Martha McCoy, a former Chanute city commissioner recently elected to the Neosho County Community College Board of Trustees, hopes to add state legislator to her resume.
McCoy has announced her candidacy for the Kansas House of Representatives’ Ninth District seat, currently held by Kent Thompson of LaHarpe.
Thompson has not yet announced whether he will seek another term.
McCoy and Thompson are both Republicans.
The Chanute native and former teacher said her background has served her well, describing each career step as “educational.
“I think I have the experience to really be helpful,” McCoy said, pointing to her background as a teacher, school administrator and city commissioner.
“We need to make some changes,” she said. “I really want to represent this area. This is a small, rural area. We need to get our voices heard, need to get people to Topeka to know who we are and let them know we have a lot to offer.
“I don’t think we’re forgotten,” McCoy said, “but I don’t think we’ve gotten as much of a voice as cities do.”
Southeast Kansas — and the Ninth District in particular — has much to boast about, she said.
“We’ve got factories, industries and small businesses up and coming in this area,” McCoy said, perhaps enough to prompt businesses in urban areas to find ways to expand or relocate to rural areas like Allen or Neosho county.
“They’re coming out here to hire our employees, which is a good thing,” she said.
McCoy describes herself as pro Second Amendment and pro-life, indicating any abortion laws should be ultimately decided by legislators, not the courts.
She also said Kansas schools deserve more state funding.
“There’s always a need for more funding,” she said. “We shouldn’t be collecting box tops and coupons, and egg cartons and crayons for school teachers. We should be able to have enough of a budget for them to make a list of what they’d like to have for their students.”
McCoy also favors, if possible, reforms to remove unruly students from the educational environment to prevent classroom disruptions.
She acknowledged the key to such reforms lie with parents. “Maybe they’re the ones who need to be doing something with their children.”
MCCOY got her start in elementary education before expanding to work at the community college level, both in and out of Kansas.
