Chris Kennedy (from Missouri)....is the Governors newly "appointed" KDWP Secretary. Will have to watch closely as he settles into the new job. For now, have to assume he will represent the best interest of KDWP and more importantly the KS RESIDENT sportsmen.
Whitney Damron (KS Lobbyist) ....is the Governors newly "appointed" KDWP Commission Chairman. Remember, Whitney is (1) vote and would have to swing atleast (3) other Commissioners of the (7) total to have a majority. Need to watch him and especially "other" Commissioners (that might begin aligning with him) closely to see if they are voting for the best interest of KS Resources and more importantly the KS RESIDENT sportsmen.
I just talked with Sheila Kemmis @ KDWP headquarters in Pratt and she said they (KDWP) are just as surprised as we are of this recent Commissioner Chairman change. She did say that she and the majority of others at KDWP believe that the Governor made this recent Commissioner Chairman change in an attempt to keep SB 347 from going through that proposes: (4) Governor appointed Commissioners, (1) Speaker of the House appointed Commissioner, (1) President of the Senate appointed Commissioner and (1) Attorney General appointed Commissioner. Therefore, "hopefully" keeping the make-up of the Commissioners as we are used to seeing and not made up of a bunch of legislators.
Time will tell and just the more reason to keep an eye on the status of SB 347. As SB 347 reads...if passed, new Commission member appointments would have to be complete by mid-January 2025.
