New SRS Secretary Could Come From KS

Fri, December 16, 2011

Kansas Public Radio / Stephen Koranda

Gov. Sam Brownback says he’ll be looking for someone with a strong Kansas connection to replace departing SRS Secretary Rob Siedlecki. Some lawmakers were critical of reforms Siedlecki introduced, saying the former Florida official was new to the state and proposed changing some programs that had been working well in Kansas for years.

Brownback recruited Siedlecki from Florida to take the job, but the next SRS secretary may be more likely to hail from the Sunflower State.

“So my bias is a Kansan of long standing,” says Brownback. “Now we will shop everywhere for it. That’s been my bias thus far and will continue to be.”

Siedlecki says he did make positive reforms during his year at SRS. He will step down on December 31st to once again take a job with the state of Florida.