Mari-Lynn Poskin

Mari-Lynn Poskin was born in Merced, California. Poskin earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1988. Her career experience includes working as a grant writer with the Northern Illinois Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse and owning KC College Connect. Poskin has served with Stand Up Blue Valley and Game On for Kansas Schools.[1][2][3]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mari-Lynn is a Kansan by choice. The daughter of an Air Force Colonel, she's lived all over the country. After 9/11, she moved her family to Kansas for the outstanding schools, strong communities, and fantastic quality of life.

She and her husband David's blended family of seven children gives them 90 years of K-12 education experience, 62 of which are in JoCo public schools. Mari-Lynn is fiercely dedicated to outstanding lifetime learning opportunities. A higher education professional with 20 years of experience, she has worked as a Campus Director and in Admissions, Academic Advising, and Financial Aid. She owns KC College Connect which provides college planning services. Mari-Lynn is fiercely dedicated to outstanding lifetime learning opportunities for all Kansans.

Mari-Lynn understands the dire need for evidence-based mental health prevention and treatment services that are readily available. While a grant writer at NICASA, she helped secure grants from SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration federal agency. Like many families, her childhood family was not unscathed by substance abuse and her dear friend lost her son to suicide.

The primary caregiver for David, who has MS, Mari-Lynn understands how critical access to healthcare is and how chronic illness/disability impacst families.

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?

We are only one seat away from breaking the GOP super majority in the Kansas House, a tool that extremists use to block good legislation like Medicaid expansion and to override Gov Kelly's veto power. She won District 20 by over 19 points, it's time to send her the support she needs.Kansas deserves world-class public schools and legislators, like Mari-Lynn, who will champion the funding necessary to achieve that status. It's PAST time to expand Medicaid in Kansas. In the 2020 special session, extremists voted the issue "not germaine" to the COVID-19 bill. I will support Gov. Kelly's bipartisan Medicaid expansion efforts...EVERY time.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Every educational, social, agricultural and industrial opportunity...

​that's what called Mari-Lynn to Kansas and that's what she'll fight for in the Kansas Legislature!

EDUCATION

Mari-Lynn is a champion for outstanding education opportunities across the lifespan: early childhood, K-12, and post-secondary.

World class public schools are the backbone of our economy and must be fully funded according to the Kansas Constitution.

State funding of our trade, community, and 4-year colleges in Kansas has fallen to the lowest levels in years under previous administrations, shifting the cost burden to families and creating crippling student debt.

HEALTHCARE

As the primary caregiver for her husband who has MS and a small business owner without employer sponsored health insurance, Mari-Lynn understands how critical access to affordable healthcare is.

We must stop sending billions of Kansas taxpayer dollars to other states and support rural hospitals with Medicaid expansion. 75% of Kansans support Medicaid Expansion.

​Kansas teens, veterans, and farmers are dying by suicide in record numbers. We need to increase access to affordable, evidence-based mental health services.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Kansas has not had a comprehensive strategic development plan since 1986. Department of Commerce initiatives and services were eliminated or cut in the last 10 years.

Ensure an educated and healthy workforce is available to attract 21st century businesses.

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

https://www.leadingagekansas.org/assets/docs/2017FallConf/Womens%20Caucus%20Handout.pdf

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

In higher education, we utilize personality inventories in academic advising and career services. One of my favorites is the Clifton StrengthsFinder. Among my top strengths are Strategic, Maximizer and Positivity.

From https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrength:

The STRATEGIC theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large.

This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, "What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?" This recurring question helps you see around the next corner. There you can evaluate accurately the potential obstacles.

People exceptionally talented in the MAXIMIZER theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb. Excellence, not average, is your measure. Taking something from below average to slightly above average takes a great deal of effort and in your opinion is not very rewarding. Transforming something strong into something superb takes just as much effort but is much more thrilling.

People exceptionally talented in the POSITIVTY theme have contagious enthusiasm. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do. You are generous with praise, quick to smile, and always on the lookout for the positive in the situation. Some call you lighthearted. Others just wish that their glass were as full as yours seems to be. But either way, people want to be around you. Their world looks better around you because your enthusiasm is contagious.

These types of tests have always included suggestions that "politician" would be a good fit for me and I dismissed that idea every time! But here I am, running for office to put these strengths to work to move Kansas forward.

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

My first job where I paid taxes and got a paycheck was detasseling corn in Nebraska when I was 13 years old. Yes, that's a job! We manually pulled the tassels off alternating rows of corn to create hybrid corn. We had to be on buses to the field by 5 am, worked in the hot sun and earned EVERY penny of our $2.65 per hour! I did that job for one summer before we moved to Florida, where I got a job scooping ice cream in the air conditioning.  :-)

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

Portugal the Man: Feel it Still

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Kansas was just starting to get back on solid footing after the disastrous Brownback "tax experiment" and political appointees devastated our governmental functioning. The COVID-19 pandemic has been another tough hit to our economy. Though viruses are not political, some are using it to play more political games. We will need legislators who are dedicated to bipartisan solutions based on science and sound fiscal policies.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

It's not just beneficial to build relationships with other legislators, it's critical to crafting good public policy. Our districts differ widely across the state, but we are all Kansans working for the good of our state.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

K-12 Education Budget

Higher Education Budget

Health and Human Services

Insurance

Commerce Labor and Economic Development

Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications

Veterans and Military