Today I call on Mayor Jeff Longwell to immediately disclose all past unreported gifts during his time as mayor, including those by Wichita Water Partners as requested by the District Attorney.
 
Last Thursday, District Attorney Marc Bennett announced he will not file misdemeanor charges against Jeff Longwell despite his failure to report past gifts received as required by state law. Longwell should release the names of gift givers, specific nature of the gift and full amount of the gift provided today. Any delay would show his continued disregard for the law and for transparency in the use of our tax dollars.
 
Additionally, I believe reform is needed in the city ethics code to fully include the mayor and city council members, who are currently excluded. Reports of any gift should require more detail – the approximate value of the gift and the specific nature of the gift.
 
Earlier this year, Jeff Longwell steered a $524 million contract to build a new water treatment plant to friends that wined and dined him. Wichita deserves to know the exact price of gifts to Longwell from those involved in the new water treatment plant contract as well as the development of the new baseball stadium and other city projects. This is Jeff Longwell’s opportunity to fully disclose all past gifts. This is also Wichita's opportunity for ethics reform to protect our community from political corruption.