Today, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports:

Kansas Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, a Republican congressional candidate who has campaigned on her management of state assets, missed a quarter of the state pension board meetings since January 2003.

Besides defending her absence by saying, "I'm a little busy," Jenkins also said she was "confident in how she was handling her board position" and had emailed feedback to board members on several occasions. However:

KPERS executive director Glenn Deck said a member of the treasurer's office contacted him last week to find out the slumping market's effects on the pension fund. He said he hadn't received any e-mails or phone calls from Jenkins recently and said he wasn't aware of others receiving contact either.

"I don't think so because I think I would be copied," Deck said.

He also said he wasn't aware of feedback Jenkins has provided to the board while she was away.

Jenkins has missed almost 30% of KPERS meetings during her time in office, including the last three which took place as Kansas employee retirement funds took a $1 billion nosedive.

So the question is - if Lynn Jenkins won't do her job while she's in Kansas, why should we believe she'll show up to do her job in Washington?