I wanted to share that I am available to visit your organization's events (HOAs, Neighborhood Associations, etc.) to share an update on County Happenings. I also host two public events (dates included below) that anyone is welcome to come and chat with me. As your Commissioner, I am here to listen and also explain the ins and out of our county programs. To schedule, please call or email me.

Commissioner Howell

316-660-9300

jim.howell@sedgwick.gov

As an airplane enthusiast, one particular show I like to watch is Air Disasters on the Smithsonian Channel. I have an interest in how planes work and when things go horribly wrong, I like to get ahead of the investigation to see if I can figure out what caused the disaster. As a novice, I might guess right but many times I am wrong.

Consequently, in every incident, the real experts state that they cannot determine the cause until they complete their investigative work. Eventually, their qualified conclusions are released and we generally accept those as fact. Similarly, on all sorts of things in the news, we may be tempted to assume we have enough information to establish an unqualified opinion before the data is even gathered.

You may have heard that a penny dropped from the Empire State Building can kill a person on the sidewalk. That’s actually not true. I don’t know whether Epstein killed himself or whether the dress is blue or gold. Nevertheless, opinions should concede to the truth whenever the facts are known.

Do Ballot Drop Boxes create the opportunity for voter fraud? Does nicotine consumption kill people or is it cigarette smoking that is to blame for more than 400,000 annual US deaths? Does eliminating the Kansas food sales tax substantially help lower-income residents? Do facemasks do anything to reduce the spread of COVID? Is mental health the biggest county issue we are facing in 2022?

Once we develop an opinion or repeat a narrative about something, despite the data, it is sometimes difficult to reconsider the situation without bias. To hear and then repeat an unsubstantiated narrative that aligns with our ideology is commonplace. We all do it. The challenge is when new information is known or when verified information goes against our opinion, are we willing to change or do we dig in? Are we willing to let the data speak to us?

Rather than just accept someone else’s narrative, it is better to know the source and verify the math. People do not like being questioned and they may react or feel disrespected if they do not know the answers. Regardless, the truth should matter.

Popular partisan and unqualified opinions should be challenged. Skepticism can be annoying but sometimes it is healthy and necessary. I have learned that the truth usually lies in the middle of the spectrum somewhere. Rather than just repeat the popular talking points, we would do well to research and boldly embrace the truth even if it is not popular.

While the number of COVID-19 cases remains low in Sedgwick County, many residents still struggle to recover financially from the pandemic. Since April 2020, the Board of County Commissioners has distributed millions of dollars in federal assistance from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security Act (CARES) and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Many more funding options for individuals, businesses and nonprofits are still available:

Chairman Dennis spoke at INTRUST Bank Arena's announcement of the National Hockey League coming to Wichita. The Arizona Coyotes and St Louis Blues will face off on Sept. 24, 2022 for a NHL preseason matchup.

Contact Commissioner Jim Howell