Local officials head to Topeka

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Several Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce members, city and state officials, area business leaders and other residents plan to converge in Topeka next month to discuss issues facing Southeast Kansas this year.

Southeast Kansas Day on the Hill, a legislative lobbying event sponsored by 13 regional chambers of commerce, is scheduled to take place at 7 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 4, at the Dillon House, 404 SW 9th St., Topeka. The meeting is organized each year to allow officials in higher levels of government a chance to hear concerns affecting the Southeast Kansas region, and also to give community members a chance to speak with their legislators about those concerns and receive current, updated legislative information from state lawmakers.

"It should be a good event and we hope to have good attendance," FSACC President and CEO Vicki Pritchett said. "It's a really good opportunity to get together in a casual setting with your legislators and help them better understand the needs of Southeast Kansas. The other purpose (of the event) is that it gives Southeast Kansas legislators a chance to address the entire group."

Pritchett said Reps. Bob Grant, D-Cherokee, and Shirley Palmer, D-Fort Scott, along with Sen. Bob Marshall, R-Fort Scott, are expected to attend the event. Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Deb Miller will be present during the event to discuss regional transportation issues, and Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary David Kerr is scheduled to speak about regional economic development and tourism.

Important regional issues that are expected to be discussed include how the economy will affect the funding for a new statewide Comprehensive Transportation Plan, the state's outlook on economic development, matters affecting both small and large businesses, taxes, and tourism, Pritchett said.

All other members of the Kansas Legislature, as well as anyone who has an interest in the progress and development of the region, are invited to attend the event, Pritchett said.

"City officials, local small business owners and larger business representatives, and individuals -- basically, anyone who's concerned about Southeast Kansas is invited to come along," she said.

This year, organizers changed the format of the event from a lunch session to a breakfast session in hopes of getting more legislators available earlier in the day, Pritchett said.

"In the past, they've had a hard time catching some of the legislators," she said. "We thought if we started early in the morning, we'll be the first thing on their agenda."

The event will begin with a breakfast from 7 to 7:45 a.m. Lawmakers representing Southeast Kansas will have an opportunity to address the group from 7:45 to 8 a.m. Miller will address the audience from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m., followed by Kerr's presentation from 9:30 to 10 a.m. The cost to attend the breakfast is $10 per person, and reservations must be made by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28.

Another significant Topeka event taking place before the Southeast Kansas Day on the Hill is the Kansas Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka. The dinner provides the setting for the Kansas Chamber's annual business meeting, where members of the region's business communities can gather to discuss opinions and ideas. Tucker Carlson, a writer, journalist, media commentator, and MSNBC senior political correspondent, will be the guest speaker for the dinner.

Southeast Kansas Day on the Hill is sponsored by chambers of commerce in Chanute, Cherokee, Coffeyville, Columbus, Fort Scott, Fredonia, Girard, Humboldt, Independence, Iola, Parsons, Pittsburg, and Woodson County.

The event is also sponsored by Southeast Kansas, Inc., a regional development agency based in Cherokee.

The Dillon House is a mansion restored by the Shawnee County Historical Society that is used for meetings and banquets. It is located across the street from the State Capitol building.

Call the chamber at (620) 223-3566 for more information.

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