BY MEGHAN FLYNN
Garden City Telegram

Three at-large positions are up for election on the Garden City Commission on the Nov. 4 General Election ballot.

Four candidates are running for those positions.

They are Deb Oyler, Karen Canales-Lozano and incumbents Troy Unruh and Bryce Landgraf.

Incumbent Manny Ortiz is not running for re-election.

Troy Unruh

Unruh was born in Lyons, but moved to Garden City in 1967 with his family after his father became the Administrator at Briar Hill Manor.

He graduated from Garden City High School in 1981.

After high school, Unruh attended Principia College and Baker University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He attained a degree/certification from the Association of Certified Christian Chaplains.

Unruh is married to Brenda Unruh and together they have four children.

He currently works full-time as a bookkeeper for a local contractor and serves as an on-call chaplain for a local hospital and long-term care facility.

For 33 years, he was a partner in a State Farm Insurance agency, coached and consulted for 30 years and served part-time with both the Word of Life Church and Turning Point Church of the Nazarene.

Unruh said he decided to run for City Commission again because he’s been deeply invested in the city for the past four decades.

“Over the years, I’ve come to deeply appreciate the people who make up this community –and I believe there are none better,” he said. “My decision to run grew out of a desire to see Garden City continue to grow, thrive, and honor our Kansas roots.”

Unruh said he’s qualified to run because he has a deep love and commitment for the city, its people and has a tenacity to keep going and to never quit and believes that together anything can be accomplished.

“Professionally, my background in business ownership has given me a strong understanding of financial stewardship – living on less than you make, investing wisely, and giving generously to the organizations that make our community great,” he said.

His goal, if re-elected, is to keep Garden City an affordable, safe and thriving place for its residents while providing a city with the amenities and services they need.

“I want Garden City to remain the best place to raise a family for every generation,” he said. “Already, we function as the retail, transportation, and economic hub of southwest Kansas, and we are quickly becoming a hub for sports and recreation as well.”

Bryce Landgraf

Landgraf has lived in Garden City for five years but has lived in southwest Kansas for his entire life – minus his time in college and law school.

He attended Lakin High School, graduating in 2013. Following high school, he attended Washburn University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 2017; he also attended Washburn University School of Law where he received his juris doctorate in 2020.

Landgraf currently works as in-house Counsel for American Warrior, Inc.

He is not married, but says his parents live in Garden City and he has a sister and brother-in-law who live in Nebraska with his two nephews.

Landgraf said he decided to run for re-election because he’s served on the commission for two years now and has seen the growth the city’s made in that time while still being fiscally responsible.

“I would like to see that continue into the future,” he said.

His two years on the commission qualifies him to remain as a commissioner, Landgraf said.

“I also have experience in the private sector that has prepared me for this position as well,” he said.

His goal if re-elected is to help the city continue its growth as hub.

“My main goal is that I would like to see Garden City become not just a regional hub for southwest Kansas, but a hub for all of Kansas,” he said.

Deb Oyler

Oyler was born and raised in Williston, N.D., graduating from Williston High School in 1984.

Following high school, she attended the University of North Dakota, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education and in Special Education in 1989.

Afterward she attended graduate school at Northern Illinois University, where she was in the Deaf and Blind Education program, graduating in 1997.

Oyler has lived in Garden City since 1999.

She is married to her husband, Rex Oyler. They have a blended family of eight children with five granddaughters and one grandson and are expecting another granddaughter in December.

She works as the Executive Director of Finney County United Way, having started that position in 2018. Prior to that, she worked for High Plains Public Radio from 2000-2018, becoming the Executive Director in 2008.

Oyler decided to run for election because she was approached by people to run again; she previously served on the Garden City Commission from 2020-24.

“I thought long and hard about it, and ultimately, what led me to run was that I believe in Garden City’s future,” she said. “I want to keep strengthening our neighborhoods, support responsible growth that keeps taxes fair, and make sure we continue leading as the regional hub of Southwest Kansas.”

She said her qualifications include her experience as a commissioner, her past serving on other boards/committees and the board she currently sits on.

She actively serves on the Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce Board; the Kansas Balance of State Continuum of Care, P.E.O. Chapter IG; the Garden City, Holcomb, Finney County Area Wide Planning Commission; the United Ways of Kansas Board; and the SDSI Foundation Board of Trustees.

“I have also been recognized both locally and statewide for my community service, where I was named the 2024 Chamber of Commerce Award of Merit recipient and the 2024 Kansas Recreation and Parks Association Distinguished Elected Official,” she said. “I am also a proud member of the Rotary Club of Garden City.”

Her goal if elected is to make sure Garden City continues to grow in a way that benefits the people who live and work here by “keeping housing affordable and attainable, services reliable, and our position as the regional hub of southwest Kansas strong.”

Karen Canales-Lozano

Canales-Lozano was born in Colorado, but moved to Garden City with her family when she was in fifth grade in the mid-1980s.

She attended and graduated from both Garden City High School and Garden City Community College.

Canales-Lozano works as the Community Relations Director for Garden Valley Retirement Village, an independent living community and skilled rehab/long-term care facility.

She has two grown children.

Canales-Lozano said she decided to run for election because she is rooted in Garden City and has a love for the community.

“I am proud to live in GC and want to continue seeing our community prosper,” she said.

She said her qualifications are that she’s a mother and engaged citizen of the city.

“I’m committed to keeping our city strong, welcoming and proud,” she said.

If elected, she hopes to maintain the growth of the community, Canales-Lozano said.

“My main goal is ensuring Garden City remains the anchor of southwest Kansas,” she said.