J.V. Johnston, Gary Bond and Ben Taylor are all running for the District 5 seat.
While Johnston and Taylor are political newcomers, Bond ran for the seat in 2015 but lost to current City Council member Bryan Frye.
Johnston said he has lived in District 5 since 1991. He was on the district advisory board for eight years, including acting as chair for six years.
Bond works as a home remodeler and landscaper. He’s a member of the Wichita Builders Association and is on several committees with the organization. His wife, Kathy Bond, is currently on the Wichita School Board.
Taylor has called District 5 home for nearly a decade. He said he was drawn to the area because of the number of parks and proximity to businesses. He works as an electrician and a union plant chair at Spirit AeroSystems.
District 5 covers much of west Wichita, beginning at I-235. It borders Maple to the south and stops short of the city of Maize to the north. It's mostly middle-class and largely residential, but the area is seeing a lot of growth and development.
Here's where the candidates stand on issues and questions facing the district:
What are your top two priorities if elected to the Wichita City Council?
Gary Bond: Everything begins & ends with public safety. If you are not safe then nothing else matters. So I will be helping our Police Dept get its quantity of policemen where it needs to be. Also, Wichita is one of the best places in America to live. But I think together we can make Wichita even better and I want to be at the table to do just that.
J.V. Johnston: Public Safety; A plan for the homeless people; Property tax relief for homeowners
To improve public safety, strong relationships between the mayor, city council, staff, and the police department are vital. We must commit to a common purpose — improving services to Wichita and District 5. Our law enforcement deserves higher pay, additional staffing, and a much-needed morale boost through a show of united support.
Regarding homelessness, sleeping on the streets and under bridges is not a plan or an option. I'm active on the Homeless Taskforce, and we are working to develop a comprehensive strategy involving the city, county, state, and many non-profits. The government needs to take the lead. However, I envision a public/private partnership providing the services to care for these individuals and, when ready, to integrate them into society.
Property valuations have skyrocketed, and with it, tax bills. This is a complex issue, but we must address its impact on the many senior citizens and working people who cannot afford these increases.
Ben Taylor: Our City government needs to work for all the people in Wichita, not just the loudest or most well-connected. As a lifelong Wichitan, I’ve noticed that the same people who hate everything tend to dominate the conversation. However, if we want to grow and be a city my kids want to live in, we need to listen to that next generation.
Next, if we are going to continue to grow, we have to build more housing. Right now, my kids and their friends struggle to find affordable places to live. We must increase our housing supply, but that won’t happen if we let builders and real estate agents call the shots. When housing costs keep going up, the people who build and sell houses win while those of us buying houses lose. When I’m elected, I will make sure people in Wichita have a safe and affordable place to live.
The city has employed tax incentives – such as TIF districts – for a variety of development projects. Do you think safeguards should be in place to protect taxpayers if a project fails to meet expectations, and if so, what?
Gary Bond: That is kind of a silly question, of course, safeguards should be in place to protect your investments. We should have an employee assigned to [be] looking over all these deals &/or an auditor that looks at them each year & gives us a report on how they are doing.
J.V. Johnston: TIF, or Tax Incremental Financing, is a tool to develop property for the benefit of the community. Most of the time, TIF is a win for the city. However, to further reduce the risk, developers need to guarantee they will cover any shortages personally.
Ben Taylor: When these incentives are used, the contracts need to be strong and written to protect the taxpayers of the city. I have experience negotiating contracts, and words matter. As a city, we can’t assume anything and we need to make sure that every promise that is made to the taxpayer is written down. When the owners of the baseball team described the original baseball development deal, it included many promises that we have learned weren’t actually in the contract. When I’m elected, contracts will be strongly worded and clear about the consequences for broken promises. Recently, the city council has been willing to hold bad actors accountable, like Genesis with the Ice Center, and that strong response must continue to protect taxpayers.
A 2021 study found Wichita has an estimated gap of 44,000 affordable housing units. If elected, how would you address the affordable housing shortage in the city?
Gary Bond: I am not quite sure that the future gap is that large, but any gap is bad. We need to have just the right amount of housing for the city. I think we need to talk with the people that build the homes & the suppliers of materials used to find ways to close this gap.
J.V. Johnston: Affordable housing is critical to the growth of a community.
Businesses and governments rely on it for their workforce. I do not support the government developing massive housing projects because those projects have never worked. However, I support nonprofits developing and managing housing.
I also favor tools to incentivize people to redevelop vacant lots around the City. Many parcels of land/empty lots and vacant houses in lower middle-income neighborhoods are available. The infrastructure is already in place. These opportunities will also increase the value of homes in the area.
Ben Taylor: For too many years, the discussion about housing has been dominated by the local builders and the elected officials they support. When Wichita is short 44,000 housing units, we need to do whatever we can to build housing and remodel our current housing stock. We should incentivize competition and encourage any housing investment in Wichita, even if it’s not the usual players. It’s also important to find ways to help homeowners fix up homes that currently exist. Instead of tearing down old houses, I want to look at ways we can revitalize those homes and get them back on the market.
District 5 continues to experience a high rate of growth. What city services does the district need to help accommodate that growth?
Gary Bond: We first need the right amount of police & firemen to grow correctly. I believe we are looking at moving the police substation to the west of 235 where it should have been moved in 2015. Also, we are looking to build two more firehouses out west to help with that. Next, we always need new roads & upkeep of the existing roads. All dirt/sand streets need to be paved & services extended to where the new construction areas are.
J.V. Johnston: District 5 is on a trajectory for continued growth. Roads are the most significant need, including the proposed freeway from the north on K96 to Kellogg/US54 at Goddard. We must think ahead and build these before or as development happens in the NW corridor of Wichita. Police and Fire stations must also be part of the equation. The proposals for a new police station at Tyler and 13th Street and a new fire station on North Ridge Road are a good start. Parks are also key to maintaining a healthy community. With the Pracht Wetlands Park continuing to develop, people- and pet-friendly spaces are needed.
Ben Taylor: Fire Services are the most urgent need. In District 5, we have seen a huge increase in duplexes, yet the emergency services are still designed for single-family homes. We’re also seeing the designs for some of these new housing developments only include one entrance and exit to and from the development. So while these developments are doubling the original occupancy for each lot, they are also only providing one point of access to all those people. This design is unsafe and needs to be addressed.
Increased density also means increased traffic. It is important that as plans are presented for developments, we make sure the infrastructure for our roads can handle that increase and we adjust services accordingly.
What specific projects do you think need funding and attention from the city in District 5?
Gary Bond: The NW bypass from Maize to Goddard is always needing funding set aside. Police present in the area around Kellogg & Dugan to keep the area clear of troublemakers.
J.V. Johnston: A big concern for District 5 is increased property taxes. I've spent a lot of time out in the community listening to the concerns of my neighbors and friends. Over and over, I hear people are worried about skyrocketing property taxes. I'll use my position to ensure property tax relief for all homeowners. Nobody should be taxed out of their home, especially the elderly — simple as that.
The funding needs for District 5 are predominantly services of [the] city government: roads, public safety and parks. We’re making headway on several fronts including the renovated Westlink Library, a new police sub-station and a new dog park.
Ben Taylor: I think District 5 needs to focus on the basics. West Wichita is a hub of organic economic growth, and we don’t need the government to encourage something that’s already happening naturally. However, as District 5 grows, we can’t ignore that growth. Instead of rubber stamping plans from developers, the council member from District 5 needs to be extremely engaged to ensure that our growth doesn’t become unsafe. The city’s job is to plan ahead and keep residents safe, even if that costs developers a little extra money. In the end, if we don’t make developers ensure the safety of our residents on the front end with smart designs, the taxpayers end up paying for it.
