Information from Sedgwick County Republican Party
Thirteen Precinct Committeemen and Committeewomen voted Thursday to fill the seat vacated by Representative Jason Watkins.
Gene Suellentrop was the only candidate nominated during the district convention that lasted 19 minutes.
The nomination will now be sent by Chairman Kelly Arnold to Governor Mark Parkinson for his official appointment. The Governor has seven days to make the appointment.
During the convention Suellentrop spoke to the committee about the issues facing the state, and "the primary focuses will be job growth in Kansas, particularly the south central Kansas area. We need to create a friendly business environment, so that people can start businesses, create jobs, and generate sales tax revenue so that we can balance the budget while providing funds for education. Basically it's jobs, jobs."
Outgoing Representative Jason Watkins stated about Mr. Suellentrop "I am excited about Gene serving in the legislature. During these tough economic times when jobs are scarce, we need people who know how to create jobs and grow our economy. Gene has been doing this for 25 years."
