When Saline and Dickinson County Republicans gather later this month to elect a person to fill the unexpired term of JR Claeys’ seat in the Kansas Senate one person vying for the seat is former Saline County Treasurer Jim Dubois.

Dubois sent out a media release Tuesday afternoon indicating his desire to fill the seat. The release highlighted some of his accomplishments while in office.  Among other things, during his 11-year tenure as Saline County Treasurer, he transformed a $17,000 deficit into a surplus of over $4.7 million without tapping into the general fund.

Saline County Republican Chair Brenda Smith will call a convention to fill Claeys’ unexpired term. It will be a joint convention with Saline and Dickinson County, in which Precinct Committee Men and Women will vote to fill the seat. The winner will fill it for one year. In 2026 there will be a special election where the public will vote to fill the seat for the final two years, until the seat come up for its regularly scheduled public election in 2028.

Claeys resigned the seat this week, and has started a job to lead the Rural Business Service in the United States Department of Agriculture.

Dubois retired as Saline County Treasurer in May.

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office is currently reviewing a case involving the Saline County Treasurer’s Office, which was turned over to them in December from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, for potential criminal charges. At issue is irregularities in a small number of escrow accounts. The KBI conducted a detailed investigation of the matter, and the case is now under consideration for potential prosecution. At this time, no charges have been filed, and the investigation remains active. KSAL News has reached out three times to the Attorney General’s Office for an update, and has not received any response.