The probable Democratic nominee for governor reached out to unaffiliated and Republican voters during a stop Thursday morning in Hutchinson.



Kansas House Minority Leader Paul Davis, Lawrence, said he reached across the aisle to meet Republican lawmakers when he entered the House in 2003. He said a coalition of Democrats and Republicans helped pass a school finance bill during a special session in the summer of 2005. Bipartisanship also helped Kansas win the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility selection competition, he said.



If elected, he said, �I�m going to do all I can to find common ground.�



Davis blamed Republican Gov. Sam Brownback�s 2012 income tax cuts � which included eliminating taxes for 191,000 businesses � for projections that the state debt will hit $1.3 billion within five years. Further, said Davis, Brownback wants to hit the accelerator.



If a coach had a losing record and planned no changes, the coach would be fired, Davis said.



�That�s what needs to happen here,� said Davis.



Davis said he would freeze 2015 income tax levels instead of proceeding with the series of tax cuts planned over the next few years.



�We have got to hit the pause button,� Davis said. He did not outline additional funding steps or spending cuts in order to balance the budget in future years and provide more money for schools and social services.



The freeze is the �first step,� Davis explained later. �I don�t have a great deal of faith knowing really what kind of shape the state�s finances are in,� he said. After winning the election he would want a �thorough analysis,� he said.



�Just changing the strategy for how we�re going to grow the economy will change the situation,� he said.



Additional proposals related to job growth and the economy will be announced over the next couple of months, Davis said.



The primary election is Aug. 5, and Davis and his running mate, Jill Docking, Wichita, are running unopposed. Brownback and Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer are seeking a second four-year term. The general election is Nov. 4.



Originally, 50 chairs were set up for the Davis stop at the ESSDACK educational services site in the Hutchinson Mall, 1500 E. 11th Ave. Chairs were added as the crowd grew to about 80.



Hutchinson USD 308 elementary school teachers Megin O�Brien and Kelsie Martin were among teachers at the event wearing the red Kansas National Education Association T-shirts. They also had walked in Hutchinson�s Fourth of July parade with Docking.



�From what I�ve seen, teachers have always been active,� O�Brien said, but they �definitely� have become more vocal since the 2014 Legislature passed a school finance bill that ended due process for teachers, she said.



�My guess is only a third of the people in this room are Democrats,� said Bill Rogers, chairman of the Reno County Democratic Party.



The lead organizer for Team Davis Reno County is Steve Snook � a registered Republican. Snook said he used to be moderate Republican, then became unaffiliated, and then became a registered Republican for primary elections.



Snook said they don�t poll people who come to Team Davis Reno County sessions, but he suspects at least half are independents or Republicans.



During an appearance this week on MSNBC�s �The Daily Rundown with Chuck Todd,� Brownback said a voter may not agree with everything he�s done, but the choice for the voter will be a �Reagan-style Republican� or an �Obama-style Democrat.�



Todd asked Brownback about an estimated $213.6-million revenue shortfall in fiscal year 2017. Did Brownback have any regrets about his income tax cuts? Todd asked.



�I don�t have any regrets,� Brownback said, clarifying that the final bill was not his tax-cut proposal.



Davis reminded the Hutchinson audience what was in Brownback�s own failed proposal: a 5,000-percent tax hike on Kansans earning less than $25,000 a year and elimination of non-wage income tax for many small businesses.



�Hit the accelerator on what we�re doing,� Brownback told Todd about his economic strategy going forward. The state has added jobs, and Kansas has a 4.8 percent unemployment rate, he pointed out. �It�s really starting to work the way that we had hoped it would,� Brownback said.



Davis disagreed, and it appeared during a question-and-answer period that the ESSDACK audience aligned with Davis.



What about the transfer of transportation fund dollars to help the state�s general fund? About $1 billion in the last three and a half years has been transferred, Davis said. Infrastructure projects are proven creators of job growth, too, he pointed out.



Mental health services funding? It was disproportionately affected by budget cuts, Davis said.



Bob Ritter volunteers at McCandless Elementary School and the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, and urged more investment in education and job development.



�What I have discovered,� Davis answered, is �the very best dollars spent� are those for early education of at-risk students.



Richard Shank asked about the Brownback administration�s decision against Medicaid expansion. Not taking those federal dollars affects individuals and hospitals, Davis said. ��Listen, this is affecting our bottom line here,�� Davis said hospital administrators tell him.



Matthew Whiteford, married to a Hutchinson schoolteacher, criticized the removal of due process for teachers and also said teachers who invest in their own post-graduate education and inch up the pay scale become more apt to lose their jobs.



Davis, the son of a teacher, said he is concerned about the state�s ability to attract and retain teachers.



Davis initially was scheduled to tour Siemens Wind Power in Hutchinson after the ESSDACK stop. Local Siemens officials had approved the tour, but at the national corporate level, it was ruled out, according to Davis campaign staff. After the primary election, a Davis tour would be possible, they were told.



USD 308 Superintendent Shelly Kiblinger was contacted Wednesday regarding a possible tour of the district�s Career and Technical Education Academy in place of Siemens.



�Of course, we�re always happy to show this facility,� Kiblinger said Thursday as she and USD 308 and Hutchinson Community College officials awaited Davis� arrival.



Davis was impressed by a facility equipped to train students in nursing, culinary, automotive and industrial trades, and the cooperation between the school district, college, and private businesses.



�I will go out and tell your story around the state,� Davis said.



Brownback may be telling the story, too. He has toured the USD 308 academy and this spring, 41 students in Hutchinson qualified for certifications under Senate Bill 155. Enacted during Brownback�s term, the law promises the state will pay college tuition for classes high school students take that lead to certification in a needed field.