Third candidate enters 4th District County Commission race

The race for the 4th District Johnson County Commission seat being vacated by Ed Eilert is heading for an August primary election showdown with the addition of small-business man Chuck Vogt.

Vogt, co-owner of All Star Awards & Ad Specialties Inc., will be running against Donna Owens and Larry Winn III to replace Eilert, who will seek the county chair position held by Annabeth Surbaugh.

Commission seats are nonpartisan and, according to the County Home Rule Charter, when three or more candidates file for the same position a primary election must take place to reduce the candidate field to two.

Vogt said he made the decision to run last August after talking with local political and community leaders.

“My criteria was that if any of them didn’t think I was a serious candidate I would reconsider,” Vogt said. “But it was pretty much unanimous that folks thought I had the right set of skills.

“We’re seeing some tough economic times, and having been a small-business guy for a number of years and also being on the corporate side, I know the tradeoffs that need to be made at the core. Because when times get tough you need to focus on the core competencies and it may not be the right time to expand spending.”

Vogt said he wants to bring a practical, common-sense approach to the commission by looking at ways to save money by consolidation and by eliminating programs that are no longer needed.

“The best analogy I can make is that a number of folks may or may not have leisure suits in their closets,” Vogt said. “Back in the day, leisure suits were popular, they were the fashion of the day and people had them. Now they are obsolete other than for a costume party.

“I think there may be some programs in play that may have made a lot of sense at the time they were implemented but they don’t necessarily fit now. That’s the type of examination I would like to bring to the commission.”

This is Vogt’s first attempt at political office, but he’s been active in the community, serving on the board of the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission and having served as the president of Rotary Club No. 13.

He graduated from Shawnee Mission South High School in 1980 and received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., in 1984.

He and his wife, Laurel, have lived in Overland Park the past 13 years. They have two daughters – another reason Vogt is seeking election in the 4th District.

“I’m not a part of the status quo and I don’t have as much skin in the game,” he said. “I have a vested interest in making sure Johnson County’s future is as bright as its past has been. I have two kids who are right in the middle of their growth and development and I want Johnson County to be something they want to come back to the way I wanted to come back to it.

“I want my kids to stay close, and the implementation of a program today or the cut of a program today is going to have effects five, 10, 15 years out, and my kids will be the ones involved in that.”

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