Republican Joy Koesten is challenging two-term incumbent Jerry Lunn in the Aug. 2 primary for the seat in District 28 of the Kansas House of Representatives. Koesten is a member of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah and Kehilath Israel Synagogue.
Koesten decided to run for office because she “got really angry with everything that is going on in Topeka.”
“The decisions that are being made about school financing, about local control, about the judiciary branch of government are just extreme and incredibly irresponsible and I thought I can’t sit by any longer. I felt like I had to do something,” she said.
Her husband, Stewart, a former president of Jewish Family Services, urged her to run.
“He finally said there’s only one way you can change things and that’s to get involved, so I decided to get involved.”
Koesten has not held elected office before, but as a founding member of the Greater Kansas City Mental Health Coalition, Koesten has long served as an advocate for individuals and families who are challenged with mental health and addiction disorders.
“I’ve been to Topeka on behalf of mental illness a number of times to speak with legislators. I’ve been in the background, sending emails trying to get things changed,” she said.
She explained that since the funding for mental health “continues to decline to the point where now our services at state hospitals like Osawatomie are crumbling,” she felt the advocacy she has been doing the past few years wasn’t effective.
“It doesn’t matter how many times I email, or call or drive to Topeka, nobody is listening, so I finally said that’s it.”
A registered Republican for almost 40 years, the candidate describes herself as an Eisenhower Republican, one that understands the role of government and knows that it is a vital part of our health and our freedom.
“We aren’t truly free as individuals unless we have the opportunity to have roads and bridges that work to get us places we need to be. We aren’t free unless we are able to all clearly access services that support our sense of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Eisenhower Republicans really understood the role of government. They didn’t devalue it the way so many people today devalue our government and I think that’s just a real shame. I surely don’t want to go out and build roads all by myself. I just look to those models and that’s what a true Republican is. They are fiscally conservative but also understand the social responsibilities that a government brings forward.”
As she described her views Koesten added that she is “much more of a centrist,” something she thinks is attractive to many of her friends who are Democrats.
“Some have already said that they’ll switch parties to vote for me,” she said. Only registered Republicans may vote in the Republican primary. The last day to register to vote in the primary is July 12.
“I think people are tired of being polarized by labels, by saying things bad about Democrats or bad about Republicans. I think we work in the system we currently have and I think sometimes those labels get in the way of truly finding that center ground where we can all find something that works. I am just tired of the polarization and the kind of heated conversation that we have that really doesn’t solve problems.”
The boundaries of District 28 are roughly 127th Street to 151st Street as the north and south borders and between State Line Road and Metcalf from the east to west, covering parts of Leawood and Overland Park. Each district in the Kansas House serves approximately 22,000 people.
Koesten’s professional experiences are in the field of business and education. She and her husband founded KHC Wealth Management in 1996, a fee-only financial planning firm that offers traditional financial planning, investment management, executive and career coaching services. Since obtaining her doctorate, Koesten has served on the faculty at Washburn University and the KU Medical Center. She currently teaches at KU Edwards Campus and Johnson County Community College.
She currently serves on the board of Jackson County CASA; whose mission is to be the child’s voice in court. CASA recruits, trains and supports lay volunteers to act as advocates on behalf of the best interest of abused and neglected children.
Several issues concern Koesten. The first is what she characterizes as the state’s fiscal mess.
“Sound fiscal policy is one of the issues that has to be addressed. I think we have to recognize that the tax cuts went way too far and that the growth that was promised just has not materialized. Instead of continuing to raise hidden fees and taxes we need to think about a more sound policy.”
Local control is another point Koesten plans to stress in her campaign.
“It seems that our governor and his supporters are really good at pointing the finger at a national level and saying stay out of our business. Yet they want to come to our cities and tell our city officials how we should collect our taxes, how we should spend our revenues. I think one of the things we hold dear is the idea that local organizations and local leaders understand their communities best.”
Then there’s the state of education in Kansas.
“Education is certainly the economic engine of our economy,” she said noting that her daughters attended the Shawnee Mission School District and if elected she will represent seven elementary and middle schools in the “premier” Blue Valley School District.
“It sickens me to think that little by little they are taking away the funding that allows our kids to be exceptional for the future. I’ve seen this happen in higher education over the years as they continue to whittle and whittle and whittle away (funding) and I just don’t believe that you can have a sound economy without a robust educational system that includes and supports a robust public school system.”
She is opposed to the idea of vouchers and public tax dollars supporting private schools.
“I think there is a great place for private schools and we have some wonderful private schools, certainly Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy is one that comes to mind,” she said. “I think our public tax dollars should go to support public education and we should do everything we can to make sure that our public education stays as robust and sound as possible so that all kids in Kansas are getting a sound education.”
Koesten has more to say about these issues and others. As she campaigns she plans to meet with residents in their neighborhoods so they can hear her views first hand. For more information, contact Koesten at . The website, joyforkansas.com, is expected to go live Friday.
A resident of Overland Park for 20 years, the Koestens now reside in Leawood, Kansas. They have two grown daughters, Leah, who resides in Nashville, Tennessee, and Natalie, who lives in Lenexa with her husband Thom Hoskins with their two children Iola Mae and Arthur.
