ELECTION PROFILE: Kansas Insurance Commissioner - (R) Kevin Selzer v. (D) Dennis Anderson

Moving on to our next state wide elected office is the Kansas Insurance Commissioner's race.  Again, we'll provide a government organizational chart below so that you know where the office falls.

 

 

Like the Attorney General's office, the Kansas Insurance Commissioner is not a partisan influence office by design.  Yet again, that's very difficult to guard against.  I think the biggest question about this office in particular is, "what does an Insurance Commissioner do?"  That's a fair question for the average voter, considering it's not what you traditionally think of as an elected office. So we'll try to answer that for you.  (But you may want to start with checking out this website: http://www.ksinsurance.org/).

 

 

KANSAS INSURANCE COMMISSIONER

MISSION:

If you click here, you'll see the four goals of the office:

1. Regulate and review companies;
2. Educate consumers;
3. Assist consumers; and
4. License agents.

It seems to be pretty self explanatory.  The Kansas Insurance Department makes sure that insurance companies follow the law, they help consumers with insurance compliance and insurance disputes, and they regulate insurance agents and administer tests (similar to how the Kansas Bar Association regulates attorneys in the state).

So basically, what you're looking for in an Insurance Commissioner is someone who (1) understands the insurance industry, and (2) has effective management and administration skills.



THE CANDIDATES

(R) Kevin Selzer - Looking at Kevin Selzer's website, you're immediately impressed with his education (B.S.-Accounting from Kansas State University, and a M.B.A. from the University of Southern California), professional (Certified Public Accountant,  "Executive Managing Director for Aon Benfield and has extensive experience in the reinsurance and reinsurance brokerage industries"), and community organization experience.  Click here if you don't know what "reinsurance" is.

(D) Dennis Anderson - The Democrat nominee received an Agriculture Economics degree from Kansas State University and currently works for A.D. Banker, a company he founded, where he trains and provides continuing education for licensed insurance agents.  He has 30 years of experience in all lines of the insurance industry and even received the endorsement from the current Kansas Insurance Commissioner, (R) Sandy Praeger.  In addition Dennis Anderson also has an issues page, for your inquisitive pleasure.

CONCLUSION

Both are qualified for the position, but on paper Dennis Anderson seems to be the first choice candidate.  That's no slight at all to Kevin Selzer, we mean would Jeff Corwin be upset if you told him we'd prefer Steve Irwin (if he were still alive) to wrestle the alligator?  If Kevin Selzer doesn't win this election (which is probably unlikely), we'd certainly like to that fun KS imagery on a State Treasurer sign some day.