Nick Gosnell: In studio with us this morning is incumbent in the House 104th District Republican Paul Waggoner. Good morning, Paul.
Paul Waggoner: Good morning, Nick.
Nick Gosnell: All right, so let's talk a little bit about just what you've been able to do since you've been in Topeka. It's four years now or six for you now?
Paul Waggoner: No, I've had three terms, so it's six years.
Nick Gosnell: Okay, so what do you feel like have been the greatest accomplishments for you in the six years in?
Paul Waggoner: Well, you know, being up in the legislature, part of what you're doing is responding to constituent concerns. You know, in my opening year, I had a project with a constituent whose KPERS was being harmed by the rules that we currently had. You know, we had a bill to go forward to solve that situation, which actually was not only affecting her, but a number of other people. You know, I had a tax bill that was to provide a sales tax exemption for like pregnancy care centers, much like we have at Open Door, which eventually did pass in this most recent situation, our recent session, you know, and had also a bill on on indexing taxes to inflation, at least as far as the as far as what the exemptions are. And that has gotten some traction. I don't think we made it in the final round, but but it definitely brought brought the topic up to fore. And, you know, and even Nick, I would also say in the last number of years having to jump in with folks on the state fair racetrack issues that it was very, very close to being demolished. I had some citizens reach out to me went to one of the meetings and saw that this was an issue that really needed addressing, because it's not only problems people have with the government itself, but also with governmental agencies. And again, it was very successful grassroots effort. I'm totally amazed by what they were able to pull off. William Nusser and the whole group really turned what was an incredibly impossible situation into a victory.
Nick Gosnell: Yeah, I said this to Rob at the time, I thought that I thought it was a long shot at the time that we we saw each other at that first meeting. I'll be honest with you, Paul. But candidly, it went from I think it's about a 10% chance they get anything done to now they've gone through a whole season and they are hammering out the final details of a contract. We didn't do a story because they haven't finished it yet. But at the last fair board meeting on October 15th, there were still some I's to dot and T's to cross to get a contract for 2025. But it definitely seems like that's going to happen. And so not only was this trial year successful, but it looks like they want to go forward with it, which, again, I think you and I would both say was it was something that really the people involved were the ones that that helped to push it. But at the same time, you have to have that pressure on the Topeka side, too, because so much of what the fair does, not the year to year stuff, because you talked a little bit about that at the candidate forum, but the long term projects the legislature has a heavy hand in.
Paul Waggoner: Indeed, indeed. I mean, it makes a difference what your local legislator does. And I wanted to step up and use my contacts, people I know to to make this happen.
Nick Gosnell: And it did. All right. So having said that now next is what will you do if you're able to be reelected? What's the what are the goals for the next two years for you?
Paul Waggoner: Well, the goals for the next few years, one is getting the budget under control because the state of Kansas spending is on just a terrible trajectory. We have had some, you know, real buy in, I think, from leadership here in the last six months where we're looking at a legislative committee to bring the legislator with legislature with bigger input into it than rather it just all coming from the governor. I think some of the taxing on the on the tax rates on indexing for inflation is one thing. Also, there was a bill we also passed in 2022, which is the K-40 SVR is a form. But where people who are retired, if your income is under $53,000 and your house value is under $350,000, the state of Kansas will actually rebate you any increase that you get in your property taxes. And and for a lot of middle income folks and and such, that's a huge benefit because property taxes are a problem, particularly when you're on a fixed income.
Nick Gosnell: OK, I don't think I knew about that form, Paul. Now I'm not close to retirement yet, but but that's very interesting for the for the older folks in particular. And I know also I'm trying to remember this was part of the larger tax bill to get in the final bill, the the Social Security income exemption piece.
Paul Waggoner: Yeah, no, no. The Social Security part totally went through. There was an expansion of this of this K-40 SVR form that that was going to raise the limits that got vetoed by Governor Kelly. And we didn't quite have the votes to override the veto. But that's something we'll look at again next year.
Nick Gosnell: Just full disclosure, because I live in Inman, I am Paul's constituent right now. So so I get I get my text responded to a little quicker than some reporters do, I guess is how I'll put it.
Paul Waggoner: Actually, I didn't I didn't know you lived in my district. Oh, you OK, well, learn something new anyway.
Nick Gosnell: So that said, Paul, when you've knocked on doors because I've seen your palm card, we weren't didn't happen to be home. What have people said in the district?
Paul Waggoner: Well, you know, folks, going door to door is very important to getting the pulse of the district. You know, there are things about the economy, you know, taxes, especially property taxes. You know, I get a lot of thank you's about on the racetrack issue, you know, but mostly, you know, I get a lot of kind of, you know, doing a good job and keep it up. You know, I've been on the ballot twice, reelected twice. You know, I've had opponents who outspent me by over 50 percent. And yet yet I win my district by over 20 percentage points. And I just it just boggles my mind that when you have folks in comparison on the south side of the of the town where, you know, they outspend their opponents by 15 to one and barely win by one percentage point. I just honestly think that people need to be listening to what people say at the doors, but also what they say at the ballot box. And I'm just very, very glad to be going door to door. And I do get a lot of good feedback.
Nick Gosnell: So here my my thing with you, though, is that if you really want to know what happened, follow him on Facebook. You go and you you drill you drill down into the reasons why you voted the way you voted, not just what you voted, which is which is nice for folks to see.
Paul Waggoner: You know, I I think people appreciate the fact that I have, frankly, a reputation up in Topeka, whether you agree or disagree with me. You know, the Wagner, you know, goes after he researches. He tries to get some facts and bring things to the fore. You know, we had a bill that we killed on the floor that was an insurance bill that was just just poorly written. It was actually backed by leadership. But but the more you looked at it, the worse, the worse it was. And, you know, people responded and voted it out.
Nick Gosnell: All right. It is just really interesting to to hear how things happen in Topeka. But your committee assignments, that's something you've been on the same committees here for a little while, I think one different new one this time around.
Paul Waggoner: Yeah, I had been on insurance originally and then they put me back on it here this last time, which is which is a good committee for me because I'm a business person. You know, we have a manufacturing business out by Yoder, you know, a lot of experience there. I am vice chairman of elections. Elections, again, it is truly important as far as election integrity, having rules that make sense. I'm on the welfare reform committee, which, you know, you know, it's interesting how welfare reform, which was a very nonpartisan issue in the 1990s, has become kind of partisan because we've we try we had a bill that actually had some work requirements on people from age 50 to 59, which is already on. And and we really were fought even locally by the Democrats. But up in Topeka as well, as far as that, they just did not think that was a good idea. And ultimately, we did not or no, we did get that passed over the governor's veto. Probably going forward, I'll probably be put on a budget committee again. I had been on one earlier, vice chairman, just simply because I am good with numbers and I'm a business person. So, you know, budgets are something I'm very familiar with.
Nick Gosnell: Is there any chance at all you could end up on an appropriate on the appropriations committee, given your budget experience?
Paul Waggoner: Well, if you're a chairman of one of the budget committees, you are on appropriations. And so you really get into it quite a lot then. And so we'll see what happens. But I do know it's a very serious effort on the part of the GOP majority, at least to get the budget under control this next session.
Nick Gosnell: And when we talked, I talked a little bit with Kyler Sweely, the Republican running for the hundred and second yesterday about this. But I want to give you a chance to talk about it because you alluded to it that Governor Kelly. And right now, the budget starts with the governor's budget and then gets edited from there. And there's at least a push to have it start from the legislative level and go up, go up from there through the legislative process. And I'm guessing that's something you support.
Paul Waggoner: No, I really do. I was vice chairman of general government budget, my second term. And it was really super frustrating because you have these different agencies and these were smaller agencies with one to five million dollar budgets. But you have like three of them making their presentation in the course of an hour and a half and then you vote the next day on their process. And just it's just not it's more of a rubber stamping of a budget than it is actually dealing with the nuts and bolts of what really goes into, you know, these agency budgets. And so that's that's the way that it's been done, though.
Nick Gosnell: Like I said during my interview with Kyler, and if you want to go back and read the transcript, you can. But that's the way it's been done. It was done that way under Brownback and Colyer too. It's been done that way regardless of party for a while. But yeah, but but the question is, is that still the right way to run a railroad? Because the legislator legislature is the appropriators.
Paul Waggoner: Yeah, well, I think I mean, the legislature, too many people at the end of the session, they just vote for the budget. They don't really read it. They don't understand it. They just vote it because they just want to get out of there and go home. And and I really I don't think that's that's that's the way to run a railroad.
Nick Gosnell: Fair enough. OK, Paul, how can people find out more about your campaign? Sure.
Paul Waggoner: We have Representative Paul Waggoner on Facebook. Our website is waggonerforkansas.org, where I will mention I do actually list all of my votes since I've been up there in Topeka, which is something that is not done by other representatives in this area. I don't cherry pick votes, but but I do have the entire thing. You can click on it, plus my positions on a number of issues, because I think transparency with the voters is very important, that you want them to understand how you think and your basic take on the issues and not just again, not just cherry pick a few votes and try and present a certain face. So, again, it's been good. It's been good to serve the district and looking forward to doing it again next session.
Below is the audio interview.