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Non-Profit Leaders Host Mayoral Forum

Beth Golay

At a Mayoral Forum in Wichita on Wednesday, both candidates fielded several questions, including how to grow the economy and generate jobs. KMUW’s Carla Eckels reports….

At a luncheon filled with non-profit business leaders, Wichita City Council’s Jeff Longwell says it’s incredibly important to try to maintain aviation jobs.

"We have got to diversify," Longwell says. "I think we can do that with innovation, with this blueprint for regional economic growth, and with an export plan that combines it and allows us to grow jobs differently than what we’ve been trying to do for the last eight or nine, ten years."

Former Advertising Executive Sam Williams discussed supporting small businesses.

"We need to create the environment in Wichita where the regulatory environment is such and the tax and fee environment is such that it's easy for us to grow business; that Wichita is a magnet for small businesses to grow," Williams says. "And in the job creation, we need to make sure that we take care of our existing major manufacturers."

Participants said the forum helped them decide who should be the next mayor. General Election Day is April 7.

Carla Eckels is Director of Organizational Culture at KMUW. She produces and hosts the R&B and gospel show Soulsations and brings stories of race and culture to The Range with the monthly segment In the Mix. Carla was inducted into The Kansas African American Museum's Trailblazers Hall of Fame in 2020 for her work in broadcast/journalism.