Lawrence Journal-World reports, “Gov. Sam Brownback officially named Richard Carlson to be the next permanent secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation and director of the Kansas Turnpike Authority, but some are already saying he could face opposition when he comes up for confirmation by the Kansas Senate.” (Carlson has been serving as interim secretary since July.) The report adds, “Senate Democratic Leader Anthony Hensley, of Topeka, said Carlson could face a tough confirmation process. ‘I would be reluctant to send his confirmation out of committee. There can be a pretty strong case made against his confirmation from the standpoint that he was chairman of the tax committee when we passed the 2012 tax plan, which led to the $2 billion raiding of the highway fund to balance the budget,’ Hensley said. ‘You’re essentially putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop.’”
