ALMA — An Alma attorney and former trash guy has filed as a Libertarian for Kansas governor. Keen Umbehr was at the focus of two First Amendment lawsuits involving government officials. While he ran a trash business based in Alma, Umbehr used a weekly newspaper column to criticize Wabaunsee County commissioners, who responded by ending his trash collection contract with the county. Umbehr sued and the case ended up before the U.S. Supreme Court where he won. The high court ruled that private contractors have the same First Amendment rights as government employees. After he sold his trash business, Umbehr returned to college at the age of 40, and then pursued a law degree. As an attorney, he blew the whistle on sexual exploitation of female inmates and environmental violations at the Topeka Correctional Facility. The Kansas Department of Corrections retaliated by filing an ethics complaint against Umbehr. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that the corrections department had indeed violated environmental laws. The state withdrew the ethics complaint against umbehr. As a candidate, Umbehr said he would require that all tax increases go to a public vote.
Tuesday, Oct. 1, 5 p.m.
