NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — All four county commission candidates on the stage Tuesday night at the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber forum support commercial solar. They all seemed to one degree or another to want to see solar in the county in the name of economic growth.
The current Board of County Commissioners is now awaiting regulations from planning and zoning on commercial solar in the zoned areas of the county.
Current planning and zoning commission member Garth Strand trusts that commission’s process well enough that he would support zoning in all of the county, but he understands that not everyone shares that confidence.
As for the state house and senate issues raised at the forum, Medicaid Expansion may be the clearest line in the sand between the Democratic candidates, Shanna Henry in Senate 34, Jason Probst in House 102 and Lynnette Krieger-Zook in House 104 and the Republican candidates, Michael Murphy in Senate 34, Kyler Sweely in House 102 and Paul Waggoner in House 104.
The Democratic candidates all support Medicaid Expansion, the Republican candidates oppose it, but Sweely seemed open to discuss specifics of a bill in a way the others were not. For Henry, it was her primary issue.
All of the candidates were offered the opportunity to come on the KWBW Morning Show and answer questions between now and election day.