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Council hopefuls wage write-in By Chris Strunk Last Updated: August 25, 2017 Two Valley Center residents already involved in city government are beginning write-in campaigns to be elected to the city council's Ward 3. Matt Stamm, a member of the city's planning commission, and Kelsey Parker, a member of the city's outdoor spaces committee, announced this month that while their names won't be on the ballot this fall, they will be seeking write-in votes. “We really do enjoy this community," Parker said. “I'm a big believer in giving back to where you live." Stamm said he wants to be involved in the decisions to help Valley Center continue to improve. “It's taking care of our infrastructure," Stamm said when asked what he thought was the biggest issue facing Valley Center. “It's been ignored for so many years." Parker, a Colorado native, moved to Kansas to attend McPherson College in 2007. She and her husband, Garrett Parker, have lived in Valley Center since 2014. They have two young children. Parker has a master's degree in public administration and plans to teach a social entrepreneurship class at McPherson College next spring. Stamm is from Smolan, a small town southwest of Salina. Before moving to Valley Center 13 years ago, Stamm was the mayor of Smolan and a former council member. Stamm, who works for the City of Derby, also served as chair of Valley Center's economic development committee and was a member of the Valley Center school board for six years. Stamm and his wife, Amy Stamm, have two children. One is in high school and the other is a freshman in college. Ward 3 is primarily the southeast part of the city. Longtime council member Jake Jackson decided not to run for re-election and no one formally filed as a candidate to take his place. The other Ward 3 representative is Marci Maschino, who is not up for re-election. The general election will be Nov. 7. Other city council candidates include Ray Strunk in Ward 1, Brendan McGettigan in Ward 2, and Forrest Patterson and Paul Davis III in Ward 4. |
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