About Leland
I'm Leland Crooks, a lifelong resident of Kansas, specifically Southeast Kansas (SEK). My roots run deep here. Fourth generation on my mother's side and third generation on my father's.
My great-grandfather, James I. Tanner, held this seat twice, in 1891 and 1913. The Tanner cousins still farm and run businesses east and south of Parsons. The Crooks family has been in business in Parsons since 1910, starting with my farmer grandfather and continuing through my parents, Jiggs and Berenice, who operated Crooks Hardware until 1985, when I purchased it from them. My uncle, Leon Crooks, ran Crooks Photography, taking pictures of practically everyone in SEK for decades.
My Dad, Jiggs, standing in front of Crooks Hardware.
I graduated from Parsons High School in 1976, Labette Community College in 1979, and Wichita State University in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Diane and I married in 1983, and we moved back to Parsons in 1985 to run the family hardware store and raise our two children.
In 1992, I started Grand Rental Station, now known as Grand True Value Rental, which I continue to operate today. I also run an online business, SpeakerHardware, with my son, selling speaker kits.
Three generations of small business owners.
I have served as a city commissioner in Parsons for seven years and have been reelected three times. I have extensive experience working with budgets and understanding both the constraints and capabilities of government. I've been instrumental in establishing several initiatives in the City of Parsons, most notably the Land Bank, which is transforming distressed and dilapidated properties by removing abandoned and unsafe houses.
I'll be a fresh voice in a legislature that desperately needs one. I know business, and I know the business of government.
My family.
Vote for Leland Crooks, Kansas House District 7.