Timing is off for Foster

It has been a whirlwind week for Roeland Park Mayor Adrienne Foster, who hoped to be nominated during this week’s Johnson County Republican Party Precinct Convention to replace State Sen. David Wysong in the 7th District.

Wysong resigned his seat Dec. 13.

Timing is everything in politics, and for Foster, a contract agent with New York Life, there just was not enough time to get the proper paperwork from the firm’s corporate office in New York City giving her permission to seek Wysong’s seat.

“It usually takes about a month to get permission,” Foster said. “We tried to push (the paperwork) through last week but just couldn’t get it done. They are doing a great job and moving as fast as they possibly can, but we just ran out of time.”

At least for this convention.

Credentialing for the precinct convention will begin at 6 p.m. and the convention will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Sylvester Powell Jr. Community Center in Mission. It is open to the public.

There are about 110 delegates eligible to take part in the voting process either in person or by proxy. Following the nomination speeches, candidates will be given five minutes to speak. Then the convention delegates will cast their votes by written ballot and the winner will be allowed time for some brief remarks, said Ronnie Metsker, Johnson County Republican Party chairman.

State Rep. Terrie Huntington, R-Fairway, 25th District, was endorsed by Wysong, who had three years left in his term, and she is expected to win election to fill out Wysong’s position through 2010. Because of state statute, there will be a general election next November for the 7th District Senate seat.

If Huntington succeeds, she will resign her House position. Once she has officially notified the Secretary of State’s Office of her resignation, the Johnson County Republican Party then has 21 days in which to have another precinct convention to elect her replacement.

By then, Foster expects to have the proper paperwork from New York Life giving her permission to seek election to the State Legislature and a possible try for Huntington’s House seat.

“Yes, we will have the documentation by then,” Foster said. “If I see someone that I don’t believe would do the best job possible for the (25th) District, then I may run.”

Metsker said he expects the convention to replace Huntington, provided she wins Thursday night, to take place either the last week of December or the first week of January.

“We’re really kind of under the gun because the Legislature convenes soon,” he said. “We will deliver the certificate of election to the governor’s office on Friday morning and if the governor is in, he’s already told me he will have no problem signing off on whatever we do, that his key interest is getting a legislator in the Senate position, and if it’s Huntington, then also to get the House seat filled and to do it as soon as we can.”

“Once he signs it, they will take it over to the Secretary of State’s Office where (Ron) Thornburgh would need to certify it and at that point Terrie could resign. At that point we can pull the trigger to replace her in District 25.”

Foster said she is interested in seeking higher elective office, but added she has a lot to do as mayor of Roeland Park.

“I really enjoy being the mayor and have a lot of work ahead of myself here at the city,” she said. “We’ve been moving rather quickly and progressively in the best interests of our residents and I would really miss being the mayor.”

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