1. Who are you and why are you running for office?
I am Steven Johnson, a farmer and businessman, from Assaria, Kansas.
Running for office has always interested me. I was honored to serve in a number of capacities while still going to school.
When graduating from KSU, I wanted to gain experience in the business world before going into public service.
In the last few years, financial issues have reached great levels of concern in federal, state and even most
local governments. While there are no easy answers, we must find viable, long-term solutions. My experience making
ends meet on the farm, my responsibilities with corporate and personal financial planning at Ameriprise, and financial
work with non-profit entities has helped prepare me to enter the process of working towards the best solutions for Kansas.
The magnitude of the budget issues this last session were a primary catalyst for me to consider and eventually decide to
file for the Kansas House of Representatives.
2. What road would you have taken to address the state's budget situation?
One thing I will always remember is that every penny the government spends comes out of someone's pocket. As a result,
we must always be judicious and conscientious about both the amount and use of tax dollars. My first approach would
be to study all budget areas to continue to find cuts. I know this is not easy. We are at a point where we must
differentiate between what is important and what is critical. We must fund the critical. Nonetheless, we must question
some of our programs and mandates which could drain resources from the critical missions. We must provide what is
necessary to the citizens of and visitors to Kansas including an excellent education, safe roads and other services. Here
I do not have all the answers, but I have some of the questions. Are the people of Kansas willing to invest what is required
to educate our children and meet our current mandates? Where are the detours in our system between revenue received and dollars
spent in the classroom? Are there items in the budget we can reduce and still do all we need for our students? How do we make
sure we meet liabilities in KPRS? Are there government functions which can be consolidated to achieve efficiency? These are
only examples of questions which must span across all areas of the budget in search of long term viable solutions. Solutions
are not easy, but we have to decide if it is possible for us to continue operating with all of our current financial commitments.
While I would love to promise that I would never be part of a tax increase, I did not hear all of the debate that went into
this year's session. I believe there are solutions other than tax increases which can be found if we start the process of looking
for those solutions early enough.
3. What role does rural Kansas play in the state's economic and cultural well being?
Agriculture and mining activities provide the initial resources that drive our economic engine. We require these sectors
to be strong to be strong economically.
Rural Kansas is still a backbone for the state. Many of the talented people in our cities grew up learning to take
responsibility in our rural communities. Our vision should be to make Kansas a better place for everyone to live and work.
Anything we can do to support growth across the state should be considered. This includes working with private sector
organizations. I believe it is in the government's interest to provide tax incentives to share in the risk of the initial
years of business ventures that bring jobs or quality of life to our state. Without the business we would not have any
tax revenue. Long term, it builds our revenue and the quality of life in our communities. We should have an especially
great interest in doing this for our rural communities.
