For years, many of us have urged progressive voters to pay attention to down-ballot races, where policies and rulings of school boards, city councils, and mayors can make a big change in your life. For Johnson County, Kansas, Republicans, that change is apparently terrifying. Following a series of wins in the district sending Democratic membership to the statehouse, as well as the advancement of non-discrimination policies in the city, the County Republican Party sent out an urgent message to their followers:
Our local City Council, Mayor (Shawnee), as well as our School Boards (JCCC & BV USD 229) are being taken over by left wing and socialist agenda activists. It is up to us to prevent this from happening. Get out and VOTE, Get your Family out to VOTE, Talk to your neighbors and friends.This is a non-partisan race, so it doesn’t have to be about Republican vs Democrat. Discuss theissues and if they are as concerned about LBGTQ special interests fighting for city and countyo rdinances, School curriculums, budgets, bathroom and locker room privacy issues, taxes and too many more issues to mention here, tell them who they can and should talk to – for commonsense law makers and School Board members, VOTE!!!
That’s right. The message: we are going to list for you Republican candidates we believe will stand up against LGBTQ rights and will stop these “social agenda activists”.
In some races, the impact is even more direct, with the party highlighting the Johnson County Community College race in particular:
The proposal urges Republicans to “stop indoctrination” and to “correct wrong the wrong doings.”
At issue, in the case of JCCC is a concern over the advancement of LGBT issues, as the board passed revisions to it’s non-discrimination policy proposed by Trustee Lawson. In a meeting of the Board of Trustees on 7/18/2019, Trustee Angeliina Lawson asked about the use of nearly $100,000 being sent to an out-of-state company with a failing record on human rights with the Human Rights Campaign (a 20 of 100). When this was pointed out, Trustee Musil, standing for re-election offered “who are these people” “are they credible” and then, proceeded to vote to send taxpayer dollars out of the state.
In a statement on the issue, Trustee Lawson offered this assessment, to the right.
While the concern was dismissed, there was a call to consider making these issues a part of the RFP practice going forward.
The Johnson County Republican Party, however, is indicating that they hope to stop all of that all of the “radical social agenda”, you know, the radical agenda of listening to people and putting forward policies of acceptance, and they offer a set of candidates they believe can make sure that the movement toward equality is stopped or slowed.
As we near presidential years, more Democratic voters are thinking about what happens at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. At the same time, local Republicans have drawn a laser site on how to stop civil rights and to tear down Democratic protections at the local level.
They aren’t being quiet about it, or hiding their agenda.
They assume a lot of Democratic voters will vote their way, since they aren’t paying attention to the impact of local races.
That must change.