Former Kansas lawmaker arrested twice while in office running for school board in WyCo

A former Kansas lawmaker who was arrested twice while in office and has a history of abusive behavior is running for a seat on a Wyandotte County school board.

Former state Rep. Aaron Coleman, who served one term in the Kansas House as a Democrat, on Thursday announced his candidacy for Turner USD 202 Board of Education — an attempt at a political comeback after losing the 2022 Democratic primary race for the Wyandotte County seat to Melissa Oropeza, who went onto win the general election.

Coleman is in a race where he may have an easier time winning. Four board seats are up for election and as of Thursday only four candidates, not including Coleman, have filed to run, according to the Wyandotte County Election Office. As long as Coleman is one of the top four vote-getters, he will be elected.

“USD 202 needs a board member whose sole focus is, in general, the betterment of all students, and in particular, helping our most vulnerable students - the special education children,” Coleman said on Twitter, adding that his time in the Legislature gave him experience drafting policies and analyzing budgets.

All four candidates listed by the election office are current members of the board.

Coleman served a single, two-year term in the Kansas House after upsetting a longtime Democratic state representative in 2020. His time as a lawmaker was marked by multiple encounters with law enforcement and regular public controversies, including promising to arrange a “hit” on Gov. Laura Kelly.

He received diversion last year after he allegedly kicked and pushed his brother during an argument in 2021, leading to a misdemeanor battery charge. He was also found guilty of a traffic infraction in Douglas County after a November 2021 episode in which he allegedly led state troopers on a brief pursuit on Interstate 70 and acted in an “erratic” manner after he was pulled over.

A legislative investigative committee was formed following a complaint in 2021 alleging a pattern of abusive behavior toward women by Coleman. Lawmakers found the allegations against Coleman — including physical abuse of an ex-girlfriend — credible but took no action because the behavior occurred before he entered office.

Coleman has acknowledged bullying a female classmate and blackmailing another with her nude photographs while in middle school. A ex-girlfriend also said Coleman choked and slapped her.

The Kansas Department of Labor also barred Coleman from its offices in Topeka after he allegedly berated a security guard.