Michael Ogle wins 32% of vote in run for Topeka mayor
On April 2, Libertarian Michael Ogle won an impressive 32 percent of the vote in his race for mayor of Topeka. He based his campaign on performance-based budgeting to eliminate wasteful spending, removal of barriers that make it harder for businesses to be successful, and assurance that property rights would not be infringed upon by eminent domain abuse.
In the non-partisan mayoral race, Michael Ogle was pitted against Larry Wolgast, a city council member since 2009 and former deputy mayor, and write-in candidate Betty Dunn, a former city council member.
After the election, Kansas Libertarian Party Chair Al Terwelp said, “Mike, with the guidance of his campaign manager Bob Cooper, ran a highly professional, spirited, and organized campaign. The Ogle campaign did the LPKS proud. Mike ran on a great platform of issues that expressed the positive solutions Libertarians can bring to local government. He and his campaign have advanced the Libertarian Party greatly in the Topeka area.”
Ogle is a corporate accountant and is a captain in the Kansas Army National Guard.
Ogle expressed his thanks to his family, the volunteers for his campaign, his friends, and the National Guard members he has served with. “Thank you! You truly have made this a rewarding experience,” he said.
Clinton Coen wins 46% of vote in Wichita city council race
Libertarian Clinton Coen, a 21-year-old student at Wichita State University, won a similarly impressive 46 percent of the vote in his campaign for a place on the Wichita City Council.
“We need laws that will prohibit elected officials from voting on items that will directly enrich a campaign contributor,” Coen noted on his website. “The first step in making government an entity that helps, instead of harms, is making government more transparent.”
Information in this blog entry was adapted from an article in the LP Kansas newsletter, Free Kansas, by Sharon DuBois.
