Mark Parkinson is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician who is currently a Democratic candidate for the lieutenant governor of Kansas. A Lieutenant Governor is a government official who is the subordinate or deputy of a Governor or Governor-General. ... Official language(s) English Capital Topeka Largest city Wichita Area  Ranked 15th  - Total 82,277 sq. ...

Background

Parkinson, 48, was born in Wichita, Kansas. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Wichita State University in 1980 and first in his class at the University of Kansas in 1984, Parkinson began to practice law. In 1996 he left his law practice of Parkinson, Foth & Orrick to begin creating assisted living facilities. Mark Parkinson has been married to Stacy Parkinson for over twenty years; they have three children. Nickname Air Capital Location Location in the state of Kansas Government County Sedgwick Mayor Carlos Mayans Geographical characteristics Area  - City    - Land    - Water 138. ... Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. ... Wichita State University (WSU), an American state-supported university located in the middle-size city of Wichita, Kansas, in the south central part of the state. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Political Career

Parkinson entered Kansas politics as a Republican in 1990. He served in the Kansas state house from 1991-1992 and the senate from 1993-1997. From 1999-2003 he was the chairman of the state Republican party. In 2004 he served as chairman of the Shawnee Area Chamber of Commerce board. This article is about the year. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On May 31, 2006, Governor Kathleen Sebelius announced that Parkinson had switched parties and was her running mate for her reelection campaign, succeeding retiring lieutenant governor John E. Moore (also a former Republican who had switched shortly before he joined a ticket with Sebelius). Parkinson's business abilities and willingness to work with both Republicans and Democrats were the reasons Sebelius gave for choosing him. May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kathleen Gilligan Sebelius (born May 15, 1948, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American Democratic politician who currently serves as the 44th Governor of Kansas. ... John E. Moore, born in Charleston, West Virginia, is an American politician and the current Lieutenant Governor of Kansas. ...

The Kansas Republican Party immediately labeled Parkinson a hypocrite, citing 2002 quotes where Parkinson called Sebelius a "left-wing liberal Democrat" and claimed that any Republicans who supported her were "either insincere or uninformed." Parkinson responsed to the criticism by saying he had doubted Sebelius four years earlier, but came to believe she provided "independent leadership" for the state. He said, "In an age where leaders duck responsibility and dodge their mistakes let me be the first to say: I was wrong." [1] Some viewed his switch as opportunism; others felt his decision was another example of the bitter divide between moderates and conservatives in the Kansas Republican Party, and that the move may encourage Republican voters to move closer to the Democratic Party. [2]

External links

• Official biography

References

• Twiddy, David. "Kan. Gov. Selects Running Mate for Race". Associated Press. May 31, 2006
• Klepper, David. "Sebelius-Parkinson ticket is talk of two parties". Kansas City Star. June 1, 2006