Getting political

Looks like the Winfield Chamber is taking a page out of the Salina Chamber in inviting a high-level politician to headline it's annual banquet. Below is the email notification about U.S. Senate hopeful Jerry Moran.

Actually, this isn't too unusual. The Ark City chamber had Todd Tiahrt a couple years ago. Tiahrt happens to be Moran's opponent for U.S. Senate. Rotary, chamber groups and the like are a popular way for politicians to campaign, even though it's not always under the guise of campaigning.


Senate Candidate Moran to Speak at Chamber Dinner
Annual Event Monday, February 1, 2010


Winfield - U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran will be the keynote speaker at the Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner Monday evening, February 1, 2010. Moran is seeking the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Gubernatorial candidate Sam Brownback.

"We are pleased to have Rep. Moran as our speaker," said outgoing Chamber President Mike Niederee. "He is a busy man. We appreciate the fact that he has made time in his schedule to speak to our members and visit our community."

According to Niedree, Moran, who lives in Hays, Kansas, is one of the few remaining champions in Congress for rural America.

"As a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, Moran works with colleagues to construct legislation allowing Kansas farms and ranches to remain viable," said Niederee. "Moran has been recognized for his agriculture efforts by many organizations. He has received the top legislative award from three of the nation's largest agriculture groups: the American Farm Bureau, the National Farmer's Union and the National Association of Wheat Growers."

Moran spokesperson Lisa Dethloff said, "In addition to serving on the Agriculture Committee, Moran is also an active member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, where he was the previous Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health."

According to Dethloff, Moran also helps lead a number of Congressional caucuses and coalitions, including the Rural Health Care Coalition (RHCC), the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine and the National Guard Reserve Components Caucus. Through his work with the RHCC, Moran has led the fight to save rural hospitals and has sponsored legislation to bring more physicians to underserved areas. His efforts to restore Medicare funding for small hospitals has earned him the top legislative award from the National Rural Health Association and the Distinguished Health Care Advocate Award from the Kansas Hospital Association.

Lisa Dethloff said, "Since first coming to Congress in 1997, Moran has made it a priority to stay connected to the people he represents. Despite the distance between Washington, D.C., and Kansas, Moran returns home each weekend. The "Big First Congressional District inbcludes 69 counties and covers 57,575 square miles."

Moran is a trustee of the Eisenhower Foundation, serves on the Board of Trustees of the Fort Hays State University Endowment Association, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Coronado Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Before his election to Congress, Moran served eight years in the Kansas Senate in Topeka, the last two as Majority Leader. Moran attended Fort Hays State University (FHSU) and later the University of Kansas, where he completed degrees in economics and law. After an early career as a small town banker, Moran established a law practice in Hays and returned to FHSU as an adjunct professor of political science.

Moran and his wife Robba continue to live in Hays. They have two daughters, both attend Kansas State University.

The Chamber dinner will be held at Baden Square. For more information or to make reservations, contact the Chamber at 620-221-2420