Election trash talk and mud slinging can get pretty slimy, even among members of the same party, so it’s not surprising that the 2022 elections were not always civil. Gov. Laura Kelly started 2023 on a positive note with a call for unity.

Her inaugural address on Monday was upbeat.

Unlike her first swearing-in four years ago, it was warm and sunny on Monday, the governor noted. “And so is the future of Kansas.”

In her call for civility and unity, Kelly said, “We should all agree now is the time to turn down the volume. This hate, this vitriol, this divisiveness, it’s not who we are as Kansans. The people of Kansas are civil. Its elected leaders must also be civil – in the tone of our discourse and in the manner in which we govern.”

Although House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, does not agree that Kelly has governed “from the middle” rather than from the left, his words were also civil.

“Today is not the day for political speeches,” he said. “There will be plenty of time for disagreements and debates in the coming months. My pledge is to create an environment in the House where we can work together and find those solutions. We will work across the aisle when we can. We will disagree strongly, but respectfully, when we must.”

That is what all Kansans should expect. It is what we deserve, and it is what the people we come in contact with also expect and deserve.

Susan Thacker