Forum for Sedgwick County candidates focuses on crime

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Sedgwick County Commission candidates squared off in a forum focused on crime. The event happened on Thursday.

The Wichita Metro Crime Commission held the forum and featured candidates from District 2 and District 3.

In District 3, Democratic candidate Celeste Racette touted her experience dealing with financial crimes.

“BSA Bank Secrecy Act, money laundering, anti-money laundering, I’ve always worked with law enforcement to make sure that our communities are safe. I support 911. We’ve got support for the firefighters,” Racette said.

Racette said she would work to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and emergency management.

The Republican candidate in District 3, Stephanie Wise, says the county’s focus on recruitment and pay increases is the first step in addressing public safety.

“With these pay increases, we are able to be more competitive to attract more people in, but we as a community need to let them know that we appreciate them, and we value them, and recruitment will be key to get those positions filled,” Wise said.

In District 2, Republican candidate Jeff Blubaugh and Democratic candidate Sarah Lopez say that funding for law enforcement will be a priority.

“I will always stand up for public safety, and when it comes to these cuts, public safety will always be at the very, very bottom, and I don’t want to ever want to anticipate cutting public safety,” Blubaugh said.

“Everywhere you look in our budget, you are going to see additional dollars going into public safety because, at the end of the day, we know that we want our families to feel safe and be safe in this community,” Lopez said.

Earlier this week, the candidates focused on housing during a KSN-sponsored forum. The forums for District 2 and District 3 were held separately.

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