Friday, December 22, 2006
Gov. Sebelius on Kline Appointment
With the overwhelming election of Paul Morrison as Attorney General — an outcome even more pronounced in Johnson County — the people of Kansas made a strong and unequivocal statement about Phill Kline’s fitness for law enforcement and his pursuit of misguided, personal priorities in public office.
Out of a deep and enduring respect for the will of the people, I cannot approve of Kline’s appointment as Johnson County district attorney by a small, narrow group of partisan political operatives.
I do not believe such a clear majority of Kansans rejected Kline’s stewardship as attorney general with the intention of seeing him continue a public career in law enforcement paid for by taxpayers.
Since Kansas law treats my response to this decision as purely “ceremonial,” I join the people of Kansas in hoping he conducts himself differently as district attorney than he did in his term as attorney general.
