Former county weed director files to run for commission

Republican John Kabus, former director of Shawnee County’s noxious weed department, filed late Friday afternoon to run against Democrat Kevin Cook for the 2nd District seat Cook holds on the Shawnee County Commission.

“Good government doesn’t need to be expensive,” the 53-year-old Kabus said Monday. “It just needs to be good.”

Neither Kabus nor Cook will face an opponent in the Aug. 4 primary election, said election commissioner Andrew Howell.

Meanwhile, he said, Monday’s noon filing deadline came and went with no candidates entering races for the seats held by four other incumbent county elected officials.

Howell said that means no opposing candidates will be on the ballots against 3rd District County Commissioner Aaron D. Mays, a Republican; County Treasurer Larry Mah, a Democrat; County Clerk Cynthia “Cyndi” Beck, a Republican; and Register of Deeds Becky Nioce, a Republican.

In addition, no new candidates on Monday entered countywide races for the offices of:

• Shawnee County sheriff, in which the only candidates to file have been Republican incumbent Sheriff Brian Hill and Republican Tony Weingartner, the assistant director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

• Shawnee County district attorney, in which the only candidates to file have been incumbent Republican Mike Kagay and Democrat Joshua Luttrell.

County commission candidate Kabus, a farmer and insurance agent, retired in 2014 after 20 years as director of Shawnee County’s noxious weed department, he noted in a news release.

Kabus said he also taught in Seaman Unified School District 345 and is involved in volunteer and church activities.

“In these trying times, Shawnee County will need a commission board that leads this community through future challenges,” Kabus said in the release.

Shawnee County needs to be more efficient, and to take care of the roads, bridges and buildings it has, Kabus added in a telephone interview Monday.

“This COVID crisis will bring changes, and we need to be careful not to put a further burden on homeowners and businesses by increasing taxes,” he said. “We need to promote Shawnee County and get this economy going.”

Kabus said he and his wife, Kaye, live in rural North Topeka. His campaign maintains a website at www.voteforjohnkabus.com.