About Me

I moved to Eastborough, Kansas in 2021 with my wife, daughter, and cats. I work as a Senior Product Engineering Architect for Cadence Design Systems, previously having retired after 27 years from Intel.

My education includes a B.A. in Mathematics from Princeton University, an M.S. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University, and a New Jersey Teaching Certificate in Mathematics.

Now as a proud new Kansan, I'm also an outsider who can bring a fresh perspective to Kansas politics.

Why Erik Seligman for State Representative?

It’s time for some change in Kansas State Representative district 83. Here are some of the key points that would drive my agenda if elected:

  • - Reduce the tax burden on average Kansans. When my family moved here in 2021, we were disappointed to learn that Kansas has an exceptionally high tax burden for a “red state”. The small tax reductions passed in the June 2024 special session were a start, but there is much more to be done.
  • - Educational opportunity for children at all income levels. Every child is a unique individual, and deserves a variety of educational options, even if their parents cannot afford private school. We need to strengthen Kansas charter school laws, and expand school choice programs throughout the state.
  • - Protect children from unnecessary medical interventions with lifelong consequences. It has become increasingly clear that “gender-affirming” medical care allows children— many too young to get a tattoo— to decide on medical treatments that will affect the rest of their lives, and are not truly necessary. The incumbent voted against outlawing these treatments.
In addition, I will provide open and transparent communication at a level rarely displayed by any officeholder. When I previously served in elected office, on the board of one of Oregon’s largest school districts, I published a detailed blog describing my reasoning behind every major vote. You can still read it at https://hillsboroerik.com. You will always know exactly how I voted, and what my reasoning process was— and be able to meet me at monthly Constituent Coffees to share your view, whether you agree or disagree.

Please email (erik@wichitaerik.com) or call me (503-312-1665) if you have any questions, and I’ll look forward to receiving your vote!

Saturday, October 5, 2024

The Final Month of the Campaign

It's hard to believe it's only another month until Election Day.    Don't forget that there are a number of ways you can still help:

  • Spread the word:   Tell your friends about me, and invite them to follow my Facebook page.    If you have a small group of friends who wants to learn more, I'm happy to meet you for coffee sometime!
  • Get a yard sign:   I just got a new batch of signs.   Email (erik@wichitaerik.com) or call (503-312-1665) and I'll make sure to put one on your lawn.
  • Contribute money:   If you're doing well enough that you can afford to donate, every bit helps!   Email/call me to pick up a check, or Zelle the money directly to erik@wichitaerik.com .
Thanks again for all the support! 



Sunday, September 29, 2024

Radio Interview tonight, Sun 9/29, on the John Whitmer Show (8:30)

 Hi everyone-- just a quick post to let you know that I'll be on the John Whitmer Show tonight (9/29) around 8:30.   This is a local Wichita talk show, broadcast on KNSS (98.7/1330) and over the web.   If you get a chance to listen, drop me an email & tell me what you thought!


Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Cookies With The Candidate, Sunday 9/22, 3-5pm

Join us for Cookies with the Candidate at Kathie Cooper’s backyard (140 S Lynnwood Blvd) this Sunday, 9/22, from 3-5 pm.  Your voice is important:  meet me to share your thoughts, questions, and concerns.  

No charge or monetary contribution needed to attend- just bring yourselves & enjoy some delicious cookies!   All are welcome.   

And as always, if that time isn't good for you, you can email me at erik@wichitaerik.com to set up a chat some other time.

Hope to see you there!

Saturday, September 14, 2024

A New Addition to My Campaign Staff


Meet Monkey, the newest addition to our family.    Technically she's a guest-- my sister is spending a year in Spain with her husband & kids, and figured that leaving her with us is better than the trauma of international travel, quarantine laws, etc.   

Not sure how much she'll directly contribute to the campaign, but cute animals get a lot more web views than political debates anyway!   

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Come Meet Me This Friday (8/30), 4-7PM, at Sweetpops



Join me for a casual “Meet the Candidate” event at Sweetpops (550 N Rock Rd) Friday 8/30 from 4-7pm. You can drop in any time during those hours to ask questions & discuss your concerns. Your voice matters, and this is a great chance to connect and share your thoughts. Whoever asks me the most interesting question will win a free massage at Sveta's!

Hope to see you there!

Sunday, August 18, 2024

School Choice, 2nd Amendment, Balanced Budgets, and Other Issues

Now that we are past the primary, let's discuss positions on a few more issues.   Some have advised me not to do this-  “You’re just giving your opponents ammo to use against you!”   My opponent certainly seems to be taking this advice, as his website still doesn’t seem to have been updated since 2020, and what is there in his Issues section is mostly just a few sentences of broad generalities and obvious fluff.    But that’s not the kind of campaign I want to run:  as I have mentioned before,  I promise to always clearly explain my position on issues of concern, even at the risk that you may not agree with everything I say.   I think open discussion is the key to making American government successful.

Although I am new to Kansas politics, I have served in elected office before, spending four years on the board of one of Oregon’s largest school districts, supervising the education of over 20,000 students.  While there, I continually published a blog explaining my votes and reasoning on key issues.   So today I’ll highlight some of my posts there, to help you better understand where I stand on various topics of importance. 


Here are links to some of the blog articles I wrote on issues debated/voted while serving on that school board.   There’s a lot here, so don’t try to read them all— but be sure to check out my articles on the topics that interest you.   If you want to discuss any of these further, or even if you disagree and want to try to convince me to change my mind, feel free to email me at erik@wichitaerik.com!





Preventing schools from distributing birth control without parent notification


Fairly distributing government money and positions, without insider privileges



Opposing minimum wage increases
        - Insulting The Poor



Not abusing school/government resources to advocate policy
        --   Children as Political Pawns


Supporting STEM (Science/Tech/Engineering/Math) Education



Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Vote Jacqueline Kelly for Judge on August 6th

Usually in this blog, I’m focusing on reasons you should vote for me.    That is the point, after all!   But in next week’s primary, I’m unopposed— the place I really need your vote will be in the November election.   So this week, I thought I would focus this blog on a fellow candidate I endorse, who does face a contested primary:   Jaqueline Kelly.

As you can see at her website, https://www.kellyforjudge.org/, she has a great resume:  legal experience in civil cases, criminal cases, and as a city attorney, positions on the Kansas Real Estate Commission and Wichita Ethics Advisory Board, and numerous other volunteer positions— all while raising three children.   I was very impressed with her on the several occasions when we met.


One other important element of her background, which she told me about recently, may not be so obvious from her campaign flyers:   she is an adopted child of Zimbabwean birth.   Having studied the contrast between the systems of government in Zimbabwe and in the US, she especially appreciates being here!    This contrast has deeply informed her legal philosophy, and her sense of how special our system is.    


Zimbabwe is one of the many nations around the world that promised improved “fairness” and a "just society", if only the government could reduce the inconvenient barriers of personal freedom and give itself complete power— and ended up creating misery for the vast majority.   (You can see many more examples of those failures in my Stories of Communism podcast.)   It is very important that we have judges in place who understand our country’s fundamental and unique principles of individual freedom and limited government power.


Thus, on August 6th, I’ll be voting for Jacqueline Kelly for judge, and hope you will join me.