I am Aaron Portmann, my wife is Meagan and we have two wonderful kids; Emma, who is in the 4th grade and Evan, who is in 1st grade. I am an air traffic controller at Kansas City Center in Olathe, Kan. I moved to Pleasanton my junior year in high school and we have lived all over this wonderful country but Pleasanton has always been called my home.
1) Why are you running for school board?
I want to continue to serve this great community and continue to make it better.
2) What do you hope to accomplish if elected to this position?
I would like to focus on replacing our roads. I know it cannot happen overnight but if we can get a few here and there it’s a step in the right direction.
3) What skills and/or experience do you have that will aid you in this position?
I have served on the council for the last 4 years. I have always put the interests of the citizens first when it comes to my votes and they will continue to be that way.
My name is Rochelle Schreckhise and my husband, Jackie, and I have two daughters, Madison and Jaclyn.
My field of work has been in the mental health field, formerly working at Lakemary Center for over nine years. I am still employed in the mental health field. Those with special needs and disabilities are very important to me. I was born and raised here and it is my family’s home. It is important to me that our citizens have a good quality of life and that someone cares when they have concerns.
1) Why are you running for school board?
I have been a lifelong resident of Pleasanton and care about our town and our citizens. I want to work as a team with others who are like minded and help improve our infrastructure and needed upgrades in many areas of our city. I will use a common sense approach to spending because it’s important to me that our taxpayers’ dollar are spent wisely.
2) What do you hope to accomplish if elected to this position?
I would like to see several areas of improvement, such as upgrades on our streets and repairing our city pool as it’s very important to our children and our community. I would like to see water and sewer upgrades made as we can afford the improvements and to help seek job opportunities for our community. I am very supportive of the new vocational opportunities that our school will be providing for our community and feel that it will be very educational for our youth. I am willing to listen to ideas because I think these things are very important to others, as well.
3) What skills and/or experience do you have that will aid you in this position?
I have common sense and care about our citizens and will try to do my very best to serve our citizens with each decision that I make. I am not afraid to ask questions and to research any new issues that come before me. I am honest, dependable, and responsible and will try to serve the people fairly and in the best manner that I can.
Kenny Stark is running as a write in candidate for city council.
I grew up in La Cygne and am a graduate of Prairie View High School class of 1982.
After high school I joined the Coast Guard and had various duty stations around the United States. After seven and half years in I was medically discharged in 1990.
Upon being discharged I moved to Texas where he worked in the oilfield industry working his way up to being the driller's helper in a short time frame. After leaving Texas I returned to Kansas and started working for Johnson County Basements, where my construction career started. In 1995, I moved to Utah where he learned the trade of carpentry while working for a family business for several years. I met his wife of 20 years in Provo, Utah, and we have two great boy's, one a Pleasanton High School graduate and the other a senior this year. During our time in Utah we started our own construction company building residential homes and commercial buildings, we even tried our hand at building log homes.
We moved to Anaconda, Mont., in 2008 to support a family member and lived there until 2015 and then moved to Pleasanton.
1) Why are you running for school board?
I'm running for the open council position because I believe the citizens of our town need a voice on the council, which in my opinion many of the members of the council have forgotten that we, the citizens, elected them to be our voice.
2) What do you hope to accomplish if elected to this position?
If elected I hope to bring back the trust the people are deserved as well as their voice on the council.
3) What skills and/or experience do you have that will aid you in this position?
I hope to bring what I have learned in all my years as a business owner, as well as a parent, to the table to help get positive input from the people who elected us into office.
These are the responses received to our questions for this election.
NEWS
SPECIAL: Leonard booked into Linn County Jail
Just after 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, Damon Leonard was booked in the Linn County Jail on an arrest warrant associated with case LN-2025-CR-000212, which as of Sunday, Sept. 20 remains sealed from public view. Charges listed on the inmate roster for the jail include: -... [More]
SPECIAL: Remember this number: 14 cents
University of Kansas journalism professor It’s the number I’m repeating as I work with local newspapers as part of a national experiment to help save local news. That number, 14 cents, is how much it costs you each day to support this newspaper. Fourteen... [More]
Affidavit of disclosure on Booth case released
After requesting the Disclosure of an Affidavit or Sworn Testimony from the District Court of Linn County concerning the Wade Booth case, Judge Rhonda Cole approved releasing the affidavit to three news entities, the Linn County News, Fox 4 News and KSHB 41. District Attorney... [More]
More News
- Church releases statement regarding pastor’s arrest
- Blue Mound appoints new council member
- Pleasanton approves budget, over RNR
- SPECIAL: Arrest made in Pleasanton following police response
- LCNews survey
- SPECIAL: Annual KWEC Butterfly Festival set for September 26
- SPECIAL: Linn County News selected for national newspaper initiative
- Law enforcement response to armed suicidal subject
SPORTS
Prairie View golf wins at Fort Scott
The Prairie View girls’ golf team continues to perform at a high level this season as the girls traveled to Woodland Hills golf course in Fort Scott on Sept. 8 to compete in the Fort Scott Invitational. The Lady Buffs won the tournament with a score of 209. Independence... [More]
Jayhawk boys’ cross country wins meet at Girard
The Jayhawk Linn cross country team traveled to Girard on Sept. 10 to compete in the Girard Invitational. The Hawks ran well as the boys’ varsity team won the meet with a score of 50. Here are the individual results for the junior high and high school Hawks. Varsity Boys’... [More]
Pleasanton football falls to Erie in home opener
The Pleasanton football team hosted their home opener against TRL foe Erie on Sept. 11. It was a night where the Jays recognized their first responders and both teams put up plenty of points. Unfortunately for the Jays the Red Devils put up more points as they won the game 78-36... [More]
More Sports
- Jayhawk football starts season with rout of Uniontown
- Prairie View volleyball starts season at Baldwin and home triangular
- Pleasanton football defeats St. Paul in overtime
- Jayhawk girls’ golf places second at Woodland Hills
- Britz places first for the Lady Buffs at Woodland Hills
- More than Friday Night Lights
- Annual kids’ fishing derby held at the Linn County Fair and Rodeo
- Multiple kids qualify for the State Fair at annual pedal pull
COMMUNITY
John and Helen Barnes Community Fund grant awards announced
John and Helen Barnes were long-term Linn County community members that supported the growth and well-being of Linn County and its members. Their estate provided for the distribution of annual monies from the John and Helen Barnes Community Fund (JHBCF) to non-profit organizations... [More]
Sources of Strength brings hope, help and strength to JLHS students this year
Editor’s Note: In an effort to provide more information on Sources of Strength, we’ve added comments and clarifications to instill further understanding of the program. Sources of Strength (S.O.S.) is a best practice, strength-based, upstream suicide prevention... [More]
America 250: The American Revolution The Founding Fathers
The Founding Fathers were important in the creation of our nation. They helped contribute to founding documents such as The Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Articles of Confederation. They also contributed to many boycotts, like the Boston Tea Party. They were also... [More]
More Community
- Janet Reynolds: Library, History, and Public Service
- Mayor Potter opens up about his plans for Linn Valley
- La Cygne celebration set for Saturday
- Lorna Turley: A life of family and service
- Parker Lodge No. 341 donates $800 to Operation School Supply and the Parker Library
- Labette Bank Golden Adventure Club attends Branson musical
- Daily Objective Distillery - a local American destination
- SPECIAL: Mine Creek Battlefield Foundation hosts Civil War Camp Dance


