June 14, 2008 07:55 pm
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By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com
PITTSBURG, Kan. — Some members of the Crawford County Democratic Party said they believe the timing of state Sen. Jim Barone’s announcement last week not to seek re-election was aimed at his critics in his own party.
“I think he did have an ax to grind, and we all should have an ax to grind,” said Steve Langerot, one of several people who partook Saturday in breakfast at the grand opening of Crawford County Democrat headquarters in Pittsburg. “When they took away his (committee) seats, they weren’t punishing him as much as they were the 13th District.”
The ax Langerot was referring to involved several clashes between Barone and party leadership in the Legislature over the last 18 months. Democratic leaders in the Senate removed Barone from the Ways and Means Committee in advance of the legislative session. He also was removed in 2006 from his post as ranking member of the budget committee to the Elections and Local Government Committee. As president of the local political action group D Wild Ones, Langerot said he considers himself a supporter of Barone, despite the timing of the announcement.
Party officials in Southeast Kansas said Barone’s last-minute decision left the party scrambling to find a candidate.
“My fingers did a lot of walking over the weekend,” said Beth Bradrick, the chairwoman of the Crawford County Democratic Party. “We have been on pins and needles waiting for him to make a decision.”
Barone has stated for more than a year that he would wait until the end of the legislative session in 2008 to announce whether he would seek re-election.
The last day for the session was May 29, and Barone waited several days before revealing his intentions to the local party and the public, leaving only a few days to field a candidate by the deadline on Tuesday, June 10.
Bradrick said Barone telephoned her at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, to tell her his plan. She said she believes that the timing of the decision may have affected other potential candidates.
“I think people interested in running were waiting for his decision,” she said. “Nobody wanted to face him in a primary situation. He’s formidable.”
Reached for comment Friday at his home in Frontenac, Barone dismissed the notion that the timing of his decision was a detriment, and said he spoke often with party leaders and encouraged anybody interested in running to file.
“I am significantly troubled that if the party discouraged people who thought about running or encouraged people to run,” he said. “We’ve always had a big tent, and we always would encourage anybody and everybody who wanted to seek public office to do so and let the voters decide.”
Barone said he struggled with the decision to run for re-election after 12 years of serving as the senator from the 13th District, which includes Crawford, Bourbon and portions of Cherokee counties, and that leaving the local party in the proverbial lurch “wasn’t my intention.”
“If I wanted to make it difficult for the party, I just wouldn’t have filed, and then not told anybody,” he said. “I previously told (Bradrick) that if they had someone that wanted to run, have them file, have them talk with me. Only one person did, and it’s not the candidate they’re running.”
But Barone’s own colleagues in the Legislature said they agreed that the timing was not optimal.
“It kind of put us in a bind,” said state Rep. Bob Grant, D-Cherokee. “I’m sure it was a tough decision for Jim. I wish he would have done it a little earlier, but maybe we’ve saved having a primary.”
Party members said they are confident that they have found the right candidate in Patty Horgan, a retired executive with Regis Salons, and a resident of Pittsburg.
“It is a little scary,” said Horgan, who has been an active volunteer but has never run for a public office. “It’s also very exciting.”
For her part, Horgan said she doesn’t feel like she’s running at a disadvantage, although her Republican counterparts already have a head start on campaigning.
“If there were more time, they may have found a politician to run,” she said. “And I am not a politician. So I do see that as a strength.”
While Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley acknowledged that the two butted heads during their tenure, he praised Barone for his commitment to the people of Southeast Kansas.
“He was always on top of really trying to help people,” he said. “I thought Sen. Barone fit the district real well.”
While the Republicans in Kansas currently hold a 30-10 majority in the Senate, Hensley said retaining and adding seats would also affect the number of Democrats who are assigned to committees.
“It’s not just because we’re Democrats and we want more Democrats in the Legislature,” he said. “It’s good for the people of Kansas to have a competitive two-party system.”
Three vying
Three candidates — one Democrat and two Republicans — have filed for the 13th District Senate District seat formerly held by Jim Barone. Bob Marshall, of Fort Scott, faces Jacob LaTurner, Pittsburg, in the Republican primary. Patty Horgan, of Pittsburg, is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
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