the priorities
“Ideas are great arrows, but there has to be a bow. And politics is the bow of idealism.” — Bill Moyers
BONITA’S PRIORITIES
Effective Representation
For nearly 30 years, Bonita Gooch has done what every elected official should do first: listen.
As publisher of The Community Voice, she has spent decades meeting people where they are—at neighborhood meetings, community events, schools, churches, businesses, and the Kansas State Capitol. She's interviewed elected officials from both parties, covered legislative debates, and, most importantly, listened to thousands of Kansans share their hopes, frustrations, and ideas for making their communities stronger.
But Bonita has never believed listening is enough.
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When she saw that Black Kansans needed a stronger voice in shaping state policy, she brought together community leaders from across the state to found the Kansas Black Leadership Council. The organization continues to identify community priorities, educate citizens, promote civic engagement, and work directly with lawmakers to turn local concerns into legislative action.
That's how Bonita has spent her career—bringing people together, building relationships, and helping communities solve problems.
As your state representative, she'll bring that same approach to Topeka. She'll be accessible, accountable, and focused on results. She'll listen before she leads, work with anyone who wants to move Kansas forward, and never lose sight of who she represents.
Because effective representation isn't about making the loudest speeches. It's about making sure your voice is heard.
Expanding Access to Healthcare
For years, Bonita has reported on Kansas' healthcare system from the perspective of patients, families, hospitals, and providers.
She has seen rural hospitals struggle to stay open. She has interviewed families who delayed medical care because they couldn't afford insurance. She has watched communities lose physicians, dentists, and mental health providers.
That's why Bonita supports Medicaid expansion.
But she also knows expanding insurance alone won't solve Kansas' healthcare challenges.
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She wants to strengthen the entire healthcare workforce by:
recruiting more physicians and dentists to Kansas;
expanding residency programs;
increasing loan repayment incentives;
investing in behavioral health;
strengthening community health centers;
improving maternal healthcare;
expanding preventative care.
Healthcare isn't simply about paying for care.
It's about making sure care actually exists when people need it.
Strengthen Our Economy
Bonita has experienced the Kansas economy as a small business owner. As publisher and owner of The Community Voice, she has grown a local business, created jobs, worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, and helped connect businesses with their communities. She understands the challenges of making payroll, managing rising costs, hiring employees, and planning for the future.
Through her work, Bonita has highlighted local businesses, covered economic issues affecting Kansas families, and advocated for investments that strengthen neighborhoods and create opportunity. She believes a strong economy begins with strong local businesses, a skilled workforce, and communities where people want to live, work, and raise their families.
As your state representative, Bonita will:
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Support locally owned businesses and entrepreneurs.
Invest in workforce training and career education.
Help attract good-paying jobs to Wichita and Kansas.
Strengthen infrastructure that supports economic growth.
Reduce unnecessary barriers that make it harder for small businesses to succeed.
Bonita believes economic growth should create opportunities for everyone. When small businesses thrive, neighborhoods grow stronger, families become more secure, and Kansas is better positioned for the future.
Property Tax Relief for Seniors
No one should spend decades paying off their home only to worry about losing it because property taxes continue to rise.
Over the years, Bonita has watched longtime homeowners struggle with rising property taxes, increasing insurance costs, and inflation.
She believes seniors should be able to remain in the homes and neighborhoods they helped build.
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She supports expanding property tax relief programs and protecting seniors living on fixed incomes from being taxed out of their homes.
As someone who has remained invested in Wichita's historic neighborhoods while many others left, Bonita understands how important it is for seniors to age in place with dignity.
Support Legalizing Marijuana
Years before marijuana reform became a mainstream political issue, Bonita was documenting how minor drug offenses and traffic violations created lifelong barriers to employment, housing, education, and economic stability.
Rather than simply writing about the problem, she helped organize solutions.
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Working alongside Representative Gail Finney, Janice Bradley, Esau Freeman, and numerous community leaders, Bonita helped educate Wichita voters about marijuana decriminalization, organized public meetings, gathered petition signatures, and built public support for placing the issue on the ballot.
In 2015, Wichita voters approved marijuana decriminalization.
Fully Funding Public Education
Strong schools build strong communities.
Bonita has spent decades covering Wichita schools, educational achievement, and the challenges facing students, teachers, and families.
She believes Kansas must finally meet its constitutional responsibility to fully fund public education, including special education.
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Today, local districts often divert money from general classroom instruction to meet legally required special education services because the state has failed to fully fund its obligation.
That hurts every student.
Integrity, Transparency, & Accountability
Journalists ask difficult questions because government belongs to the people.
For nearly 30 years, Bonita has held elected officials accountable regardless of party. She has reported on difficult issues, investigated government decisions, and made public information accessible to ordinary citizens.
She believes government works best when people trust it.
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That means:
transparent decision-making;
ethical leadership;
open government;
honest communication;
accountability for elected officials.
As a legislator, Bonita intends to bring that same commitment to transparency to Topeka.
She believes public office is a public trust.
Protect & Expand Voting Rights
One thing Bonita has consistently championed throughout her career is civic participation.
That commitment became even stronger after founding the Kansas Black Leadership Council.
Since 2015, KBLC has worked to educate voters, identify community priorities, encourage civic leadership, organize Black Legislative Day at the Capitol, and increase voter participation throughout Kansas.
Bonita believes democracy is strongest when every eligible Kansan can participate.
She supports:
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modernizing voter registration;
expanding voter education;
protecting secure early voting;
opposing unnecessary barriers to voting;
strengthening election transparency.
She also strongly supports allowing citizen initiative and referendum, giving Kansans the ability to place statewide issues directly on the ballot when the Legislature fails to act—a reform that aligns with her longstanding belief that public policy should begin with the people, not politicians.