17 May 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A Wichita activist has died in a plane crash in Nebraska.
The Kansas Republican Party confirms Mark Gietzen died Tuesday. According to the Wichita Eagle, Gietzen died in a small plane crash in north-central Nebraska.
FAA records show a Cessna 172 airplane crashing around 6 pm Tuesday in O’Neil, Nebraska. He was the only one on board.
Gietzen was an anti-abortion activist with Kansans For Life and led the Kansas Republican Assembly. In addition, he campaigned against the city adding fluoride to the water system to help prevent tooth decay, citing what he believed were health threats fluoride posed.
He ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Kansas Legislature five times, and for Mayor of Wichita in 2019. Gietzen received a $5,000 fine from the Kansas Ethics Commission for failure to submit timely campaign receipt-and-expenditure reports for his unsuccessful mayoral bid. He also challenged the results of “Value Them Both” constitutional amendment.
Funeral services are pending.