li­can can­di­dates and be the ‘go to’ resource for all things Repub­li­can for the peo­ple, can­di­dates, and elected offi­cials in Gard­ner, Edger­ton and the sur­round­ing town­ships.”  To find out more, Email Bill Sut­ton at williamsutton@kc.rr.com.

The Con­ser­v­a­tive Repub­li­cans of South­ern John­son County group is a “grass­roots net­work of indi­vid­u­als within south­ern John­son County” pro­mot­ing “lim­ited gov­ern­ment, fis­cal respon­si­bil­ity, low taxes, tra­di­tional val­ues, respect for life, law and order, eth­i­cal gov­ern­ment, per­sonal respon­si­bil­ity, a strong national defense, and patri­o­tism.”  Its four offi­cers are Chair­woman Rochelle Bird, Ken Bul­lock, Linda Bul­lock, and Cheri Streeter.  Email info@crsjc.org to learn more.

I am biased about this third group, as I helped form the Kansans for State and Local Reform PAC.  Our advi­sory board, which I could not do with­out, includes Kansas Rep. Mike Kiegerl, Michele Lock­wood, for­mer Sen. Kay O’Connor, and Joel Your­don.  In 2010, we helped elect fis­cal con­ser­v­a­tives in the Kansas House and the John­son County Com­mis­sion.  There are crit­i­cal races in 2012 in both the Kansas Sen­ate and the John­son County Com­mis­sion, and we’ll appre­ci­ate your help with meet­ing vot­ers at their doors, call­ing vot­ers, and prepar­ing mail­ings. Find us on the Web atwww.KansasReform.com, and Email us at Contact@KansasReform.com.

As an alter­na­tive, per­haps you can con­sider orga­niz­ing your own new group, in your area.  If you think there might be a need for a new group, there prob­a­bly is.  In John­son County, there are a half mil­lion cit­i­zens, 300,000 vot­ers, 50% of vot­ers are reg­is­tered as Repub­li­cans, $2 bil­lion tax money is spent on local gov­ern­ment, and nearly every local body is dom­i­nated by liberals.

Whether you join an exist­ing group or start your own, there’s a need for your invest­ment of time and energy.

Artice originally appeared in The Monitor. Published with permission.

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Connect with Hodge through Facebook, Hodge’s Web site, Twitter, YouTube, and The Kansas Progress. He served as one of seven at-large trustees at Johnson County Community College from 2005-’09, a member of the Kansas Housefrom 2007-’08, and a delegate to the Kansas Republican Party from 2009-’10. He chairs the Kansans for State and Local Reform group. His public policy record is recognized by Americans for Prosperity (AFP), the Kansas Broadcasters Association, the Kansas Press Association, the NRA, Kansans for Life, and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

Related Posts:

• Op-ed, Ben Hodge in ‘The Monitor’ – Did 2010 change things for Republicans?
• Op-ed, Ben Hodge in KC Monitor – Overland Park City Council wants to jam through a huge property tax increase
• Tim Huelskamp votes best among Kansans in US Congress, says Heritage Action – Ben Hodge op-ed at Red County
• Jim Denning, Benjamin Hodge to speak Monday night at Northwest Johnson County Republicans meeting
• Ben Hodge at Red County on local poll – 48% of Overland Park Voters are Conservative, 36% Moderate, 16% Liberal

Tags: and Kansans for State and Local Reform, Gardner-Edgerton Repub­li­can Cen­tral Com­mit­tee, the Con­ser­v­a­tive Repub­li­cans of South­ern John­son County

This entry was posted on Friday, May 20th, 2011 at 9:43 pm and is filed under Opinion, Editorial, and Analysis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.