Voter guide: Who will be Wichita’s next mayor? What to know about Whipple, Wu
Wichita voters will choose between two candidates — incumbent Brandon Whipple and challenger Lily Wu — for mayor on Nov. 7.
They emerged as the top contenders in a nine-person primary in August.
The mayor is paid an annual salary of $113,626. The responsibilities include running City Council meetings and working alongside the council to establish policy direction, enact laws and policies, adopt the budget, levy taxes and appoint members to advisory boards.
We asked the candidates to answer several questions about issues. Here is what they said. The responses are largely as the candidates sent them in. Some responses have been lightly edited to fix typos. Bio information was reported by The Eagle.
Note: City elections are nonpartisan, meaning party affiliations do not show up on the ballot. State and local party committees often choose sides in city elections with regard to funding and other forms of support.
Brandon Whipple
Age: 41
Position: Mayor
Past: Kansas House of Representatives, lecturer Wichita State University
Education: Wichita State University, Franklin Pierce University
Party: Democratic
Phone: 316-290-9447
Email: campaign@votewhipple.com
Website: www.votewhipple.com
What is your top priority and what specifically would you do to address it?
My top priority is to ensure the people of Wichita have a genuine voice in their local government. By empowering individuals, we create public trust and are held accountable to the taxpayers, ensuring we’re focused on issues that matter most to our neighbors. As Mayor, I focus on creating spaces where people feel comfortable talking about their experiences and use that dialog to identify problems so together we find solutions. The goal is to ensure city services work well for all of Wichita.
What other issue do you feel strongly about?
As Mayor, we must continue to build a safer city. This includes rebuilding trust, investing in programs that address youth violence, domestic violence, and human trafficking, and embracing best practices for addressing mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness. I’m proud to say we’ve invested a record amount in public safety and social services. We now have more firefighters and police officers than we did before I was elected, and we’re paying them better than at any time in our city’s history.
Why should voters consider you the most qualified candidate? What is your overall vision?
My vision is to create opportunities for Wichita. As Mayor, I managed the worst economic and public health crisis we have seen in a lifetime. Since then, we recovered from COVID, and held the line on taxes while investing record amounts in police, fire, public works, and social services. Wichita now leads the state in economic growth, with unemployment at historic lows and new industries relocating to diversify our economy. Our budget is balanced, and we set aside a record $20M in our emergency fund.
Is there a particular city service that you think needs more resources? If so, how would you pay for that?
Our current transit system needs to be modernized so that it meets the expectations and needs of a city our size. Over the next four years, I plan to create a regional transportation system, collaborating with public and private sector partners to revitalize our outdated system and effectively serve our growing community. We have proven over the years that we can accomplish big goals, even if others in the past could not. Wichita is growing, and we need a strong, efficient public transit system.
Local property tax revenues have increased each of the last few years. If property values go up again next year, would you support the city capturing more tax money or should the city lower its mill levy?
My plan to renovate our housing stock in the core and turn commercial buildings into residential use will reduce inflation and the rising cost of housing. An increased valuation is good for a property owner, but I refuse to let those increases hurt families who are struggling. That’s why in our last budget, we eliminated property taxes for those who need it most. I’ve used my experience to trim the fat in our budget and reinvest the savings into more resources for basic services, like police, fire, and road repair.
Is Wichita’s current approach to economic development and incentives working? Should the city expand or eliminate any of its incentive programs? Or would you seek any other changes?
In my first year as Mayor, we passed new guidelines creating an objective process to analyze return on investment prior to approving the use of the incentives. This professionalized our processes at City Hall and prevents electeds from tipping the scales. I’m at a ribbon cutting every other week celebrating local small businesses using these tools to expand and create more jobs. On my watch, the City has not offered cash incentives and I’d like to make this official policy so it continues beyond my time as Mayor.
What would you do to increase public safety in the community for all city residents?
To do anything well, you need a plan. As Mayor, I lean on data to guide the direction we go as a City. The data showed our police were responding to increased mental health calls, so we expanded our mental health response teams. Now our police can focus on solving crime and those in crisis get the help they need from trained professionals. Our fire safety study identified gaps in service coverage. We responded with plans to build the first new fire stations since 2009 so every neighborhood in Wichita is safe.
What would you do to make city government more transparent?
Over my first four years as Mayor, we’ve increased community engagement on the budget and policy, including meetings at night and on weekends. We’ve slowed down projects to engage with the public before taking action. The next step is to increase dialogue. While the City puts out a lot of information, we can improve customer service by offering more personal points of contact. In my second term, I will increase staff available to interact with the public so it is easier to get the answers you need from the City.
Lily Wu
Age: 39
Position: Former television news reporter
Past: KWCH, KAKE
Education: University of Hong Kong, Wichita State
Party: Libertarian
Phone: 316-302-5585
Email: info@lilywuformayor.com
Website: lilywuformayor.com
What is your top priority and what specifically would you do to address it?
Wichitans are dissatisfied with the status quo and the lack of priority on the health and safety of our community. With nearly 100 vacant police officer positions, we must ensure law enforcement, first responders, and city services are fully staffed so they can connect with the community and serve more effectively. As mayor, I’ll bolster public safety recruitment and retention efforts and ensure they have the respect and resources necessary to keep Wichita families safe.
What other issue do you feel strongly about?
Strengthening our economy starts with ensuring we’re supporting our existing small and large businesses, creating a future-ready workforce, and emphasizing high-paying jobs. As mayor, I’ll act as an ambassador for our city cultivating relationships and promoting regional competitiveness that will attract new industry, investment, and people. We’ll get back to the basics of local government, prioritize responsibly, and put Wichita in the best possible position to succeed.
Why should voters consider you the most qualified candidate? What is your overall vision?
I’m the political outsider who will bring a new energy and fresh perspective. It’s time to get back to the basics and put results over politics so we can meet the challenges of tomorrow and improve the lives of every Wichitan. As mayor, I’ll maintain focus on ensuring public safety, strengthening our economy, restoring trust in city hall, and building a united community. I’ll work with anyone who wants to improve our city, bring our community together, find common ground, and make Wichita proud.
Is there a particular city service that you think needs more resources? If so, how would you pay for that?
To make Wichita one of the best cities to start and grow a business, our city must be safe (including filling police vacancies and tackling homelessness). I’ll restore the relationship between the mayor’s office and Wichita Police Department and ensure they have the respect and resources necessary to keep us safe. I’m opposed to tax increases on working families, so we must analyze current spending, prioritize, and identify opportunities for efficiency, partnership, and/or reallocation.
Local property tax revenues have increased each of the last few years. If property values go up again next year, would you support the city capturing more tax money or should the city lower its mill levy?
As hard-working Wichitans struggle to keep up with cost-of-living increases, the current administration recently voted, 4-3, to exceed the revenue neutral rate, essentially increasing property taxes. I’m opposed to burdening Wichitans with tax increases. If property values continue to increase, the city should lower its mill levy. We must protect taxpayer dollars by prioritizing essential services, eliminating operational inefficiencies, and maximizing our partnership with Sedgwick County.
Is Wichita’s current approach to economic development and incentives working? Should the city expand or eliminate any of its incentive programs? Or would you seek any other changes?
Our city has a poor track record with incentives, which have often meant sweetheart, insider deals, and wasted taxpayer money. Incentives can play a healthy role when executed properly and targeted toward our greatest needs, such as housing. But they must be transparent, fiscally responsible, and hold developers accountable, including clawbacks. Taxpayers shouldn’t be left in the dark or foot the bill for anything that doesn’t show an exceptional return on investment for our city.
What would you do to increase public safety in the community for all city residents?
My top priority is public safety and my first objective is to restore the relationship between the mayor’s office and our police. I’ll bolster recruitment efforts to assist filling 100 vacant officer positions and invest in retention, additional training, and recognition programs. We must also focus on preventing crime through community engagement, community policing, and youth programs, while further engaging nonprofits focused on homelessness, mental health, and substance abuse treatment.
What would you do to make city government more transparent?
As a political outsider, I understand why few people are satisfied with local government. One of my key initiatives is restoring trust in city hall. More public engagement and communication is critical, and the skills I gained as a journalist, researching facts, revealing truth, and holding public officials accountable will transfer to the mayor’s office. I intend to be one of the most visible and accessible mayors our city has ever had and will encourage the rest of the council to do the same.
Other races
Find our voter guide to Wichita City Council candidates here.
Find our voter guide to Wichita school board candidates here.
