Outgoing commissioner Lori Lalouette’s days are numbered, and Republicans in her district are poised to pick her replacement next week.
Precinct committeewomen and committeemen will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Scout House in Hillsboro to consider nominees and elect one to recommend for appointment by Gov. Sam Brownback.
Marion County Republican Central Committee Chairman Todd Heitschmidt has received a few phone calls already interested in the position.
“I’ve had a few calls about questions, so there is interest out there, that is for sure,” he said.
Heitschmidt said the committee is a few short of being full, but they only need a third of a full committee to attend for a quorum.
“We are one short of being 100 percent full, but for their district they feel pretty good about it, they feel pretty good that we have most of those spots filled,” he said.
The meeting will consist of reviewing a proposed set of rules, nominations, candidate speeches, a question and answer period, and finalizing a vote for the replacement.
The length of the meeting will depend on how many nominees and questions there are during the meeting.
“Each candidate will have an opportunity to speak for five minutes to the group, so if there’s five candidates nominated, that’s 25 minutes right there,” Heitschmidt said. “It could be less than an hour. The max will probably be two hours, but it really depends on how many individuals are nominated.”
Heitschmidt decided to move quickly in the nomination process in order to give the successful candidate time to understand the position.
“(Lalouette’s) resignation is not effective until March 20th and I would anticipate that the governor will fulfill his responsibilities for the appointment the week of Feb. 20, or at a minimum by March 1,” Heitschmidt said. “I think we’ll have plenty of time.”
Republicans in District No. 1 who are interested in the position are requested to provide a resume or short biography, and may do so by e-mailing Heitschmidt at theitschmidt@yahoo.com or by faxing (620) 382-2283.
Questions about the process may be directed to Heitschmidt at (620) 381-3704. The meeting is open to the public.