After eight years in the Kansas House, moderate Fred Patton is ready for a change

Fred Patton, a Republican who has represented northern Shawnee County in the Kansas House of Representatives for much of the past decade, will resign his seat next month, the Republican announced Monday.

The longtime Topeka attorney told The Capital-Journal he was resigning his District 50 seat, effective Oct. 16, to spend more time with family, oversee his law practice and maintain his high-level of involvement in various local community organizations.

"We've got two boys who are about to move to Kansas City to start their first grown-up jobs, as well as a year left with our daughter at home, so I want to spend more time with them," Patton said.

Fred Patton had campaigned on fully funding Kansas schools

Patton, who had been elected to the Kansas House in 2014, had also been a member of the Seaman Board of Education for nearly two decades before he decided against running for another term on the school board in 2021.

Reflecting on his original goals and his tenure as a representative, Patton said he was happy with the progress the Legislature made in restoring legally adequate funding for public schools after after years of legal battles and block grants.

Patton served on the House school finance committee that produced a school funding formula that satisfied the Kansas Supreme Court as constitutionally adequate.

"We solved that lawsuit and implemented some tax reform and changes in the tax code that put us in a good spot financially," he said. "We no longer had to worry about, 'Can we make payroll tomorrow?' or 'Will we have to cut positions in our schools and state agencies?' We don't worry about that anymore."

Patton: Fewer moderates, but not sure Kansas Legislature is more partisan

In his tenure in office, Patton has been seen as a moderating force among Kansas Republicans Party, even if the public hasn't seen the rest of the party that way. He has served as the chairman of the House K-12 Budget Committee and will step down next month as chair of the chamber's Judiciary Committee.

He said that in his experience, the Statehouse has been mostly the same over the past eight years, and that the Legislature is not as divided as is often claimed.

"I certainly think there are fewer moderates in the Legislature than when I got there, but it really depends on how you define them. I mean, look at me. I wouldn't define myself on any one issue."

"I do truly see both sides," he continued. "Whether it's reaching across the aisle to work with a Democrat on an issue, or whether it's reaching further to the right to work with someone who might be a little more conservative than me, that's how that's how we're going to accomplish change."

Fred Patton is ready for Topeka to see more of him

Party officials will work on naming a replacement for Patton to serve out the second year of his term, ahead of the November 2024 elections. Patton said his hope is that his successor can have a year of experience before potentially running for the seat.

In addition to spending more time with his family, Patton wants to devote more time to running his law firm year-round, and not just the seven months the Legislature is not in session.

Patton also expects to spend more time with his various community involvements, including his service with the Topeka Zoo Board of Directors, Gage Park Improvement Authority and Ballet Midwest.

From the Legislature, he hopes to see continued work on equitable school funding, as well as tax reform.

More: Kansas Republicans want an income tax cut. Can they override Laura Kelly's veto next year?

"Beyond those, the hot button issues will pop up every year," he said. "Right there in my title is the word, 'representative,' and I truly do believe that on every vote I took, it was my job to represent my district. That may not be the same view as another Republican or another Democrat, but it's the view of the people who live in the 50th House district.

"If all 124 people in the House and all 40 people in the Senate took that approach, no matter the political party, I think we'd all be pleased with what comes out of the capitol," Patton added.

Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at ‪785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka Republican Fred Patton resigning from Kansas House