Luke Aichele of McPherson believes in the power of listening.
That skill has served him well as the owner of a barbershop in his hometown.
He hopes it also will earn him a seat as the District 9 representative on the Kansas Board of Education. Aichele is running for the post as a Republican, challenging incumbent Jim Porter, a former educator and superintendent of Fredonia who has held the seat for seven years.
The Republican primary election is Aug. 2, but advance voting is open now.
Aichele met with a small group of Allen County Republicans for a luncheon on Wednesday, where he talked about his reasons for running for office and his goals for the state school board. He’s been traveling to communities around Southeast Kansas for similar listening tours.
Aichele made national news in May 2020 when he defied Gov. Laura Kelly’s order to close non-essential businesses, including barbershops and salons, in the early months of the pandemic. He was threatened with arrest until he agreed to obey the order and stay closed for a short time.
As a result, Republican Kansas lawmakers invited him to testify in front of the Legislature twice, including at a hearing to limit Kelly’s executive powers over disapproval of her handling of pandemic restrictions.
He ran unsuccessfully for mayor of McPherson in November 2021. He serves on the planning and zoning commission and the Main Street committee.
That’s about the extent of Aichele’s political experience, which he touts as a positive. He prefers the role of outsider.
“If we keep voting for the same thing, we’ll get the same results,” he said.
“I think we’ve seen the last two years that what is acceptable can change very quickly.”
His decision to run for the state school board comes from listening to his customers and others in his community, as well as his experience as a father.
He’s been married for 17 years and has three children, ranging from 10 months to 14, with a fourth child on the way.
His wife is a stay-at-home mother and previously home-schooled their children but his children will be attending public schools this fall.
He also was critical about about virtual education, particularly the Summit Learning Platform, where students are self-taught using online lessons. The pandemic further exposed some of the pitfalls of online learning.
“There’s such inconsistency in virtual schools,” he said. “A lot of conservative parents like them because they feel public schools are becoming too liberal. But it really depends on the curriculum and how the virtual school is set up.”
