Mark Gietzen

Mark Gietzen ran for election for Mayor of Wichita in Kansas. Gietzen lost in the primary on August 6, 2019.

Gietzen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Mark S. Gietzen lives in Wichita, Kansas. He graduated from Glen Ullin High School in 1973, and earned an associate degree from the Spartan School of Aeronautics in 1979.^[1]

Gietzen owns, operates, and works as a flight instructor for Gietzen Aerial Service. He is also the director of The Christian Singles Info-exchange, the chairman and managing director of The Kansas Coalition for Life, and the president of the Kansas Republican Assembly.^[1]^[2] Gietzen is a former chairman of the Sedgwick County Republican Party.^[3]

Elections

2019

General election

General election for Mayor of Wichita

Brandon Whipple defeated incumbent Jeff Longwell in the general election for Mayor of Wichita on November 5, 2019.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Brandon Whipple (Nonpartisan)	46.4	23,174
	Jeff Longwell (Nonpartisan)	36.0	17,969
	Other/Write-in votes	17.6	8,767

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 49,910
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Wichita

The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of Wichita on August 6, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Longwell (Nonpartisan)	32.1	7,409
✔		Brandon Whipple (Nonpartisan)	26.3	6,067
		Lyndy Wells (Nonpartisan)	25.0	5,770
		Amy Lyon (Nonpartisan)	6.4	1,470
		Mark Gietzen (Nonpartisan)	5.8	1,349
		Brock Booker (Nonpartisan)	2.0	457
		Ian Demory (Nonpartisan)	1.0	239
		Joshua Atkinson (Nonpartisan)	0.7	166
	Submit photo	Marty Mork (Nonpartisan)	0.6	144

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,071
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

Mark Gietzen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gietzen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Mark Gietzen and I am running for Mayor of Wichita. I have eight things that I want to prioritize when and if elected as Wichita's mayor:

1. Make Wichita a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, giving all humans in Wichita, 'legal Personhood' under the law. 2. Clean up Wichita's Water! It currently contains a serious developmental neurotoxin which is NOT fit to drink! 3. Fix the bad sidewalks in the poor neighborhoods, making them the same quality as in the affluent neighborhoods. 4. I will NEVER raise your taxes! 5. Lower the crime rate overall by 5% or I will NOT run again! 6. Build railroad bridges where main streets intersect rails. (The Fed. govt will pay for most of it. KS, Sedg. Co. and the RRs will help pay too!) 7. Bring in new jobs by treating ALL businesses fairly. (No more special treatment for some, at the expense and disadvantage of others!) 8. Save beautiful old Century II.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

1. Make Wichita a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, giving all humans in Wichita, 'legal Personhood' under the law.
2. Clean up Wichita's Water! It currently contains a serious developmental neurotoxin which is NOT fit to drink!
3. Fix the bad sidewalks in the poor neighborhoods, making them the same quality as in the affluent neighborhoods.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I want to make Wichita a better place to live than it currently is. I want all people, of all races and ages to be treated fairly under the law.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Internationally, I think that Jordan Peterson is extremely wise, thoughtful and worth listening to today. Historically, Winston Churchill was about as good a leaders as one can find. Margaret Thatcher was also a favorite of mine. Of course, I like Aristotle, Socrates and Plato, and think that we have much to learn from them.

Nationally, I look up to and admire current US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, due to his clear understanding of the US Constitution, and his ability to articulate his understanding of it, in an honest, clear way. I rarely disagree with him! I also admire and have met, President Donald Trump, Sam Brownback, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. All four are great men.

At the State level, we have so many good Senators and Representatives, both Republican and Democrat, who I know and admire, that I do not want to single anyone out, for fear or waking up tomorrow morning, wishing I would have listed yet another.

At the Local level, we have some outstanding people like Karl Peterjohn and Michael O'Donnell, and several great 18th Judicial District Judges whom I admire. Unfortunately we have a tiny minorty of Judges and Office holders at the local level, who are not fit to be in office for ethical reasons. Most of our local office holders are good!

My plan is to learn from and follow the good examples of many people, not just one.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I am a life-long student of history. I think that the more history an office holder knows, the better equipped he or she will be in managing the responsibilities of their office. I have a pragmatic philosophy, not a partisan one.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

In America, the people are the Kings and Queens, and the Office Holders are to be the servants of the people. I hope to keep this in mind always.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have integrity, knowledge, and management skills that I feel would work well with the position of Mayor of Wichita at this time, especially considering Wichita's urgent needs in the areas where my interests lay. I.e., (1) the protection of, and fair treatment of, all human life, and, (2) clean water, and overcoming Wichita's water quality problems in a cost-effective way.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Honesty and openness with the people and with the City employees would be a great place to start. Setting the direction for progress, and leading our complex city-government in that direction will not be easy, but I am prepared to do so.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave Wichita government better when I leave, than it is today. I want to us to treat all human life with value, and I want Wichita to have the clean healthy water that we so urgently lack and need.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I think that the biggest event that stays in my memory, was the asassination of our 35th President, John F. Kennedy. I was nine years old, attending a Roman Catholic Country School, in the Saint Clements Parish of Haymarsh, North Dakota. There were only 4 students in my class, but four grades in each room, the Nuns made the announcement verbally, and I was in the state of disbelief for several days, that something so terrible could happen. JFK was the first and only US President to be a Catholic.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I grew up on a farm in North Dakota, so farming was my first, and life-long job. At age 19, I joined the US Marine Corps, and served on Embassy Duty in Lagos, Nigeria, West Africa and in Bangkok, Thailand. After my three years in the military, I attended Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where I graduated as an Honor Graduate with a 3.94 GPA, then went to work for the Boeing Compay, here in Wichita, Kansas, first as a sheetmetal assembler, then as an electrical inspector, and then became the youngest Boeing Field Representative in the entire company, including both Wichita and Seattle. As a Boeing Field Representative I traveled to most of the 50 states. I also started an aviation business of my own, which I still run today, called Gietzen Aerial Services. I am a current and active FAA licensed Airframe and Powerplant aircraft mechanic, working mostly on small planes, and I am a current FAA Flight Instructor, with a Commercial Pilot's license, a Multi-engine Rating and an Instrument Rating. I also am the President of the Kansas Republican Assembly, the Director of the Kansas Coalition for Life, the owner of a small printing company called, "Gietzen Publishing", and am a landlord and book author. I am currently learning to play the guitar.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Holy Bible, because it is so much more than just a book: It is wisdom and history, it is truth and principals, it is stories and lessons,, it is the foundation of Common Law, and it is the foundation of civilization itself.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I want nothing more than to be who I am! I have no desires to change places with anyone, fictional or real; not the richest nor the famous, because no one has had, and currently has, the wonderful family I have, nor the love of parents and grandparents that I have had, nor the blessings of growing up on a farm in North Dakota, in a family of 15, yet with my own horse, my own bicycle, my car, and my own motorcycles. Embassy Duty, in the Marine Corps, was a wonderful educational tour around the world, for me! No one else has more enjoyed being the youngest Field Representative in the Boeing Company, where I was paid to do work that I would paid to do! And currently, I have the best job in the world, being the Director of the Kansas Coalition for Life. We have 533 Confirmed Saves, i.e., babies who would have been aborted, were it not for our offer of help for the mother. These children are growing up now, and the friendships and relationships with both the mothers and their children is a treasure beyond the value of money.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I currently have memorized 71 songs, including some Country, some Gospel, some Traditional Oldies, and some Old Rock Music Songs from the 1960's. The last song I memorized is: "I Know I'll Never Find Another You!"

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I am certainly NOT a perfect person. I am flawed in many ways. Nevertheless, I believe that I am the best person for the job, among the four of us who are currently running for the position of Mayor of Wichita.

I struggle with understanding some of the complex math involved in complex Chemistry, yet I love Chemistry and I understand a lot more about conceptual chemistry truths than most people know, ...and I continue to learn! I will use this Chemistry knowledge and interest to all of Wichita's advantage, by removing the harmful elements from Wichita's water.

Personally, at an early age, I decided to be a non-smoker and a non-drinker. That is a decision which has served me well in life so far. I have raised my children to be the same.

I am also the happiest person whom I know, because I have had far more blessings in life than anyone else I know!

Life can be a struggle, but life is, in my opinion, much more about attitude, than it is about the things that happen to us.

My Christian Faith has been a wonderful element that has undoubtedly made me a better person, yet still a person who has much more to learn, and many improvements to make.

A mayor is a leader in his or her city. What does that mean to you?

I think that this is a factual statement. My hope is to be a good leader who cares for all people in Wichita, regardless of age, race, or economic status, and to lead us to a better, more open and more honest city government.

Mayors have many responsibilities, which vary from city to city. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your city?

The City of Wichita is set-up with a City Manager's Office that handles most of the day-to-day decision making. However, the City Manager is under the control of the City Council, and the City Council is lead by a Mayor. Honesty in the Mayors office is badly needed in Wichita. I hope to provide that.

If the mayor in your city is a member of the city council and there's a city manager appointed to handle the day-to-day administration of the city government, what do you believe should be the mayor's top priority in office?

I believe that it is the job of the Mayor to lead the city, to meet the 8-goals previously stated:

1. Make Wichita a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, giving all humans in Wichita, 'legal Personhood' under the law.
2. Clean up Wichita's Water! It currently contains a serious developmental neurotoxin which is NOT fit to drink!
3. Fix the bad sidewalks in the poor neighborhoods, making them the same quality as in the affluent neighborhoods.
4. I will NEVER raise your taxes!
5. Lower the crime rate overall by 5% or I will NOT run again!
6. Build railroad bridges where main streets intersect rails. (The Fed. govt will pay for most of it, and KS, Sedg. Co. and the RRs will help pay too!)
7. Bring in new jobs by treating ALL businesses fairly. (No more special treatment for some, at the expense and disadvantage of others!)

8. Save beautiful old Century II.

What do you love most about your city?

The people are good, down-to-Earth, hard working, nice people, as I consider my self to be.

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Wichita is known for three things nationally and internationally.

1. We are the Air Capital of the world. We need to work to keep this reputation.
2. We are still, unfortunately, America's Abortion Capital. I want us to get past this in a good way, by helping the Moms who now choose abortion for lack of a better choice.

3. We have water that is not fit to drink, so much so, that most people of average or higher income will not even drink or cook in Wichita Water. This needs to change. We should strive to have the cleanest water in the state... or even in the entire region. The technology is there to remove the bad stuff, and the cost to do so is within our reach.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the state government?

We are the largest city in Kansas. We have excellent relations with Topeka, and we need to keep that relationship strong.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the federal government?

I think that the Federal Government is limited far more, Constitutionally, than is the state and city government. Ideally, the Federal government should limit their role to the Enumerated Powers only.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

External links

Footnotes

[bio3-1] 1.0 ^1.1 LinkedIn, "Mark Gietzen," accessed July 5, 2019

[bio1-2] Facebook, "Mark S. Gietzen," accessed July 5, 2019

[bio2-3] kansas.com, "Here’s your first look at the crowded field of candidates for Wichita mayor," June 3, 2019

[1]

[2]

[3]

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Mark Gietzen

Contents

Biography

Elections

2019

General election

General election for Mayor of Wichita

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Wichita

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

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