Submitted
Joseph B. Lantz IV filed as a Democratic candidate for the 111th District of the Kansas House of Representatives.
Lantz, an Ellis Country resident since April 2019, has been a police officer at the Hays Police Department since July 2019. Prior to joining the Hays Police Department, Lantz was a paralegal in the U.S. Army Reserve and had mobilized to Kuwait in 2016. Lantz is married and has one child.
Lantz commented that he has always been interested in running for office but made the decision at the last minute to run for state representative so District 111 had a choice.
“Our district needs common sense leadership, someone who will address the critical needs of the district. I felt I had a responsibility to run. We deserve to have ten candidates to choose from. Prior to putting my name in, we would have been left with only one," Lantz said.
His priorities for our district are:
* Expanding KANCARE-Medicaid. Failure to expand KANCARE-Medicaid was a decision that cost Hays Medical Center and the citizens of Hays millions of dollars.
* Promoting requirements for employers to provide paid maternity and paternity leave.
* Addressing the lack of affordable childcare across KS.
* Fully funding K-12 schools and higher education institutions.
* Promoting increases to teacher salaries.
* Increasing the state minimum wage, which hasn’t been increased since 2008.
* Preserving access to safe abortions for women in KS.
* Supporting services that provide relief to victims of crimes and domestic violence.
* Supporting local law enforcement agencies while also providing more funding for public defenders
Lantz stated he intends to be the clear choice for parents, educators, and the working class. Lantz hopes to promote policies that alleviate poverty across the state and expand the middle class.