D.A. seeks Clendenin ouster

Sedgwick County District attorney Marc Bennett is moving to oust Wichita City Council member James Clendenin. Clendenin is the first elected official in the Wichita area to face ouster proceedings in more than 50 years. The longest-serving member of the Wichita City Council will face ouster proceedings that could remove him from office for his role in a 2019 political smear campaign and an attempted cover-up, District Attorney Marc Bennett announced Wednesday.

Bennett filed ouster proceedings Tuesday afternoon against Clendenin, one of three Republican politicians behind a video campaign that falsely accused Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple of sexual harassment in a bid to boost the re-election chances of then-Mayor Jeff Longwell.