| A Note from Henry
This will be remembered as the session that "could have been." We started the year with a large reserve balance. Both the House and the Senate wanted to be able to show accomplishments going into the Fall elections. Cooperation ended because of egos, politics and the COVID-19 pandemic.
We face a fractured legislature with limited willingness to work with Governor Kelly, an economy that is on life support, and a budget forecast for the state that will require massive cuts.
I remain resolute- We must reach across party lines, across economic, social and racial divides to create a new future. The strength of Kansas is in our people who get up and go to work every day, and are willing to help out a neighbor when misfortune happens. And it has for thousands of Kansans.
I am committed to funding public education and recreating an economy that empowers everyone with the tools and the opportunities to succeed. I hope you join me in that effort.
Respectfully yours, Henry Helgerson
Henry's Experience
Education
Kapaun High School
Wichita State University
Rockhurst College, Bachelor of Arts
Harvard University, Master in Public Administration
Kansas Legislature (1983-2000, 2004, 2016-2020)
Previous Leadership Positions-
Budget Committee Chairman
Ranking Democrat, Appropriations Committee
Ranking Democrat, Education Committee
Sedgwick County Delegation Chair
Business and Community
Owner of family-owned business founded in 1937
Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce, member
Mennonite Housing, former Director
Wichita Children's Museum, founder & Executive Director (now Exploration Place) |