Thoughts from Kansas

Red Letter Day rounds up the six City Commission candidates' statements on the proposed registry. The three progressives are for it, the two growth-for-growth's sake candidates are wishy-washy, and the pastor is predictably less wishy than washy. Given the demographics involved, it would be bad mojo for even a Southern Baptist minister to be entirely against it.

Bear in mind that all the city would be doing is providing a central repository for companies to refer to in executing their own decisions about granting domestic partner benefits. The registry would not conflict with state law as it stands, and the candidates worried about cost are haggling over the price of a notebook to write down names in, and a little staff time to enter names in the book or look them up on behalf of companies.

Mike thinks that Dever and Chestnut could be convinced to back the registry, guaranteeing that it will retain strong support no matter what happens. Those two candidates pulled the most votes in the nine-way primary, and are likely to do well in the April election. Getting them to stand up for all citizens by backing the registry will be key.

The next step will be getting them to think about transportation solutions other than the South Lawrence Trafficway. It's a boondoggle. The popularity of KU's shuttle to the Edwards campus suggests that regular commuter bus service during rush hour could really improve quality of life. I know that a light rail proposal wouldn't get anywhere, but I think there's probably a case to be made for a commuter line from Topeka, through Lawrence, and into KC. It would never happen, of course.