Missouri Times Magazine - January 2017

MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE
01.01.2017
JANUARY 1, 2017
ERIC GREITENS: YOURS IN SERVICE

5 QUESTIONS, 5 CONTRACT LOBBYISTS
CAPITOL RECONSTRUCTION
WORKING TO PRESERVE MISSOURIS HISTORY
CLASS OF 2017: FRESHMAN YEARBOOK
WALSH TAKES OVER

HOW AND WHY THE ONLY UNELECTED STATEWIDE OFFICER REVOLUTIONIZED AUDITS
The Voice of Missouri Business

welcomes the new governor and
legislators to our State Capitol.
Established in 1919, we are Missouris oldest, premier business association. Our mission is to promote a
favorable business climate for business, manufacturing and industry by empowering members through
communications, education and advocacy before the legislature, administrative agencies and the public.
Lets work together to strengthen Missouri businesses and the economy.

Visit aimo.com for more information or contact AIM President Ray McCarty at rmccarty@aimo.com or 573-634-2246.
CONTENTS
CULTURE
8

FIVE BEST PLACES FOR A

MEETING IN JCMO
BECKY LOHMANN
MORE THAN JUST A HOT DOG
10

5 QUESTIONS
5 CONTRACT LOBBYISTS
16
LEGISLATURE
20
FRESHMAN
YEARBOOK
30
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD DO THIS
SESSION

BRIAN GRACE
31
WALSH TAKES OVER
33
ONDER TALKS SJR39 AND MORE
PEOPLE
34

THE MAN BEHIND TRUMPS

VICTORY IN MISSOURI
36
TALENT ON TAP
POLICY
38

BUDGET WITHHOLDS DIRECTLY

HURTING FIRST-GENERATION
COLLEGE STUDENTS
39

TOP 10 REASONS WHY OVER

90% OF LEGISLATION FAILS
IRL SCISSORS
40
FUEL OF THE FUTURE
42
ADOPTED NOVEMBER 8, 2016
44
MISSOURI UBER ALLIES
EXECUTIVE
46

ERIC GREITENS:
YOURS IN SERVICE
47

VICTORY REMARKS
GOV. -ELECT ERIC GREITENS
48
AN INTERVIEW WITH A
GOVERNOR
50

KINDER DEPARTS THE

SECOND FLOOR
51

MY FOND FAREWELL (REALLY)

TO PETER KINDER
JEFF MAZUR
52

HOW AND WHY THE ONLY

UNELECTED STATEWIDE OFFICE
REVOLUTIONIZED AUDITS
53

GALLOWAY ON BECOMING THE

ONLY DEMOCRAT STATEWIDE
OFFICE HOLDER AND THE
ONLY PREGNANT STATEWIDE
OFFICE IN MISSOURIS HISTORY
OP ED
56
BUILDING A VIBRANT

AND GROWING
ECONOMY

SPEAKER TODD RICHARDSON
REGIONAL CHAMBER
ST. LOUIS REGIONAL DAY

AT THE CAPITOL
JANUARY 18, 2017
Youre invited to join the St. Louis Regional Chamber
in Jeerson City, Missouri to build relationships with
policymakers and discuss important issues facing our region.
We will have scheduled meetings with top state
ocials and key lawmakers.
Ride up and back on a luxurioius motor coach departing from
the Shaw Park Garage in downtown Clayton, MO.
Lunch provided in Jeerson City and Reception at the end
of the day at Revel Catering and Events.
RSVP by January 13, 2017
sbailey@stlregionalchamber.com | 314.444.1134
ALLEN ANDREWS
J. EGGLESTON
NATE WALKER
CRAIG REDMON
LINDELL SHUMAKE
TIM REMOLE
RUSTY BLACK
JIM NEELY
DELUS JOHNSON
PAT CONWAY
GALEN HIGDON
KEN WILSON
NICK MARSHALL
KEVIN CORLEW
NOEL SHULL
BILL KIDD
DAN STACY
JEANIE LAUER
DONNA PFAUTSCH
REBECCA ROEBER
GARY CROSS
T.J. BERRY
JOE DON
MCGAUGH
JIM HANSEN
RANDY PIETZMAN
BART KORMAN
JAY HOUGHTON
CHERI REISCH
CHUCK BASYE
DAVE MUNTZEL
TRAVIS FITZWATER
CALEB JONES
DEAN DOHRMAN
NATHAN BEARD
GLEN KOLKMEYER
DAN HOUX
RICK BRATTIN
JACK
BONDON
WANDA BROWN
DAVID WOOD MIKE
BERNSKOETTER
JAY BARNES
JUSTIN ALFERMAN
TOM HURST
BRYAN SPENCER
ROBERT CORNEJO
TOM HANNEGAN
MARK MATTIEWSEN
DEAN PLOCHER
CLORIA BROWN
MARSHA HAEFNER
DAVID GREGORY
JOHN MCCAHERTY
SHAMED DOGAN
JEAN EVANS
DEREK GRIER
BRUCE DEGROOT
KURT BAHR
JOHN WIEMANN
KATHIE
CONWAY
PHIL
CRISTOFANELLI
CHRISSY SOMMER
NICK SCHROER
JUSTIN HILL
PAUL CURTMAN
KIRK MATHEWS
SHANE RODEN
ROB VESCOVO
DAN SHAUL
BECKY RUTH
ELAINE GANNON
KEVIN ENGLER
MIKE HENDERSON
NATE TATE
JASON CHIPMAN
KEITH FREDERICK
STEVE LYNCH
DIANE FRANKLIN
ROCKY MILLER
WARREN LOVE
PATRICIA PIKE
MIKE KELLEY
MIKE STEPHENS
SANDY CRAWFORD
JEFF MESSENGER
SONYA MURRAY
ANDERSON
CURTIS TRENT
ELIJAH HAAHR
STEVE HELMS
KEVIN AUSTIN
LYNDALL FRAKER
DON PHILLIPS
JERED TAYLOR
LYNN MORRIS
HANNAH KELLY
ROBERT ROSS
JEFFREY POGUE
PAUL FITZWATER
RICK FRANCIS
DONNA LICHTENEGGER
KATHY SWAN
HOLLY REHDER
DON RONE
ANDREW MCDANIEL
TILA ROWLAND
HUBRECHT
TODD RICHARDSON
STEVE COOKSON
SHAWN RHOADS
LYLE ROWLAND
JEFF JUSTUS
MIKE MOON
SCOTT FITZPATRICK
BILL LANT
BILL REIBOLDT
BILL WHITE
CHARLIE DAVIS
CODY SMITH
HRCC WELCOMES THE SUPERMAJORITY

OF THE 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY3
Paid for by House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc., Eddy Justice, Treasurer
Statehouse Strategies
welcomes
Daryl Duwe
Daryl Duwe brings a wealth of political and policy
experience to the firm. Statehouse Strategies is excited
to have Duwe join our team as we constantly evaluate
better ways to meet our clients objectives.
STATEHOUSE STRATEGIES
(573) 632-4184
MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE
01.01.2017
O W NFAUGHN
ER
SCOTT
ScottOwner
Faughn
P U BRACHAEL
L I S H EHERNDON
R & E DDUNN
ITOR
Publisher
and Editor
Rachael
Herndon
Dunn
rachael@themissouritimes.com
S TA F F
TRAVIS ZIMPFER
Benjamin
Peters
travis@themissouritimes.com
Travis Zimpfer
BENJAMIN PETERS
benjamin@themissouritimes.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Brian Grace
Steve Hankins
Becky Lohmann
Speaker Todd Richardson
Irl Scissors
Tom Robbins, Steve Tilley, Amy Huber, Shawn Rigger
Welcome, 99th
General Assembly!
(573) 517-0030
Welcome back!
BRENT HEMPHILL
4
& ASSOCIATES, INC.

(573) 634-0050
Womens Foundation
Congratulations
looks forward to a legislative session
that advances economic development
and
policy solutions to improve the lives of
women and their families.
Cheers
from
Richard Wiles
Research
& Associates
+
Solutions
=
Results
kyna
The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change
the world, are the ones that do.
- Anonymous
www.womens-foundation.org
314-651-1185
kynaiman@earthlink.net
@WomensFound
WISHING EVERYONE A SUCCESSFUL SESSION!
(573) 632-4184
welcomes
ETTER
Noel LTorpey
FROM THE
Noel Torpey brings a wealth of policy and advocacy
experience to the firm. Noels expertise is a vital
E Das Statehouse
I T OStrategies
R
component of our mission
Publisher and Editor

TRAVIS ZIMPFER
TRAVIS ZIMPFER
BENJAMIN PETERS
BENJAMIN PETERS
strives to exceed our clients expectations.

Hello, 2017!
Thank
you(573)
for Steve
picking
up the
firstHuber,
editionShawn
of the Rigger
Missouri
Tom
Robbins,
Tilley,
Amy
632-4184
314-368-4330
letter from the editor
Tom
Robbins,
Steve
Tilley,
Amy
Huber,
ShawnitRigger
Times
Magazine!
Were
very
excited
to release
the same
week as the inauguration of Missouris next governor and
swearing in of the 99th General Assembly. . In honor of
Missouris 56th governor, this edition has 56 pages.
Congratulations
Congratulations
and
and
Cheers
Cheers
from
from
Richard Wiles
Richard Wiles
& Associates
& Associates
Welcome,
Welcome, 99th
99th
General
General Assembly!
Assembly!
In 2014, the Missouri Times had a magazine called Upon

Adjournment. After brainstorming and dozens of phone
calls, we realized a full-length magazine - still focused on
the culture and politics of Jefferson City - was in demand
to publish institutional knowledge and delve deeper into
stakeholders.
(573) 517-0030
Missourians have(573)
a lot of517-0030
changes to look for in 2017.
With new leadership, a renewed supermajority in both
chambers, and new amendments on the Constitution,
voters made it abundantly clear what they want from their
state government. As the editor of the Missouri Times and
executive producer of This Week in Missouri Politics, I
know there will be no shortage of content to deliver to our
subscribers and loyal watchers.
Welcome
Welcome back!
back!
You can expect to see the next editions of the Magazine
on June 1 and September 1. This year, well be doing the
100+ List differently - separating out 100 private from 50
government superstars. The June edition will feature the
first 100 days of the new statewide officers and the 100+
List, while the September edition will preview veto session
and the 50+ List. Please feel free to start emailing your
nominations for consideration - please tell us not just who
they are, but why they should be on the list.
BRENT
HEMPHILL
BRENT
HEMPHILL
& ASSOCIATES, INC.
& ASSOCIATES, INC.
(573) 634-0050
(573) 634-0050
I hope you enjoy the edition!

Best,
Rachael Herndon Dunn

Publisher and Editor, The Missouri Times Magazine
kyna
kyna
The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change
The ones whotheare
crazyare
enough
to think
world,
the ones
that they
do. can change
the world,- are
the ones that do.
Anonymous
- Anonymous
314-651-1185
314-651-1185

welcomes
Noel Torpey
Noel Torpey brings a wealth of policy and advocacy
experience to the firm. Noels expertise is a vital
component of our mission as Statehouse Strategies
strives to exceed our clients expectations.
(573) 632-4184
The Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys.

Here to defend citizen access to the courts & protect
the right to trial by jury as outlined in the
Bill of Rights & the Missouri State Constitution.
The wisdom of our sages and the blood of our

heroes has been devoted to the attainment
of trial by jury. It should be the creed of
our political faith.
- Thomas Jefferson
Representative government and trial by jury are
the heart and lungs of liberty. Without them we
have no other fortification against being ridden
like horses, fleeced like sheep, worked like cattle
and fed and clothed like swine and hounds.
- John Adams
There was not a member of the Constitutional
Convention who had the least objection to
what is contended for by the advocates for
a Bill of Rights and trial by jury.
- George Washington
7th Amendment
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars,
the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise
re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Missouri Constitution
Article 1 - Section 14. That the courts of justice shall be open to every person,
and certain remedy afforded for every injury to person, property or character,
and that right and justice shall be administered without sale, denial or delay.
Article 1 - Section 22(a). That the right of trial by jury as heretofore enjoyed shall remain inviolate...
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KANSAS CITY ON 38 THE SPOT AT 10:00 A.M.
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GROWING MISSOURIS ECONOMY WITH

SMARTER ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
The electric grid is the backbone of our economy. Now is the time to update Missouris
century-old regulations that are holding us back. Working together, we can spur economic
development in Missouri as we build a smarter, stronger grid that will benefit our customers.
OPINION
FIVE BEST PLACES FOR
A MEETING IN JCMO
BECKY LOHMANN
CATALYST GROUP
The Grand Cafe
The Grand is our version of
Cheers. The staff here remembers your name and your order
and let you charge your phone
behind the bar. It is the spot to
meet when you dont mind a
friend or five hijacking your lunch
table to talk the latest in Capitol
gossip. Whether your amendment
was ruled out of order or your bill
died on the Senate calendar due
to a filibuster, our troubles are all
the same at The Grand.
Coffee Zone
Coffee Zone is the place for a
morning coffee meeting. Its
crawling with politicians and lobbyists so bring your holy water,
but if thats your thing youll be in
good company. Their Rocket Fuel
will give you more than enough
energy to last a long day at the
Capitol all the while wondering
if youre about to have a heart
attack.
Starbucks in Target or Hy-Vee
When you cant last the week
without your pumpkin spice latte,
the Starbucks tucked away in Tar-
get or Hy-Vee will get you your

fix. Neither location is walkable
from the Capitol, which makes
them a great place to get away for
a meeting when you dont want a
crowd. You can pay with an app
(if youre tech savvy like Catalyst)
and enjoy your cup of joe in some
hard-to-find peace and quiet in
JCMO.
Cork
Where else names their menu
items after Capitol lobbyists?
Cork has the convenience and
ambiance of Grand without the
traffic. You will never have a
wait and are certain to avoid the
normal Capitol denizens, making
Cork the ideal spot for a last
minute dinner meeting.
Rotunda
Location, location, location.
When its January and too cold
to consider going outside, or its
April and you cant find a moment to step away, the rotunda
is the most convenient place for
a meeting. The alcoves or stray
folding table provide the ideal
spot to take a load off and catch
up with a colleague while simultaneously keeping an eye on what
your opposition is up to.
MORE THAN
BENJAMIN PETERS
THE MISSOURI TIMES
Jason Allabaugh whips a cheesesteak up, tossing the meat onto
the two-foot flat top grill, allowing
it to sizzle before chopping it up. After the meat browns, he places the
white cheese on top, where it melts
right into the meat. Grabbing a bun,
he deftly slides it all in, a gooey mess
of steak, cheese, onions, and peppers. Tom, his father, swears by the
sandwich - cooked up right on the
corner between the Truman Building and the Capitol.
Despite Toms promise, hot dogs,
not cheesesteaks are Allabaughs
specialty at Street Dawgs. Steps
away from the core of state buildings, hungry lawmakers, lobbyists,
or state worker can grab a bite to eat
not far from their haunt during the
lunch hour.
The mobile hot dog stand can be
found outside of the Truman Buildings front doors nearly every weekday, regardless of the weather. The
cart can be seen down the street
on windy, cold, or even rainy days.
Anyone who lives in Missouri knows
that the weather can change at a moments notice, but that doesnt seem
to bother Allabaugh, the owner-operator of the Street Dawgs hot dog
stand.
I dont plan on stopping. Im going to do it through the winter, if I
can, he says. If theres not snow
or ice, and I can get up here, Ill be
here.
Allabaugh is a retired Army vet-
eran, who served a tour in Iraq as

a combat medic and as the medical
noncommissioned officer in charge
for the 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team.
Our unit was moved from Fort
Leonard Wood to Jefferson City in
June 2010. Everyone was just open
arms, so supportive of the military,
he said. We just decided this was
where our roots were going to be,
and we love it here.
After 19 years and one month of
service in the countrys uniform, Allabaugh decided it was time to hang
it all up.
I saw these younger guys and
just knew I couldnt keep up anymore, he said with a laugh.
Many would think the transition
from soldiering to cooking on the
sidewalk an odd career path, but after his retirement, Allabaugh decided to follow his passion.
Born and raised in southern California, he spent time on both coasts
of the country, and to him, food
stands are second nature.
Ive always had an interest in
food, especially street food because
thats where you get some of your
best meals, he said.
After the departure of the previous hot dog cart, there was a demand downtown for the lunchtime
return of street food. Allabaugh
knew this was his next calling.
Several people had been asking
when a hot dog cart was going to
come back, he said, pulling buns
from the warm cooler on a blustery
Friday afternoon. I just jumped
PHOTO/BENJAMIN PETERS
JUST A HOT DOG

into it full swing, I didnt even get
prepared or nothing. I said, Im
buying a hot dog cart and Im going
to open one in Jeff City.
And he did.
It didnt take long before the
stand drew in regular customers,
all anxiously waiting for one of Allabaughs tasty versions of the classic
hot dog.
I use Nathans [hot dogs]. I think
theyre the best hot dog, he said.
Theres a variety to choose from,
as Allabaugh names the dogs based
on the ingredients and style used to
make each one. Theres the Western
Dawg, combining BBQ sauce, bacon
and cheddar cheese; the Popper
Dawg, which has bacon, jalapeos,
cream cheese and French fried onions; or the Alley Dawg, with its
unique pineapple habanero sauce,
bacon, and cream cheese. Allabaugh
also has the classic standards, with
ketchup, mustard, relish or kraut.
Or you can skip all of the toppings
and get the Sissy dog.
People think Im making fun of
people who dont like things on their
hot dog, but its actually named for
my sister, he said. I call her Sissy, and she does not like mustard
or ketchup on her hot dogs. She has
multiple sclerosis (MS), so I just
want to be supportive and carry on
her name.
And if hot dogs arent your thing,
then just ask Allabaughs father,
Tom, what to get. Tom is Jasons
partner, and can often be seen
alongside his son outside the Truman Building. Hell smile and tell
you to get the Philly cheesesteak,

which he proudly proclaims to be
some of the best around.
The operation seems a simple
one, but it requires a good amount
of work to set up the cart. The father-son duo rolls out the cart,
which Allabaugh stores at home and
drives out in his car every day. Once
everything is in place, Allabaugh
fires up the burners, which run off
propane tanks. By the time 11 a.m.
rolls around, theyre ready to serve
any hungry customer.
Its a lot of work, but its so
worth it to see the people I see every day, Allabaugh said. They get
to know me, I get to know them.
Ive got my regulars, I know exactly
what they want, and I have it ready
and waiting for them.
One would think that the nearby
restaurants might be less than happy to potentially have someone cutting into their profits, but Allabaugh
says that in a place like Jefferson
City, its the exact opposite.
Im friends with most of the
downtown business owners, Allabaugh said. Theyve been nothing
but supportive and welcoming.
His clientele consists of people
from just about every walk of life,
whether its lawmakers, attorneys,
state workers, or even local kids.
Hes still hoping to get a governor
to visit.
Hes seen a lot of things in his
time with the army and admits that
he suffers from posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD). Allabaugh says
the hot dog stand is a coping mech-
7 MINUTE READ
anism, a way to relieve the stress.
I enjoy it. Its a stress reliever
if you want to think of it that way.
Being a veteran, and diagnosed with
PTSD, this is a way for me to try and
combat some of the issues that I
have. This is one of the things that
my counselor says is a good idea because it gets me out here and facing
my fears, so I can try and get past
some of the things that have happened in my life.
After spending so much time in
uniform, Allabaugh has been hardwired for service. He has dedicated
his life to serving others, and after
all of that time, he now is finding
new ways to be of service.
Hes happily married, with four
children, along with his two English
bulldogs and three Chihuahuas.
Hes involved with the youth group
at Southridge Baptist. He volunteers his efforts at the YMCA, as a
coach for youth sports. One of his
daughters is currently on a competitive traveling softball team which
he coaches.
Allabaugh says that running the
hot dog stand is just another way of
trying to serve the community that
he now calls home. He hopes to one
day open up his own restaurant, but
says that will have to wait until the
money is there to do so.
I want to give back to Jefferson
City, to the community that has given so much to me and my family,
he said. Its just all about giving
back. God has given me so much,
and I just want to give back what He
gives me.
WH AT S FO R LU N C H?
SISSY DAWG
$2.50
Ketchup & mustard
DOWNTOWN DAWG
$3.00
Ketchup, mustard, onions, relish
KRAUT DAWG
$3.00
Kraut, hot mustard
POPPER DAWG
$3.50
Jalapeo, cream cheese, bacon,
French fried onions
ALLEY DAWG
$3.50
Pineapple habanero, cream cheese,
bacon
WESTERN DAWG
$3.50
Bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce
CHILI CHEESE DAWG
$3.50
Chili, shredded cheese
PHILLY CHEESESTEAK
$5.00
DAWGY BAG COMBO
$5.00
Any Dawg, chips, soda or water
All prices are with tax included.
Menu as of 12/2016.
PHOTOS/SUBMITTED
5 QUESTIONS
5 CONTRACT LOBBYISTS
The Missouri Times Magazine sat down with 5 contract lobbyists who are each celebrating a major career anniversary to learn more about
what they do - how and why. Answers are in their own words with minor editing for clarity and grammar.
DAWN NICKLAS
ONE YEAR
How did you become a lobbyist?

It wasnt a path I chose for myself,
really, until last year, making a
change, moving forward and pursuing my own goals by starting my
own business. Ive worked in and
around the legislative arena my
entire adult life - with associations,
lobbyist, legislators and a governor. Over the years Ive watched,
listened, and learned how best to
succeed.
Why do you lobby?
Good question, some days I wonder
that myself! I honestly dont know if
I have the simple answer. I feel everyone deserves a voice, representation, knowledge of the process and
how it affects our lives, those deci-
10
sions made by others in the Capitol

building.
What legislation do you consider your
biggest success and why?
During 2016s session, I worked
successfully with legislators to pass
legislation focused on job safety, job
creation, and farm-to-table. Im
very proud of these bills and know
they will help improve quality of
life for many Missourians. Its not
always about passing bills though,
sometimes you focus on defense
and at times defeat can be a favorable outcome as well, and my team
experienced much of that too. I believe my first year as Nicklas Lobby, founded in October 2015, is my
greatest success.
visit us at
www.moenergyfuture.org
facebook.com/moenergyfuture
@mbef
What is your favorite part about working

in and around the Capitol?
Our Capitol, I believe, is the prettiest
building in the state. I feel very fortunate to go to work in such a beautiful building. I have also enjoyed
great friendships, great parties,
great losses, but overall great experiences. There are a few whove been
around as long or longer than me,
Ive often thought maybe we should
get together and write a book.
If you could change one part of Missouri
politics, what would it be?
I would like to see kindness, civility
and respect shown to all who enter
the Missouri State Capitol. How we
are to treat one another is carved in
the walls.
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ELIZABETH LAUBER
FIVE YEARS

Via national politics. I served in
congressional House Leadership
and as a committee aide for Homeland Security, and as a corporate
government
affairs/communications administrative vice president.
That route took me to Jefferson City
and the Missouri Capitol. How state
politics works is really a microcosm
for how D.C. works, with a few difference, such as a faster pace for a
shorter period of time, and more
golf.
Why do you lobby?
Simply stated, for my clients, to get
the policy changes they seek enact-
ed. To be clear, its really legislative

consulting lobbying fits under
the umbrella of that; however, so
does a lot of other components such as creating policy and coalition
building, to name a few.
A bill that just became law to establish a CTE Certificate in all of
the high schools, offered by Sen.
Gary Romine, with a similar bill by
Rep. Kathy Swan. Ive worked on
bigger bills that people would consider more political or notable,
but this is one where the Assembly
and a great coalition come together
TRENT WATSON
TEN YEARS

I was hired by the lobby firm of Herzog & Rhoads in December of 2006.
Prior I had been working for the
Senate Majority Caucus as Policy
Director.
Why do you lobby?
I lobby because I thoroughly enjoy
the legislative process. I really get
into working my clients legislation
either as a standalone bill or finding the right bill to add it to as an
amendment.
One time in an interview for a potential client, they asked me if I
had ever worked on any high-lev-
12
el legislation I was taken back a

bit every piece of legislation that
I pass or defeat for my clients is
high-level to them. And that is how
I see my job and the work I do for
my clients. But, I have two bills that
passed that have special meaning to
me. One of them I worked on and
passed while working for Pro Tem
Mike Gibbons, the other I did pro
bono as a lobbyist. SB 500 put the
First Steps program into law. First
Steps is Missouris Early Intervention system that provides services
to families with children, birth to
three years of age, with disabilities or developmental delays. The
other bill, HB 922 dealt with food
allergies. The son of a good friend
and one of my nephews both have
all of its students. It was the

citizen legislature at work.
What is your favorite
part working in and
to
pass overwhelmingly
and it higharound
the Capitol?
lights
that Missouri
does care
It's about
the people
whoabout
all
of its
students.
It was the citizen
work
hard
for incredibly
legislature at work.
long hours. A shout out to
the cafeteria staff. There's
What is your favorite part working in and
nothing
better than coming
around the Capitol?
down
right
beforewho
they
close
Its about the people
work
hard
and
they
made
a
fresh
pot
for incredibly long hours. A shout out
of
decaf
because
they know
to the
cafeteria
staff. Theres
nothing
I'll
show
up.
How
niceright
is bebetter than coming down
fore they close and they made a fresh
that?
pot of decaf because they know Ill
show
up. could
How nicechange
is that? one
If
you
part of Missouri politics

what would it be?
politics what would it be?
Changes to allow good
Changes to allow good policy changpolicy changes to be made
would be to extend the
session for a few months so
decisions aren't as rushed
and bills that have merit
but need adjusting can be
modified. Also, eliminating
term limits so people can
of a good friend and one of

my nephews both has severe
peanut allergies. I worked
to pass HB 922, which
required each school district
severe
peanut
allergies.
worked to
to adopt
a policy
on Iallergy
pass
HB 922,and
which
required each
prevention
response.
school
district
adopt into
a policy
The bill
was to
passed
lawon
allergy prevention and response. The
and I invited my brother, his
bill was passed into law and I invited
family and my friend and
my brother, his family and my friend
his
son to the bill signing in
and his son to the bill signing in the
the
Governors
Office.
Both
Governors
Office. Both
of these
bills
of
these
bills
are
truly
great
are truly great personal moments
personal
momentsIfor
for
me as something
hadme
helped
as something
had helped
accomplish
wouldI mean
so much to
children
in ourwould
state. mean
accomplish
so much to children in our
What
is your favorite part about working
state.
The people. There are some truly
What is your favorite
amazing people that work in that
part about working in
building. I have many cherished
and
around the Capitol?
friendships with people that I have
The people. There are some

truly amazing people that
work in that building. I have
many cherished friendships
with people that I have met
over the years in the Capitol.
One of my current clients
be subject matter experts

and aren't coming in
thinking about their next
career move, and instead,
establishing term limits
es to
be made would
beto
to extend
for
committee
chairs
the session
a few
months so dekeep
themfor
from
becoming
cisions arentfiefdom
as rushed
and bills
committee
lords.
that have merit but need adjusting
Yes,
you might risk some
can be modified. Also, eliminating
people staying past their
term limits so people can be subject
due
date however voters can
matter experts and arent coming
solve
that for
themselves.
in thinking
about
their next career
Change
the
internal
process
move, and instead, establishing
term
and
you
do
make
changes
to
limits for committee chairs to keep
the
culture.
Goes
with
the
them from becoming committee
fiefdom lords. Yes, you might risk
territory.
some people staying past their due
date however voters can solve that
for themselves. Change the internal
process and you do make changes to
the culture - goes with the territory.
is someone I met back in

1998 when I was an intern
and they were working at
the Department of Revenue.
We met then and have been
met over
the years
the Capitol.
great
friends
ever in
since.
One of my current clients is someone

I met
in 1998
when Ione
was an
If
youback
could
change
intern and they were working at the
part of Missouri poliDepartment of Revenue. We have
tics, what would it be?
been great friends ever since.
I do not care for how

partisan
building
If you couldthe
change
one part has
of Missouri
become.
There
has
politics, what would it be?always
been
Republicans
I do not
care for howand
partisan the
Democrats
the building
building has and
become.
There have
always
been Republicans
and but
Demhas
always
been divided,
ocratsthe
andlast
the10
building
always
over
years has
or so
it
beenbecome
divided, more
but over
the last 10
has
divisive.
years or so it has become more divisive.
*Now 11 years.
Missouri
Right to Life
welcomes our new
State Officials and
the General Assembly
to Jefferson City.
We look forward to working with you

to protect all innocent human life from
inception to natural death.
P. O. Box 651 Jefferson City MO 65102

573.635.5110
www.missourilife.org
The Missouri Affiliate of National Right to Life
13
KATHI HARNESS
TWENTY YEARS

I became a lobbyist to be active in
the political process. I wanted to
continue to use my legal education
and experience to make a difference. When making a career change
from a paralegal in a law firm, I inquired of several professional associations and was referred to Harry
Gallagher, the principal of Gallagher Consultants. He interviewed me
and advised me of all the negatives
about being a lobbyist. He didnt
sugar coat anything. When I left
the interview, he suggested I think
about a lobbying career, talk with
other lobbyists and discuss it with
my family. I did so and accepted a
position in November, 1995, as an
associate of Gallagher Consultants.
In 1999, Harry and I formed an
Harness-Gallagher LLC In 2004, I

left the firm and formed Harness &
Associates, LLC I have worked with
several of my clients since 1995, and
the majority of them for at least 15
years.
Why do you lobby?
Obviously, I lobby to make a living
and support my family. It is a career for me, not just a job. Working
as a contract lobbyist affords me
the ability to be informed on many
issues. I feel accomplished when
I can propose solutions, not simply present politicians and officials
with problems. I am proud to have
multiple successes over the years
on behalf of my clients. My clients
support and involvement in the legislative process has made me successful.
MARK RHOADS
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS

I started with the State Senate as an
aide to Sen. Dick Webster, R-Carthage, in 1976 and worked with him
and Sen. Paul Bradshaw, R-Springfield, for about 18 months. At that
time, there was no Senate Research
Staff, and Sen. Webster and Sen.
Norman Merrell, D-Monticello, decided to create a staff dedicated to
all senators to assist in drafting legislation, staffing Senate committees,
and providing research on issues.
They assigned me as the Republican staff member and Tom Sullivan
as the Democrat staff member . We
had a great secretary (Leorae Korsmeyer), so what is now a 20 or so
member staff was created.
In 1980, I was assigned the responsibilities of redistricting Senate and
14
Congressional Districts for both

parties. Keep in mind that we had
none of the technology available today, so we created a map room on
the Senate alcove side of the building where we hung all census maps
detailing township lines and other
demographic boundaries. It was
really quite unique in that we had
to add census tracts by calculators.
Upon completion of redistricting,
I was appointed by then-Gov. Kit
Bond as Deputy Director of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Licensing and Regulation (the precursor department to the Department
of Economic Development). Part of
my duties was to work on eco devo
legislation on behalf of the Department. In 1984, I briefly left state
government to run the first election
for Bill Websters successful run for

In 2009, the Missouri General Assembly approved one-time emergency funding in the amount of $12
million for Bi-State Development
Agencys public transportation system, Metro. This was a time of decreasing revenues in the State, and
the budget was very tight. Due to
a large budget deficit, it was necessary for Metro to reduce transit
services. Leadership from the State
of Missouri recognized the importance of transit to a robust regional
and state economy. To help restore
some transit service, the General
Assembly approved a $12 million
appropriation for Metro. Another great success came about in the
2014 legislative session. Rick and

Treva Worth of Worth Harley Davidson in Kansas City came to me
and asked how to change the law
to allow motorcycle sales on Sunday in Missouri. At the time, Missouri still enforced the Blue Law
and prohibited the sale of motor
vehicles (including motorcycles)
on Sunday. Keeping this statute in
place was a priority for the Missouri
Auto Dealers Association, and going up against the auto dealers was
a monumental task. In addition, not
all of the motorcycle dealers in the
State supported being open for Sunday sales. With Ricks involvement
with the media outlets and much
negotiating with the auto dealers,
an agreement was reached with
them. They agreed to be neutral on
the issue. However, several individual auto dealers as well as some of

the motorcycle dealers continued
to opposed the sale of motorcycles
on Sundays. Making a controversial legislative change in one year
does not happen often. It usually
takes 3 to 5 years to pass a controversial piece of legislation. With
the support of many legislators, the
Worths involvement at the Capitol,
and the neutrality of the auto dealers, HB 1735 became law on August
28, 2014 allowing for the sale of
motorcycles on Sunday.
Missouri Attorney General, then

went back to state government as
Director of Administration for the
Attorney Generals Office. While I
had numerous responsibilities in
the office from 1984-1992, I was in
also in charge of legislative matters.
When Bill ran for governor in 1992,
I resigned from my government position to assist with the campaign.
We lost, and I decided to hang a
shingle out as an independent lobbyist and created The Rhoads Company, LLC.
to advocate for clients.
re-codify and update election laws

on behalf of the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities which helped to
streamline Missouris statutes.
These elected and appointed officials spent a great deal of time and
effort to rewrite and update our
election statutes. I also successfully
worked on legislation in 2016 to extend a funding sunset provision for
Missouris Legal Aid Organizations,
who provide legal aid to Missouri
citizens who could not otherwise
afford legal representation relating
to domestic abuse, housing, and a
myriad of other civil litigation matters. I have successfully lobbied for
insurance reforms for several clients over the past few years which
I had fifteen years in state government positions that involved legislation and interaction with the General Assembly. It seemed a natural
transition for me to attempt to try
Why do you lobby?

I lobby for clients with whom I have
a common interest in promoting
their interests in Missouri. The majority of my clients are businesses
and are interested in promoting
additional economic development
interests in Missouri. I also represent several key state associations,
such as engineers, county clerks
and election authorities, and legal
aid organizations that I respect because of the services they provide to
Missourians.
I worked on legislation in 2015 to

The atmosphere around the Capitol
is spirited, fast-paced and full of energy. There is never a dull day at the
Capitol. One of my favorite things at

the Capitol is to collaborate with my
colleagues on issues of mutual interest and identify solutions, work
with the policy makers to determine
a route to success, and make it happen.
Although term limits seemed like a
good idea, they can lead to an influx
of inexperienced policy makers and
a lack of historical knowledge of the
process and policies. Term limits
shorten the careers of effective legislators.
has resulted in Missouri competing

globally. Its really difficult to enumerate successes over the years, but
there have been many.
I love this Capitol and recently took
a tour with Bob Priddy. We sometimes forget the absolute beauty
that this Capitol provides. The Priddy tour reminded me to pay attention to not only the beauty, but also
the need to renovate and continue
to invest in this Missouri treasure.
I am a lobbyist, so this is a very sensitive question.
15
Working to preserve Missouris history
BENJAMIN PETERS
THE MISSOURI TIMES
This January, the Missouri Capitol will be adjusting to several
changes, including a brand new administration and several new faces
in Jefferson City. But that will not
be the only changes at the historic
site of Missouris longtime home for
politics. The Missouri State Capitol
is changing as well.
The historic building has housed
Missouris government for one hundred years. The building itself is a
marvel to look at, and with its columns and rounded dome, it is reminiscent of the stately buildings of
government housed in the nations
Capitol.
During that time, no project of
this magnitude has ever been undertaken in Missouri, and after all
of that time, the Capitol has finally
begun to show its true age. Construction was completed on the
building in 1917, meaning that the
2017 year marks one hundred years
of the service of Missouri.
But building has begun deteriorating, as stonework is failing, steps
are cracking, and maintaining the
systems housed inside the building
grows harder each year.
Cathy Brown, the Director of Facilities Management, Design and
Construction Staff for the states
Office of Administration (OA). She
says that over the last several years,
16
there have been a number of projects at the Capitol focused on keeping up the stately building. Not only
has the electrical infrastructure
updated, an emergency generator
was also added, with the capability
of backing up the entire building in
the event of an outage.
For years, state officials and
workers have been concerned with
water leaking inside the building,
through walls or from the ground.
It was an area of concern for the
Nixon administration, as decades of
water damage continued to build up
below. The need for repairs became
clear when stalactites (pictured,
page after next) were found forming underneath the steps as water
seeped through the cracks above. In
an effort to fix the growing number
of issues, Governor Jay Nixon and
the General Assembly approved the
$40 million project back in 2015.
I think this brought home the bipartisanship. The Governor saw the
need, the General Assembly saw the
need, they got the bill passed and
got Cathys group the money. They
were able to get it done, OA Commissioner Doug Nelson said.
After months of construction, the
first phase of the buildings repair
project has been completed ahead
of schedule. The Capitol steps are
all back in place. New heating, ventilating and air conditioning ducts
can be found in the basement, as
well as replaced ceiling tiles and
carpet.
That project addressed, number
one, life safety. Thats the improvements to the sub-structure, the steel
beams down below on the south
side of the building, Brown said.
The second goal of that project
was to eliminate water infiltration
into the building. Number three
was aesthetics. And we have accomplished all of that.
The steps on the south side of
the building, the stone terraces and
carriage drives on both the eastern
and western sides received new waterproofing and foundation work as
part of multi-phase renovation and
repair project.
Weve laid, more or less, a rubber membrane around all of the terraces, Brown said. We removed
a very antiquated lead system that
had holes in it, which had really
become sort of a water fountain
running into the basement. That
has been eliminated with these
improvements. Were very pleased
with the outcome of the project.
By fixing the leaks, as well as the
simultaneous replacement or modification of the buildings HVAC system, state officials say the plan prevents any infiltration of water into
the sub-structure of the Capitol, as
well as any moisture in the air.
During the project, several chambers underneath the stairs were
opened up, in order to fix the issues.
Now, those same chambers, which
had previously been walled off, will

add more storage space in the basement.
The completion of the work on
the Capitol steps is a major accomplishment for several reasons.
First, it fixes a much-needed issue of water leakage and damage
inside the lower levels of the iconic center of Missouri politics. The
issue of water was a concern for
more than just the damage issues,
though. Workers also discovered
mold in several areas, which required attention as well.
Second, the completion in late
December means that the 2017 inauguration ceremonies can occur
on the south side of the Capitol as
is tradition. Of course, all of the decisions on the inauguration will be
left to incoming Gov.-elect Eric Greitens and his team, but the completion of the project at the very least
means that the steps are prepared
to receive visitors once again.
Now everyone is looking forward
to the next phase, which will focus
on the repairs to the exterior stone
facades and the iconic dome. The
work on the facades will look to repair the stones that have cracked,
splintered, or chipped, as well as fix
open joints.
Dana Miller of the Capitol Commission says that making sure the
stones are anchored securely is a
necessity, noting that some stones
have actually fallen out in recent
PHOTO/BENJAMIN PETERS
Now, everyone is looking forwardBut

to that
the next
phase,that
which
will
years.
may mean
some
focus
on
the
repairs
to
the
exterior
of the stones will have to be replaced.
stone facades and the iconic dome.
Once that is done, the stones will
The work on the facades will look to
be cleaned, revealing the polished
repair the stones that have cracked,
stone
underneath
years of
splintered,
or chipped,
asweatherwell as fix
ing.
open joints.
The
second
phase
also Comsee
Dana
Miller
of thewill
Capitol
themission
replacement
of stone
pavers
and
says that
making
sure
the
stones
areonanchored
is a
edge
stones
the northsecurely
plaza and
necessity,which
notingis that
some to
stones
sidewalks,
expected
be
have actually
fallen out The
in recent
welcomed
by pedestrians.
reyears.wall
Butheight
that ismay
that
taining
alsomean
expected
some of the stones will have to be
to be increased.
replaced.
Preparations have already begun
Once that is done, the stones will
onbe
Phase
2, with
work scheduled
to
cleaned,
revealing
the polished
begin
in
the
late
summer
of
2017,
white marble and limestone underbutneath
the completion
of the next step
years of weathering.
is expected
to takephase
somewhere
in the
The second
will also
see
the replacement
of stone pavers and
realm
of 30-36 months.
edge
stones
ontothe
plaza and
Youre
going
seenorth
scaffolding
in
sidewalks,
is expected
to be
phases
aroundwhich
the building,
Brown
welcomed
by quickly
pedestrians.
resaid.
But she
notedThe
that
taining wall height is also expected
theyve been meticulously planning
to be increased.
around the annual 4th of July celePreparations have already begun
brations
and2,will
work
to ensure
thatto
on Phase
with
work
scheduled
those
festivities
and other
events
can
begin
in the late
summer
of 2017,
gobut
on the
as scheduled
with
little
intercompletion
of the
next
step
ruption.
is expected to take somewhere in
the
months.
Werealm
spendofa30-36
great deal
of time coYoureand
going
to see
scaffolding
ordinating
working
through
the
in phases
around the
logistics
and planning,
andbuilding,
someBrown
she quickly
noted
times
willsaid.
stopBut
or start
the project
that theyve been meticulously planback up to give a window of time
ning around the annual 4th of July
for events like Salute to America,
celebrations, and will work to enBrown
said.those
Itsfestivities
really important
sure that
and other
to events
us to bring
in
all
of scheduled
those parties
can go on as
with
and
talkinterruption.
to them. We want to have an
little
openWe
dialogue
at aallgreat
times.
It takes
a
spend
deal
of time
lotcoordinating
of planning.and working through
the logistics and planning,

and
7 MINUTE READ
sometimes
willkind
stop
or start
the
But thats the
of work
it takes
project
back
up
to
give
a
window
of
to ensure that the anchor of those
time for events like Salute to Amertypes of events remains, and that
ica, Brown said. Its really imthose events can continue in the
portant to us to bring in all of those
same
format.
parties
and talk to them. We want to
While
work
is getting
have
anthe
open
dialogue
at allundertimes.
way,
a number
of people are conIt takes
a lot of planning.
cerned
states
andit
Butabout
thatsthe
the
kindbudget,
of work
takes
to could
ensure
thatfor
the
of
what
that
mean
theanchor
project.
those
types
ofprojects
events remains,
and
Whether
the
funding will
that those
events
canGreitens
continueadin
continue
under
the new
the same format.
ministration
remains to be seen, but
While the work is getting underfor now, Nelson says the incoming
way, a number of people are congovernor has been briefed on the
cerned about the state's budget,
project,
and that
that as
longmean
as thefor
fundand what
could
the
ing
is
there,
the
project
will
continue.
project.
Our
is that everyone
The assumption
incoming governor
will have
istoonlook
board,
and awebalanced
continuebudget,
to do
toward
and
someNelson
peoplesaid.
areWe
wondering
the
work,
dont getif
thesense
funding
for the project
will conany
of anything
different,
but
tinue.getting them up to speed on
were
Whether
thewhen
projects
funding
the next
step, so
the transition
will continue under the new Greitoccurs, theyre well aware of what is
ens administration remains to be
going on.
seen, but for now, the work continAndNelson
at the says
very the
least,
the project
ues.
incoming
govhas
been
successful
by stopping
the
ernor
has
been briefed
on the projleaks
that that
plagued
theasCapitol
subect, and
as long
the funding
structure
is there, for
thedecades.
project will continue.
Our assumption is that everyone
isBEFORE
onboard,
weNext
continue
AND and
AFTER:
page to do
the work, Nelson said. We dont
get any sense of anything different
that, but were getting them up to
speed on the next step, so when the
transition occurs, theyre well aware
of what is going on.
And at the very least, the project has been successful by stopping
the leaks that plagued the Capitol
sub-structure for decades.
17
PHOTO/Capitol COMMISSION
Top Left: After decades of water

trickling down through the steps of
Missouri's Capitol building, the wear
and tear on the sub-structure required
an upgrade. Shown here is one of the
chambers underneath the steps, with
calcium buildup creating stalactites that
hung from the ceiling of the cell.
Bottom Left: After much needed
renovations, the Capitol's sub-structure
is now free from leaks, thanks to a new
waterproofing system. The previously
walled in chambers now can provide
some in-demand storage space inside
the building.
Bottom Inset: Also completed with
Phase One of the renovation project
was the improvements to the building's
HVAC system. The upgrades will not
only increase the abilities to heat and
cool the building, but will also help in
the effort to keep moisture out of the air
and prevent the return of any mold in the
basement.
BEFORE
& AFTER
18
STRAIGHT TALK
with Allen West
Presented by the Missouri Cattlemens Association ee
Join us for a steak dinner and the policy

perspective of Allen West to benefit
MCAs Political Action Committee this
February and help MCA continue to
support policy and lawmakers who
understand and protect Missouris beef
cattle industry.
REGISTRATION $150 PER PERSON
February 15, 2017
Reception 5pm Dinner 5:30pm
Capitol Plaza Hotel

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Show your support and become a sponsor!

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Mentioned and Listed as Sponsor
All Guests Receive Guardian of the Republic Book
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Allen West
Allen West currently serves as the National Center for Policy
Analysis executive director and vice chairman. He believes it
will be policy, not politics that secures a sound economic future
for Americans with growth, opportunity and returning the
promise of the American dream for this generation and those to
come. West was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia in the same
neighborhood where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.
He is the third of four generations of military servicemen in his
family, serving in the U.S. Army for 22 years and as a civilian
volunteer for four more. In 2010, West was elected to Congress
representing Floridas 22nd District.
REGISTER BY FEB. 8 ONLINE

www.mocattle.com
Contact MCA with questions or to sponsor

19
at 573-499-9162
Freshman Yearbook
Class of 2017
SENATE
In their own words in order of district, with only very minor editing.
Andrew Koenig
SENATE DISTRICT 15
HOMETOWN | Manchester, grew
up in Ballwin
FAMILY | Wife: Brooke, Sons:
Jeremiah, Isaac, and Gideon. 2
20-month-old foster twins.
DAY JOB | Small business owner
in construction
HOBBY | Christianity, strategy
board games, spending time
with my family.
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Listening to talk radio I learned a lot
about what's going on in the
political world. Instead of complaining I wanted to be able to
do something about it.
20
Caleb Rowden
SENATE DISTRICT 19
HOMETOWN | Columbia
FAMILY | Wife: Aubrey, Son: Willem
DAY JOB | Owner of Clarius Interactive, a media and marketing
company
HOBBY | Golf
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | (What)
Working with the community to
identify problems and find solutions. Finding new innovative
policy solutions that benefit my
friends and neighbors in midMO. (Who) Paul Ryan
Denny Hoskins
SENATE DISTRICT 21
HOMETOWN | I live in Warrensburg, but I grew up in Mid-MO
(Eldon, Russellville and Loose
Creek)
FAMILY | I have two children,
Cole and Amelia Hoskins.
DAY JOB | I am a Principal with
the CPA firm of Cochran Head
Vick and Co, PC where I specialize in auditing governmental,
not-for-profits, as well as helping agricultural/farming entities and small business clients.
HOBBY | My favorite hobbies
include coaching youth sports,
fishing, hunting, traveling, running, golfing, basketball, softball and spending time with my
children.
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Why you
got into politics: My interest in
government and politics began
with Missouri Boys State and
from that point it continued to
grow through my academic and
professional career. With a $27B
budget, I believe the legislature
can be better served through my
experience as a CPA. Taxpayers
want government to live within
its means and during my tenure
I will strive to meet their expectations.
Bill Eigel
SENATE DISTRICT 23
HOMETOWN | Dayton, OH
FAMILY | I have a wife, Amanda,
and two kids. Kevin is 13 and
Lisa is 10.
DAY JOB | Small Business Owner
(St. Louis SkyLights)
HOBBY | Hunting and fishing
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I got into
politics to reduce the role and
interference of government in
the everyday lives of Missouri
citizens.
YEARBOOK | CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
In their own words in order of district, with only very minor editing.
continue to be of public service
to the community that helped
me raise my family. I believe
my experience in education and
board service work provides me
with a strong background for
policy decision making at the
State level, and an understanding of how such policies impact
citizens.
Rusty Black
HOUSE DISTRICT 7
HOMETOWN | 1961-1968 Amazonia MO
1969-1979 King City MO (Graduate of King City)
1989-present Chillicothe
FAMILY | Wife Karie, Children-Jameson, Jessica Hoskins
(husband Justin), Jaryn, Jon
Grandchildren: Aevery and
Ella Black, Case and Emmie
Hoskins
Parents: Jim and Margaret
Black, King City, MO
Siblings: Steve Black, Robin
Veale, Cindy Williams, Doug
Black, Lesa Eiberger
In-laws: Ron and Dixie Crider,
Maysville, MO
DAY JOB | Retired Ag Teacher,
Raise Hereford Cattle, Sub Bus
Driver
HOBBY | Exhibiting Livestock,
some hunting and fishing,
enjoy camping
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I have
enjoyed studying, watching
and participating in politics/
government since high school.
I have had a goal to run for political office for the last fifteen
plus years after my retirement
from teaching. My strongest
interest includes education
and agriculture. I also enjoy
learning about new things and
listening to others and their
perspectives.
Mark Ellebracht
HOUSE DISTRICT 17
HOMETOWN | Liberty, Mo
FAMILY | Single/No Children
DAY JOB | Attorney
HOBBY | Gardening, specifically
tomatoes, and reading history
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I have
always wanted to give back to
my community in a way that
I felt I could make a positive
impact and was inspired to
run for this office after having worked for Ike Skelton in
Washington D.C. I wanted to
take a little bit of his kindness
and courtesy to Jefferson City
to stand as a representative of
my hometown.
Ingrid Burnett
HOUSE DISTRICT 19
HOMETOWN | Kansas City, MO,
37 years. Childhood home:
Webster Groves, MO
FAMILY | John (husband), Sean,
Denise & Jonathon Burnett
(son & family), Elizabeth, Aaron & Jacob Cochran (daughter
& family), Nicole, Mike, Shane
& Jack Powers (daughter &
family),
DAY JOB | Retired Elementary
School Counselor
HOBBY | musician, fitness,
reading
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I want to
Greg Razer
HOUSE DISTRICT 25
HOMETOWN | Kansas City (raised
in the small Bootheel town of
Cooter)
FAMILY | Single
DAY JOB | Full time Legislator
HOBBY | MIZZOU athletics,
history buff, playing guitar
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Being
involved in politics/as an
elected official is one of the
most effective ways to make
a positive difference in my
community and state. In a time
when we as a people are so
divided, I look forward to those
moments when we can find
common ground to move our
state forward.
Teacher (Yea!)
HOBBY | Travel
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I did
an internship at the Missouri House of Representatives
in 1993. I have always had
a concern about helping the
residents in my community and
I have a strong desire to serve.
My wife is very supportive and
has urged me to be involved in
the process of government.
Jerome Barnes
HOUSE DISTRICT 28
HOMETOWN | Raytown MO
FAMILY | wife (Donna) and three
children
DAY JOB | Retired from USPS,
on Raytown C-2 School Board,
sports referee
HOBBY | photography, Love
taking pictures.
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Servicing my community, I would like
to see the educational foundation formula fully funded.
I want to see if I can get the
school formula funded because
I know that unfunded mandates and an unfunded formula
equals to unprepared youth.
Richard Brown
HOUSE DISTRICT 27
HOMETOWN | Kansas City, MO
FAMILY | Regina A. Brown (wife)
Aja N. Brown (daughter - deceased 2002).
DAY JOB | Retired Public School
21
CATALYST WELCOMES THE 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

www.catalystgrouponline.com
A
22L E X E AT O N , D A N N Y P F E I F E R , B E C K Y L O H M A N N , G R E G P O R T E R
YEARBOOK | CONTINUED
government and I'm here to
help, I mean it!
Dan Stacy
HOUSE DISTRICT 31
HOMETOWN | Blue Springs, MO
FAMILY | Lisa wife, sons Joe,
Trevor, Shea
DAY JOB | Business Owner LegalShield Independent
Associate
HOBBY | Studying History
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I sensed
a nudging from God and I felt
I was not being represented
well. I believe in limited government, free enterprise, and
strong families. Initially two
bills I will file relate to Instant
Runoff Voting/(Rank Choice
Voting) and Closed Primaries.
Cheri Toalson Reisch

HOUSE DISTRICT 44
HOMETOWN | Hallsville, Boone
County, MO (6th generation)
FAMILY | 2 sons, Jason (wife
Sarah), and Eric, 3 granddaughters, Emma, Kierstin and
Abigail
DAY JOB | Legal Assistant, Office
Manager at Cline, Braddock
& Basinger Law Offices in
Columbia, I also own a property management company in
Hallsville.
HOBBY | Genealogy, volunteer
work
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I've
been involved in politics my
entire adult life. I want to
help give Missourians a great,
affordable, quality of life with
a sense of family and community. When I say "I'm from the
Martha Stevens
HOUSE DISTRICT 46
HOMETOWN | Raised all over the
US and overseas growing up in
a military family. Graduated
from Waynesville High School
before moving to Columbia in
2002
FAMILY | Married to Ben Edes
DAY JOB | Social Worker, MSW
HOBBY | Biking, cooking, gardening, caring for our 3 rescue
dogs & 5 chickens in Central
Columbia.
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I believe
that the legislative process and
public policy can be a vehicle
to address social and economic
issues. As a representative I
intend on working on issues
related to LGBTQ equality,
increased access to health care
for all Missourians, supporting
our public schools & teachers,
and being an advocate for higher education.
restart Missouris economy.
Tom Hannegan
HOUSE DISTRICT 65
HOMETOWN | St. Charles, Missouri
FAMILY | Hannegan (St. Charles,
Father Side); Tlapek (Ste. Genevieve, Mother Side)
DAY JOB | Publisher, Editor-in-Chief; StreetScape
Magazine
HOBBY | Travel
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Build
On Region as a Tech Hub;
Encourage New Business StartUps; Oppose Tax Increases;
Cut Red-Tape; Help Small
Businesses To Expand; Better
Promote State's Advantages
Nationwide To CEOs.
Gretchen Bangert
HOUSE DISTRICT 69
HOMETOWN | St. Louis, MO
FAMILY | Husband, Michael
Feldmann. Children: Andrew
Feldmann - Logistic Engineer
at Anheuser Busch, Abigail
Feldmann - High School Math
Teacher - Northwest School
District, Paul Feldmann - College Student - UMSL, Madeline
Feldmann - College Student Mizzou.
DAY JOB | Presently working
with Holidays at Union Station
HOBBY | Travel and working
with Charity Events
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I became
involved to make the lives of
others better in anyway that I
can and I will work hard to be
a strong voice for others. Education is very important to me
beginning with early childhood
programs through adulthood.
This need to be our focus to
have a strong future.
Tommie Pierson, Jr.

HOUSE DISTRICT 66
Dan Houx
HOUSE DISTRICT 54
HOMETOWN | Warrensburg, MO
FAMILY | WIfe- Toni
DAY JOB | Real estate developer/
homebuilder
HOBBY | Hunting, fishing,
spending time in the great
outdoors
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | My
political passion started in Boys
State. I believe that we need to
Jay Mosley
HOUSE DISTRICT 68
Mark Matthiesen
HOUSE DISTRICT 70
HOMETOWN | Maryland Heights
FAMILY | wife, Rene. Son, Zachary
DAY JOB | Worked in Table
Games at Ameristar Casino
HOBBY | I am a chef and a
singer.
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I was
drawn into politics as I became
more disappointed in the
wrong path our Federal government has been on, becoming
more determined to stand up
23
MRTA - The Pension Watchdog!

MRTA - protecting public educator
pensions since 1960!
MRTA hosted over 1,000 attendees at MRTA Legislative Day 2016!
WHO IS MRTA?
Missouri Retired Teachers Association
and Public School Personnel (MRTA)
consists of over 26,000 members who
together make the largest education
retiree organization in Missouri.
THERE IS STRENGTH IN NUMBERS!
MRTA is the only retired educator
associaition whose #1 priority is
to promote and protect pensions,
programs, and benefits of all retired
public school personnel.
Org. 1960
www.mrta.org
1-877-366-6782
24
MRTA, a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit corporation, is a grassroots advocacy

association. MRTA is independent
and nonpartisan.
for the 10th Amendment and
protect our State's rights.
Cora Walker
HOUSE DISTRICT 74
HOMETOWN | Ferguson, MO
FAMILY | Husband (Tim)
DAY JOB | Attorney, College
Educator
HOBBY | Hiking, Biking, Paddleboarding (Love the great
outdoors), Cardinals Baseball
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | As the
daughter of a public school
teacher and a disabled combat
veteran, service to others has
always been a priority in my
family. I will champion innovative policy solutions and work
for transformational change to
healthcare in Missouri because
I believe everyone should have
the best possible opportunity
to lead healthy and productive
lives.
Alan Gray
HOUSE DISTRICT 75
service. Try to fashion my work

using H. L. Menken's motto:
"to comfort the afflicted and
afflict the comfortable."
Steve Roberts
HOUSE DISTRICT 77
HOMETOWN | St. Louis
FAMILY | Eva Frazer and Steve
Roberts Sr. (parents), Darci
and Christian Roberts (siblings)
DAY JOB | Attorney
HOBBY | Reading and traveling
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | After
living and working outside of
St. Louis for years, I realized
that my passion was to return
to my roots and give back to
the community that raised me.
Serving in the Missouri House
is a means for me to create positive changes in our community
through policy.
Bruce Franks
HOUSE DISTRICT 78
HOMETOWN | St Louis, Mo
FAMILY | 8 wife, 7 Kids
DAY JOB | Business owner, non
profit, artist, #Superhero
HOBBY | Bowling, Poker, Writing
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | My passion is disenfranchised communities, of all walks, shapes
and sizes, but especially those
who look like me. Allocating
resources to our areas of need
in my political passion and goal
and is also the reason I ran,
because we needed it true representation for the voiceless!
Peter Merideth
HOUSE DISTRICT 80
HOMETOWN | St. Louis, Mo.
FAMILY | I have a wife, Amy, and
two daughters: Eliza and Piper.
DAY JOB | I started my own law
practice, GroundUp STL, which
is based out of the Shaw neighborhood.
HOBBY | I sing in a Celtic acappella quartet, The Wee Heavies,
as well as at church and in weddings. I also love to do musical
theatre.
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I believe
good government can improve the lives for the people
in my community, and that
the greatest progress can be
achieved with hard work from
the ground up.
Alfred J. (Fred) Wessels

HOUSE DISTRICT 81
HOMETOWN | St Louis
FAMILY | Married to Gloria 46
years; 4 children Jason; Ben;
Sara and Carrie; 5 grandchildren Fred, Violet, Lila, Henry
and Clara.
DAY JOB | None. Full time state
representative; previously 40
years as a healthcare executive;
29 years 13th Ward alderman,
St. Louis and 2 years as St.
Louis director of community
development.
HOBBY | Playing golf and bridge
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | From
very young on I was fascinated
by politics and the opportunity
to help people through public
Donna M.C. Baringer

HOUSE DISTRICT 82
HOMETOWN | I grew up in Jefferson city until high school when
my father was transferred to
St. Louis and we lived in West
County. In my senior year, we
moved to downtown St. Louis
and I really enjoyed urban
living.
FAMILY | I have been married to
my husband David for over 25
years and we have two sons,
Brennan, who just was honorably discharged after 4 1/2
years in the marines and will
now attend college, and Connor, who is a Senior at Mizzou
majoring in Psychology and
Biology and will be taking the
MCATs in January for medical
school.
DAY JOB | I have been the 16th
ward alderman for almost 14
years and held other positions
in the private sector with the
most current being the Executive Director of the Lemay
Development Corporation.
HOBBY | My hobby would be exercising. I've done it non-stop
since I was 17 years old and
bought my first Jane Fonda
VCR tape. I don't like to exercise but continue because of
all the other benefits I receive
from it. The only reason I say
it's hobby is because anytime I
can get a workout and have fun
that is a priority such as snow
skiing, ice skating, snorkeling
and my new favorite paddle
boarding.
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | If I were
to look at a consistent thread
in my life, my passion is being
able to hear and represent the
voice of the silent majority.
25
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As the second
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produces nearly
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of biodiesel in eight
production facilities.
GREENHOUSE GAS
PARTICULATES
HYDROCARBON
EMISSIONS
LESS
LESS
LESS
86%
47%
67%
According to a 2002 study conducted by the EPA,

biodiesel emissions levels are significantly lower
than those created by petroleum diesel.
Lower emission levels mean that biodiesel removes

the equivalent of 2 million passenger cars from
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Ask for biodiesel where you buy fuel.
(573) 635-3819
26
brought to you by Missouri soybean farmers and their checkoff
keeping up with current events
and devoting time to the Affton
School District.
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Affording people the opportunity
to realize their full potential,
ensure Missouri schools are
the best they can be, real and
meaningful ethics reform and
fighting for the working people
of our state.
Sarah Unsicker
HOUSE DISTRICT 91
HOMETOWN | I was born in
Denver and grew up in Plano,
Texas. I have lived most of
my adult life in St. Louis and
consider Shrewsbury to be my
hometown.
FAMILY | I live in Shrewsbury
with my husband and our two
sons.
DAY JOB | Mom
HOBBY | Knitting although I
havent had time for it in a long
time!
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Representing the citizens of my
district and making Missouri a
better place to live.
Doug Beck
HOUSE DISTRICT 92
HOMETOWN | Affton, MO
FAMILY | Married to Marilyn for
32 years. We have one daughter Kara Beck who is married
to John Dirnberger and a son,
Corey Beck. We also welcomed
the arrival of our first grandchild, Isla Rose Dirnberger in
August.
DAY JOB | 30- year member of
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local
562. Currently employed with
Haberberger Mechanical Contractors. I currently serve on
Affton School Board, a position
I have held for 7 years.
HOBBY | I enjoy the St. Louis
Cardinals, am a heartbroken
St. Louis Rams fan and enjoy
Mizzou football and basketball. I enjoy home remodeling,
David J. Gregory
HOUSE DISTRICT 96
HOMETOWN | St. Louis
FAMILY | Mother, Father, Twin
brother - Dan, Sister - Sarah
DAY JOB | Attorney/Litigator/
Business Owner
HOBBY | Coaching/Playing
Hockey
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | To genuinely and aggressively protect
my district and the State of
Missouri
Jean Evans
HOUSE DISTRICT 99
HOMETOWN | St. Louis, MO
FAMILY | Daughter, Danielle
Rohlfing
DAY JOB | Real estate agent and
investor, Volleyball coach
HOBBY | Playing indoor and
beach volleyball
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | My goal
is help get the economy of Mo
growing again, so my kids and
grandkids can have the same
opportunities that I have had.
ing, I love every aspect.

POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Im
fiscally conservative, pro-life,
and for de-regulating small
businesses in particular.
Derek Grier
HOUSE DISTRICT 100
HOMETOWN | Chesterfield, MO
FAMILY | I have a wife, Ashley,
and two sons, Jack, age 3, and
Logan, age 1.
DAY JOB | Im a small business
owner in real estate consulting
and acquisitions)
HOBBY | Music (playing the saxophone), boating, and travel
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | My political passion lies in reinforcing the principles our founding
fathers envisioned for this
country when it was created.
Thomas Jefferson described
the sum of good government as
"Wise and frugal, which shall
restrain men from injuring one
another, which shall leave them
otherwise free to regulate their
own pursuits of industry and
improvement, and shall not
take from the mouth of labor
the bread it has earned. I think
that still represents our ideals
as Americans today and I aim
to focus my energy as a legislator to that end.
Bruce DeGroot
HOUSE DISTRICT 101
HOMETOWN | Sioux Falls, South
Dakota, and has lived in chesterfield since 1987
FAMILY | I have a wife named
Jill, with three kids: Reagan,
22, Cliff, 17, and Thomas, 14
DAY JOB | Lawyer
HOBBY | I love all kids sports,
whether its watching, coach-
Phil Christofanelli
HOUSE DISTRICT 105
HOMETOWN | Springfield, Ill.
FAMILY | My mother, Cindy,
works at SSM Healthcare and
lives on the Hill in Saint Louis
City. My father, Cosmo, and my
brother, Mike, live in Springfield, where they run a small
financial planning business. I
have two cats: Rand and Sue.
DAY JOB | I am a former Congressional Staffer. I left my
job to campaign full time. Any
work in addition to my legislative responsibilities is to be
determined!
HOBBY | Video Games
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Effective and efficient, 21st Century
governance
Nick Schroer
HOUSE DISTRICT 107
HOMETOWN | I was born in Ferguson, MO but spent most of
my free time at our family farm
in Fayette, MO. Currently, I live
in O'Fallon, MO.
FAMILY | My wife, Kate, is a
nurse practitioner in Lake St.
Louis, MO. We have an amazing two year old daughter, Delaney, and a rescue dog named
Riley. I am extremely close
with my 97 year old grandfather, Arthur, and credit him for
27
28
molding me into the staunch
conservative I am today.
DAY JOB | Up until November of
2016, I was practicing family
law in St. Charles, MO. Since
November, I became general
counsel for Arrowhead Building Supply, Inc., located in St.
Charles County. However, the
greatest job I have is being a
father to my gorgeous daughter
and husband to my incredible
wife.
HOBBY | I love spending time
with my wife and daughter
when I am not working. I also
love hunting and going up to
the farm in Fayette, MO. I am
an avid music lover and thoroughly enjoy seeing my favorite
bands live in concert.
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | My political passion was established
by my 97 year old grandfather.
Coming from a politically polarized family, I started doing
my own "homework" on political issues which helped me
question issues and make up
my own mind. As a Christian,
I want to preserve our inalienable rights given to us by God.
As a constitutional conservative, I want to protect the liberties given to us by our founding
fathers. As a fiscal conservative,
I want to maintain a balanced
budget without raising taxes.
As the State Representative
for House District 107, I want
to advocate for my neighbors
in the district, listen to their
concerns, and bring their voice
in Jefferson City.
Mike Henderson
HOUSE DISTRICT 117
HOMETOWN | Desloge FAMILY |
I have been married to Cheri
Shelton Henderson for 33
years. I have two grown children, Amanda and Sean. I have
one grandchild Charlie who is
three.
DAY JOB | I worked in public
education for 31 years. I retired

a little over two years ago. I was
a teacher, coach and administrator.
HOBBY | My hobbies include
golf, running and yard work.
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | My true
political passion is trying to
make a positive difference for
the people of the 117 District
and the state of Missouri.
Nate Tate
HOUSE DISTRICT 119
HOMETOWN | St. Clair, MO
FAMILY | Wife-Vicki, Daughter-Grace, Son-Braden, Daughter-Ella
DAY JOB | Sales Manager at Main
Line Hauling
HOBBY | Working out at the gym
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Sounds
cliche I'm sure, but my passion
is to truly represent the people.
That's what I ran on with my
can: "A VOICE FOR YOU!"
Mike Stephens
HOUSE DISTRICT 128
HOMETOWN | Lifelong resident
of Bolivar, Graduate of Bolivar
High School, class of 64.
Attended Southwest Baptist
College for two years, graduated from UMKC Pharmacy
School in 1971.
FAMILY | I have a wife, Nancy,
and three daughters: Mary Helen, Carmen and Nancy, as well
as two stepchildren: Angela
and Anthony. I also have five
grandchildren.
DAY JOB | Owner and operator of
Stephens Pharmacy of Bolivar

for 41 years.
HOBBY | Boating and golfing
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Focusing
on the wellbeing of our state
and serving its citizens.
and ensuring that the business

of government is accomplished
efficiently. I want everyone to
have the opportunity to pursue
happiness and the American
Dream.
Crystal Quade
HOUSE DISTRICT 132
HOMETOWN | Rogersville, MO
FAMILY | Husband (Kevin) and
three children (Aydin, Naomi,
and Alexa)
DAY JOB | Director of Chapter
Services, Care to Learn (www.
caretolearnfund.org)
HOBBY | rock climbing
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | children
and educational issues
Steve Helms
HOUSE DISTRICT 135
HOMETOWN | Springfield, Mo.
FAMILY | I have been married
to my wife, Virginia, for over
28 years and we have three
children, Sarah, David, and
Elizabeth.
DAY JOB | I sell Senior Insurance
as an independent broker. I
have my own agency - SAMA
Insurance.
HOBBY | Urban farming
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | I am
involved in politics because I
believe that we need better policy so that more Missourians
have a better chance to be more
successful.
Curtis D. Trent
HOUSE DISTRICT 133
HOMETOWN | I grew up on a
small farm in Ava, Missouri, in
Douglas County.
FAMILY | Im single, and also a
Fifth Generation Missourian
with ancestors in the Battle of
Wilson's Creek and the Revolutionary War.
DAY JOB | I am an attorney. I
most recently practiced Social
Security Disability law helping
people who have been injured
or otherwise have a disability.
HOBBY | I enjoy reading, especially about American, English,
Roman, and Greek history.
passionate about making
government work for everyone
by protecting people's liberty
Hannah Kelly
HOUSE DISTRICT 141
HOMETOWN | Mountain Grove
FAMILY | 5 Brothers and Sisters,
13 Nieces/Nephews
DAY JOB | Realtor/Broker
HOBBY | Reading/gardening/
hunting
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Helping
small businesses grow. Job
creation. Stopping Federal
Government Overreach. Inspiring future voters/workforce
to dream big and put action
behind those dreams.
29
Rick Francis
HOUSE DISTRICT 145
HOMETOWN | Perryville
FAMILY | My wife Chrissy and
I have four children and their
three spouses: Nick & Siobahn,
Benn & Kasey, Whitney & JP,
and Dane. We also five grandchildren: Zoe, Theo, Jewel,
Lincoln, and Sadie.
DAY JOB | Farming and raising
cattle
HOBBY | Golfing, boating, and
family time
POLITICAL INSPIRATION | Giving
back to a community/district
that I care deeply about and
that has been extraordinarily
good to me and my family.
OPINION
5 THINGS YOU
SHOULD DO
THIS SESSION
Brian Grace
Dentons Group
1. Build a relationship with the
outsider
You may not have gotten to
know him during the campaign, but Eric Greitens is your
governor and he holds a tremendous amount of influence
over your legislative agenda.
2. Tweet more
There is a conversation happening about your legislation
and you're missing it if you're
not on Twitter. It's time that
more of you enter the conversation.
3. Avoid scandal
Sounds easy, right? Your constituents sent you here to do a
job. Make them proud.
Cody Smith
HOUSE DISTRICT 163
HOMETOWN | Carthage
FAMILY | My wife Jana and I
have been married for six years
and we have 3-year-old son
named Charlie.
DAY JOB | Owner/Director of
Business Development, UV
Sanitized. Also, I've been a
licensed Realtor for the last 11
years.
HOBBY | Playing guitar, reading.
passionate about the principle of limited government. I
got into politics to promote
this principle on behalf of the
people of my district who overwhelmingly agree that we need
less government and more
freedoms.
30
4. Build relationships in the other

chamber
You can only control 50 percent of the legislative process.
You are going to need an ally to
help with the other half of the
work.
5. Embrace ride-sharing
Thirty-five other states have
done it and it's downright
embarrassing that Missouri
hasn't. Yes, I'm biased. But the
Missouri Times gave me this
space and I'm going to take
advantage of it.
Brian Grace first registered
as a lobbyist at the age of 19.
Hes now 35. Since leaving
Gov. Matt Blunts administration, he has helped build the
government affairs practice
at Dentons from an unknown
commodity to an A-list firm in
Missouri and has cultivated a
national practice with lobbyists in all 50 state capitals.
CONGRATULATES
our client
Lieutenant Governor
Mike Parson
on his inauguration.
We also congratulate
Scott Faughn
and the team at
The Missouri Times
on entering their fourth

year as Missouris premier
source of political news.
Specializing in grassroots and
grasstops outreach, lobbying,
public affairs, and campaign
consulting since 2006.
122 E. High St., Ste. 200
Jefferson City, MO 65101
573-761-7875
www.TheJHarrisCo.com
PHOTO/TRAVIS ZIMPFER
WALSH TAKES OVER
THE WEIGHT ON HER SHOULDERS

TRAVIS ZIMPFER
THE MISSOURI TIMES
As election results poured in Nov.
8, Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellafontaine
Neighbors, saw any hope of progress
for the Democratic Party in Jefferson City tumble into nothingness.
Every Democratic statewide office
holder lost, including her close
friend and fellow labor champion,
Attorney General Chris Koster, in
the most important race of all. What
surprised her most though was Rep.
Stephen Webbers loss in Columbia
to Rep. Caleb Rowden for the 19th
District Senate Seat.
Webbers victory was supposed
to signal a shift in power in the
Senate away from the Republican
supermajority. The 19th was where
Democrats thought they could begin making inroads to a more equitable standing in the chamber.
I thought we could do this one
seat at a time, Walsh said.
However, it was not to be. Webber lost by just over 2,000 votes.
Now after one of the worst election cycles for Democrats in the
states history, newly-elected Senate Minority Leader Walsh unexpectedly bears the mantle of being
the most powerful member of her
party in Jefferson City. In addition,
she will now have to fight from the
back foot against a multitude of
legislative challenges in the coming
session.
The Republican iron grip on the
General Assembly and a Gov.-elect
Eric Greitens means that many
did before. All it does is reduce wages for the middle class. You might
create more jobs, but at what cost?
Im not going to roll over.
That said, Walsh expressed some
optimism that Senate President Pro
Tem Ron Richard said he wanted to
focus on improving health care for
Missourians, even if it would not
happen via Medicaid expansion.
Yet, she believes that a reassessment in strategy and perhaps
in ideology for
Democrats is the
primary way to
make progress in the state. She argues that Democrats may need to
make their way back to the middle.
Sometimes for where we are,
theres issues that we take on not
necessarily as Democrats, she said.
I consider myself a moderate. I
dont want to be find myself so far
to the left that Im bumping up to
the right on the other side. We are
not going to make any gains if we
cant restore the peoples faith in
our party.
However,
uncertainty
still
plagues many Democrats. While the
Im not going to roll over.

Democratically-opposed
reforms
like right-to-work, paycheck protection and the collateral source rule
are likely law by this time next year
with Democrats nearly helpless to
stop them. Walsh did not confirm
whether she would lead a filibuster
on right-to-work, but did say she
would continue to fight against the
measure.
Im going to be talking about it,
she said. I understand this is a top
priority for the governor and the
majority leadership. But I still feel
the same way about this issue as I
4 MINUTE READ
populism and economic prosperity
promised by President-elect Donald
Trump undoubtedly helped himself
and other Republican candidates in
Rust Belt states like Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Hillary Clintons popular vote total
continues to grow - the margin now
rests at over 2 million votes.
Walsh conceded though that
Trump attracted a lot of people
from those important blue collar
states, many of which were considered clear Clinton states in the
weeks and even days leading up to
the election. While Democratic politics may not be inherently unpopular in some parts of the nation, they
were in Missouri during the last
election cycle.
Some of the people that I know
that have supported Mr. Trump
have shocked me, and its people
I never would have thought, she
said, urging that it meant a re-evaluation of what the party should
promise. We need to get back in
touch with our base and figure out
what went wrong.
31
STATEWIDE RIDESHARING LAWS: 34 & COUNTING
01 / 04 / 2017
32
PHOTO/THIS WEEK IN MISSOURI POLITICS
Onder talks SJR39 and more

STEVE HANKINS
FOR THE MISSOURI TIMES MAGAZINE

Anyone with a steady career,
large family and all the challenges life slings their way reasonably
could be labeled "busy."
Sen. Dr. Bob Onder, R-Lake St.
Louis, falls certainly into that category.
And he likes it that way.
"On a daily basis my office handles constituents' issues, from troubles with local traffic issues to people with relatives in prison having
problems," Onder said. "My goals
have always been to improve the
jobs and business climates within
our state.
"Improving public education is
paramount, as are promoting safety
and decreasing inner-city violence,"
he adds. "It really is a rewarding
task."
Onder is both a physician with
nearly 25 years in private practice
who graduated from Washington
University Medical School, and an
attorney with more than two decades of experience under his belt.
Voters elected Onder to a seat in
the Missouri House of Representatives, where he served during the
2007-2008 session. He ran for Congress in 2008 and was defeated, despite endorsements from a number
of conservative organizations and
an "A" rating from the NRA.
That didn't put the brakes on
busy. Folks say one sometimes
must learn how to lose to learn how
to win.
Onder proceeded with his medical practice and tossed his hat in
Missouri's political ring again, successfully.
In 2015, Onder was sworn in as
a state senator, elected to represent
constituents in Western St. Charles
County.
As a legislator, he's sponsored
nearly 30 bills during his tenure
and served with colleagues in committees ranging from education and
veterans care and health to Missouri Human Trafficking Task Force
and Task Force for Examining
Statewide Medicaid Models.
Some describe the senator as a
conservative man of conviction,
which sometimes invites resistance.

So when Onder sponsored the
controversial Religious Freedom
Bill, SJR 39, the result at Jefferson
City was remarkable.
Democratic legislators who opposed the measure mounted a 40hour filibuster. Although SJR 39
passed the Senate overwhelmingly
in a 23-7 margin, the bill failed in a
House committee.
Ultimately, SJR 39 would have
offered Missouri voters the opportunity to decide if state government
could impose penalties regarding
...individuals and religious entities
who refuse to participate in samesex marriage ceremonies due to sincerely held religious beliefs."
Onder insists his thinking wasn't
about limiting the rights of the
LGBT community, especially the
right of same-sex couples to marry,
- he maintains federal law supersedes state law, and says it's important to put the bill into context.
"The first time that any jurisdiction anywhere on the planet legalized same-sex marriage was in
2003, when the Massachusetts Supreme Court decided that the state
constitution allowed same-sex couples to marry," the senator explains.
"That was really a first in human
history.
"About two-thirds of the states
clarified in their constitutions that
marriage is between one man and
one woman," Onder continues. "But
in June of 2015, the U.S. Supreme
Court, in an act of incredible overreach and judicial imperialism,
decided to invalidate all of those
laws. [Justices] found a right in the
U.S. Constitution that no one had
ever seen there before - the right of
same-sex couples to marry."
Onder says that interpretation
from the high court might have
answered one question, yet raised
many others.
"The biggest question raised is
'what are the rights of those who
disagree with this newly found
right?'" he asks. "What SJR 39
would do is clarify that pastors,
churches, religious organizations
and a very small class of private
individuals, those who work in the
wedding industry, could not be
punished by the government for liv-
ing out their sincerely held religious

beliefs about marriage.
"The way I sometimes put it, in
any pluralistic society, we respect
people's conscience and people's
beliefs," Onder adds. "We don't
punish them for their religious beliefs. SJR 39 was an attempt to clarify where those beliefs stood after
the Supreme Court's decision."
The controversy ignited by the
bill didn't end with some of Onder's
legislative colleagues, nor with
those in the LGBT community, but
extended into the business sector
and fueled opposition from the St.
Louis Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Despite this dissent, the senator
is emphatic about his positive relationships among business leaders.
"I've stood for tax reform, regulatory reform, tort reform and labor
reform," Onder says. "All positions
that the business community has
supported.
"In this particular issue, the business community decided to make
a very dangerous foray into social
issues and Constitutional law," he
continues. "I think that was a mistake. I know why they did it. But I
think they were mistaken in doing
so. I think it sets a bad precedent.
The concern is that 'will liberal activists press the business community to weigh in on other contentious
proposals?' I think that was the biggest surprise."
The senator pointed out Missouri's major business player is agriculture, and the Missouri Farm Bureau
endorsed SJR 39.
"I was very proud," the senator
says of MFB. "The Missouri Baptist
Convention, the Assemblies of God,
the Catholic Bishops, all supported
my bill.
"I had quiet support from many,
many, many individuals, from Missourians around the state," he adds.
"When I walk into grocery stores,
I still have people thanking me
for the Religious Liberty Bill. So, I
think by and large, our own polling
shows about 70 percent of Missourians, given the chance to vote on
protecting religious liberty, would
do so. I was proud of the grass-roots
support I received. I really wish
those grass-roots supporters would
7 MINUTE READ
have had the opportunity to vote on
the bill."
And while Gov.-elect Eric Greitens opposed the legislation, Onder
endorsed Greiten's successful bid.
"When we're looking at the governor's race, we're looking at the
difference between [Greitens and] a
candidate who is all-in on the radical gay rights agenda," Onder says.
"Further, I'd say Eric and I see eyeto-eye on 95 percent of the issues,
rather than all the disagreements I
have with Chris Koster's proposed
policies.
"Ronald Reagan once said The
person who agrees with you 80
percent of the time is your friend
and not your enemy,'" the senator
explains. "So I had no trouble supporting a gubernatorial candidate
I see eye-to-eye with 95 percent of
the time."
Onder said he's unsure if the Missouri Senate will file any bills similar to SJR 39, and he's unsure how
Missouri House legislators might
take the lead regarding like proposals.
"I don't know what various
House members are looking at," he
says. "[SJR 39's defeat] was a surprise to me to some extent.
"For instance, in Arizona, Arkansas and other states, previous
controversies were all over Religious Freedom Restoration Acts,"
he adds. "The hit on RFRAs were,
they were so broad as to protect
any and all religious beliefs. The
concern expressed by many in the
LGBT community were they were
so broad that they included unintended consequences. SJR 39 was
written to very narrowly protect
a particular class of people in the
wedding industry, and then churches who needed their religious beliefs
protected."
"SJR 39 was written in such a
way that, in my view, was perhaps
more acceptable to some of those
concerns [expressed by LGBT advocates]," Onder says. "Any bill in this
political space whatsoever is going
to meet resistance.
"I fear that's where we are today," he continues. "Any legislation
that attempts to protect religious
freedoms will meet resistance. And
that's very sad."
33
PHOTO/AARON WILLARD
Mark Rhoads and The Rhoads Company,

LLC congratulate our new statewide elected
officials and all members of the Missouri
General Assembly. On behalf of our clients,
we look forward to working with you in 2017.
112 East High St

Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 635-0505
Welcome and
congratulations
to the
99th General
Assembly!
Representing Missouri Auto Dealers since 1938
Representing Missouri Auto Dealers since 1938
34
AARON
WILLARD
BENJAMIN PETERS
THE MISSOURI TIMES
Aaron Willards story is one of
unlikely success. Hes been involved
in Missouri politics for years now,
and built his way from the ground
up. But he could very easily have
wound up in a completely different
lifestyle, if not for a couple of key
decisions that would shape his future.
A charismatic man with a disarming smile, Willard combines his
passion with a multitude of skills
and talents to excel in the Missouri political environment. He loves
finding ways to solve problems,
and enjoys using data to develop
and refine strategies in the political
realm. The intelligence exhibited
by Willard is equally matched by a
calm demeanor, but do not let that
fool you; his tenacity for the job is
exceptional, and his ability to see
risks as opportunities has led him
up the proverbial ladder in a short
amount of time.
Born and raised in the small town
of Troy, Mo., politics was never really an interest for Willard. His first
involvement in anything political
didnt come until the age of 18,
when he was seeking to attend the
naval academy.
I went to a couple of events to
meet Rep. Kenny Hulshof, because
you have to get a nomination from
your local Congressman or U.S.
Senator to go, and that was the most
involved I had ever been, Willard
said. He got a scholarship, but in
the end, decided against going. He
headed to the University of Missouri, where he decided to major in
engineering. But after taking a theoretical calculus class, he realized
he wanted to take a more hands-on
approach. He switched to economics and fell in love. It was then he
discovered his place in the political
spectrum.
In college, when I was going
through and writing a paper for a
class in economics, it just kind of
hit me: Oh my God, Im a Republican, Willard said. For me, it was
something that wasnt an inherited
process, but learned. It was pretty
profound, because I came to that
opinion on my own perceptions and
beliefs.
His venture into the political
world began as an intern at the
Capitol, working in the communications office.
I think they looked at me like
I was foreign, Willard said with a
laugh. What is this econ nerd doing
in the communications office?
So he began writing, and after
time, found out that he had been
writing some for the House Speaker. After that, he was approached
by Dave Hageman, who is now the
president at Victory Enterprises,
asking if Willard had any interest in
doing political campaigns. Without
any prior experience, he signed on.
I thought I had failed, that I
didnt do very well, Willard said.
They came back and offered me
a job, and I was really surprised.
They said they never really thought
they would have a chance in those
districts, but because of what I had
done, they became competitive.
Since then, he has put together
an impressive resume in a rather
short amount of time, which all began with Willards work as the chief
of staff for former House Speaker
Rod Jetton and his service as the
executive director for the Missouri
House Republican Campaign Committee.
I still remember doing an HRCC
field team campaign school. We
asked people to make a political
prediction for a couple years from
now. And I still remember thinking
Republicans will have a veto-proof
majority in the House, he said.
They thought I was crazy. But I had
spent a lot of time looking at maps,
looking at margins, and I just believed we could do it. Theres a way
this could be done.
They began heavily recruiting
after the 2008 election, and with
a change in the political environment, everything fell into place. The
Republicans won the seats needed
for a supermajority, and the GOPs
resurgence in Missouri began.
Following that success, Willard
worked as campaign manager for
Ann Wagners bid for Congress,
and, most recently, as chief of
staff for Sen. Ryan Silvey. He also
spent some time in the private sector, working as the treasurer and
spokesperson at Grow Missouri,

where he helped push forward the
passage of SB 509, the first income
tax cut in Missouri in nearly a century.
He attributes his success to
his experiences and the lessons
he learned under people like Rob
Knodell, Steve Tilley, Tony Feather,
Jetton and Hageman.
I got exposed to all sorts of stuff,
and what I learned was incredible. I
was working on policy issues, helping out on legislation, and working
with caucuses, Willard said. I was
very lucky to see how they operated. They were people of really high
character and integrity. I was fortunate to work with people of that
caliber and quality.
But his most recent accomplishment has garnered him the most
recognition: he served as the political director for the Trump campaign in Missouri. He was picked as
Trumps Missouri State Director in
August of 2016, shortly after the Republican National Convention.
The more I thought about it, I
knew what was really important to
me was the success of our party. I
thought this was a way to get engaged in a campaign and help out
everybody, Willard said.
The media has called the Trump
campaign one of the most controversial campaigns in recent times,
but Trumps resonance with voters
rang clearly on election night. Many
believed Hillary Clinton to be the
favorite, but a late surge in the polls
gave the billionaires campaign
hope. Willard believes that surge
stemmed from a strong effort by the
grassroots movement.
Probably the thing I found to
be most impressive was the quality and dedication of the people
at the grassroots level supporting
Mr. Trump, Willard said. People
from all walks of life saying they
were tired of the direction. These
were people spending a tremendous
amount of time and money to be
able to help the effort, and it was
incredible. It was energizing for me,
because I felt I owed it to them to
make sure Im doing everything I
could, too.
The Republican candidate surged
through Missouri, all the while
7 MINUTE READ
claiming several states that had supported the Democratic candidate in
the previous presidential election.
Willard and the campaign had put
together a projection of what they
realistically thought would be the
highest anticipated results for voters, and Missouri literally threw it
to the curb, exceeding their highest total projections by more than
100,000 votes.
I will admit I thought we would
win by double digits, but I didnt
anticipate that we would win by
19 percent, Willard said. I dont
know that there has ever been a victory that was that big or a margin
that large for a presidential candidate, Republican or Democrat in
the state of Missouri. Its kind of
neat to be a part of that history, not
to mention the history that will go
down in the books about his candidacy and presidency.
Trumps win in Missouri led to
even more success for the GOP, as
Republican candidates swept all of
the statewide offices, as well as a
GOP-dominated legislature.
The question now is this: what is
next for Willard?
Many have speculated that he
will be offered a position in Washington, D.C. under Trumps administration, but Willard says that
nothing has been mentioned at this
time. If there is an offer, Willard
would consider it, but says that
any decision would have to take his
family into consideration. A strong
family man, hes happily married
with a four-year-old daughter, a job
that he says is the most important
to him. He also says that it would
be hard to leave the rolling hills and
rivers of the nations heartland.
Others wonder if Willard might
seek office on his own, but when
asked about it, he just laughed, saying he prefers to work behind the
scenes.
Whatever his decision may be,
Willard will always remember the
halls of the Missouri State Capitol
as the training grounds that helped
make him the political powerhouse
he has become, even though he
might be too humble to acknowledge that title.
The man behind Trumps victory in Missouri
35
TALENT ON TAP
TRAVIS ZIMPFER
THE MISSOURI TIMES
What sets Palm Strategic Group
apart from its peers? Its founders
say they know a little something
about victory.
We know how to win races,
Jonathan Ratliff, one of the founding members of the team, says
plainly. If his name sounds familiar, its because after he served as
the House Republican Campaign
Committee (HRCC) political director, he managed the campaign of
Republican Sen.-elect Caleb Rowden to victory in Senate District 19
against Rep. Stephen Webber in
what many Democrats around the
state thought would be a sure win
for the blue in one of few districts
Democrats believed they could flip
in the upper chamber.
Rowden attributed that success
came from Palm Strategic.
The political strategy team
formed earlier this year under Ratliff, the former political director of
36
the HRCC, and Scott Dieckhaus,

a former representative and head
of the HRCC. Their tenures at the
HRCC led to a lot of success in expanding the caucus, increasing
their majority from 89 seats to 118.
But they also did that while keeping
a stable budget and constantly innovating their message. During that
time, they also formulated software
- the Majority Maker system - that
tracks voters across the state in order to give people more options and
better strategies when going doorto-door, something crucial in tight
House and Senate district races.
Weve focused in on harnessing
the data, finding the best pathway
forward, Ratliff says. A lot of the
other consultants around the state
and around the country like to talk
about data, and its more of a buzzword but I think the difference with
us is that we built a system that uses
it and weve shown that we win races that no one else thinks we can.
That drive for efficiency of message and resources echoes fellow
Palm Strategic makes a tsunami

splash in their first year
Missourian and political consultant

Jeff Roe, who achieved fame on the
national stage as Texas Sen. Ted
Cruzs campaign manager in his bid
for the presidency.
When it came time for them to
start their own political strategy
group, they carried over many of
the same goals with a philosophy to
do everything they could do to win.
This belief involves an extensive
survey of any given race, whether
at a statewide or local level, including an analysis of the district
itself, studying media markets and
identifying what essentially makes
an area tick. Whereas other political strategists may have a set guide
for spending a certain percentage
of funds on radio and television as
opposed to newspaper ads, Ratliff
and Dieckhaus have more flexibility
given their knowledge of a district,
but it doesnt stop there.
Were not afraid to use new mediums of communication with voters, whether that be a heavier use
of social media or mobile targeting
than maybe a lot of consultants

that have been doing this for a lot
longer may be comfortable with,
Dieckhaus says. Were probably
better at finding a good media mix
to communicate with the greatest
number of voters. A lot of the consultants are focused on putting as
much money on television as they
can more and more, were seeing
all across the country that thats not
as reliable as it used to be with cord
cutters and all the other folks out
there that arent tuning in to traditional media outlets.
While the Rowden race was a
clear success, thats not to say they
have only had their ups in the short
time they have worked as a private
partnership. Their other notable clients had varying degrees of success:
their work with Missourians for
Fair Taxation helped Amendment
4 pass on the ballot, John Brunner
finished second in the Missouri governors race to Gov.-elect Eric Greitens, but Sen. Kurt Schaefer lost by
a wide margin in his defeat at the
PHOTO/SUBMITTED
SIX QUICK QUESTIONS WITH PARTNER JONATHAN RATLIFF
4 MINUTE READ
hands of Attorney General-elect
Josh Hawley.
Regardless, the future looks
bright for the young company.
Ratliff says the two are examining
expanding to other states at an undetermined time in the future, and
they want to knock Sen. Jill Schupp
out of office in Senate District 24
come 2018. The two, however, are
leaving the door open for any other
opportunities to emerge organically.
I dont know that we really have
an endgame for Palm, Dieckhaus
says. Our focus is on recruiting
the best candidates for races were
interested in working in. When the
time comes, I think Palm will probably expand.
From his new seat in the upper
chamber earned in large part because of Palms work, Rowden believes the duo will go far and fast.
I fully expect them to be a force
to be reckoned with in 2018 and beyond in Missouri and on the national political landscape, he says.
Why did you choose the name Palm Strategic Group?

JONATHAN RATLIFF: Throughout history, palm trees and branches have held significant symbolism. In ancient Greece and Rome, winners of physical competitions
and debates would receive palm branches to signify their victories. In this business,
winning matters to us and our clients.
When did you know you two could and would become partners?
RATLIFF: Scott and I worked together for over 4 years at HRCC growing the house
majority to an historic 118 seats. During that time, even as Scott was the Executive
Director and I was the Political Director, we always worked as partners. So at the
end of 2015 when we both decided to take the next step in our careers and look for
new challenges, it was an easy fit to continue the formula that proved so successful
during our time at HRCC.
What lesson have you learned the hardest since founding?
RATLIFF: That taxes are rough on small business owners. We knew this before, but
seeing the amount of money that goes out every month is tough.
What advice would you give any candidate-turned-official?
RATLIFF: Show up and do the job the voters elected you to do. Remember the issues
you ran on, the conversations you had with voters, and then make sure you fight
for those things everyday. And most importantly, be honest with people. In this
business, there is nothing more important than your word.
What is one thing an elected official can do to become a better candidate?
RATLIFF: Elected officials meet so many new people everyday. If they keep record of
who they met, what they talked about, contact information, etc., when election season comes around, it becomes easier to reach out directly to those people as voters
and to remind them about the issues you are working on that they care about.
How do you celebrate a success?
RATLIFF: The celebrations are typically only on election nights and only for one
night. The next day, we move on to the next election and finding more quality people to work with to become the next generation of leaders. Maybe one day we will
take a real break.
37
COLLEGE BOUND
TRAVIS ZIMPFER
THE MISSOURI TIMES
One of the earliest difficulties
Gov.-elect Eric Greitens will have
to face in his administration is the
likelihood that he may have to withhold some money from the state
budget due to revenue shortfalls.
Despite Gov. Jay Nixon withholding
$115 million in July, an additional $60 million in September, and
just over $50 million in December,
House Budget Chair Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick has projected a nearly $200
million budget shortfall that must
be rectified almost as soon as Greitens steps into office.
Those withholds typically affect
government agencies; the $60 million withhold mostly affected the
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. However, some
specific line items affect organizations that simply receive funds from
the state that not only supplement
their activities but allow them to
grow. Unfortunately, those organizations could feel the most sting
if Missouri continues to tighten its
belt.
Take College Bound in St. Louis:
a nonprofit for high school students
of need that have made a commitment to attending college. For the
past 10 years, College Bound has
taken high schoolers from around
St. Louis under their wings, given
them the resources to make a college education a reality, and then
followed them through college
graduation, usually at four-year
universities. Most of the students
chosen will be first-generation college-goers.
Scott Baier, the executive director of College Bound and former executive director for Teach for America-St. Louis, says that takes a lot of
work. In high school, it means making sure students are academically
prepared and qualified for the college they hope to attend. Academic
preparedness entails applying for
Advanced Placement credit classes,
getting a high enough GPA, taking
dual enrollment classes, managing extra-curricular activities,
community service, looking for
advanced classes at local com-
38
munity colleges, ACT prep courses anything that may make them stand
out to colleges.
Baier says that since most of the
kids will not have parents that know
the college prep experience, College
Bound serves as that resource.
The biggest problem is not academic, its the unnecessarily byzantine process of getting into college,
he says. Were working with some
kids that come from some pretty
vulnerable circumstances who just
happen to be growing up in poverty, but theyre as intelligent and
deserving as any kid. Were trying
to level that playing field for them.
When a student gets into college,
which ranges from a four-year state
school to an Ivy League institution,
the help does not end. First, College
Bound helps students choose what
school is right for a student and
their pursuits. Then they help them
fill out scholarship applications
and FAFSA forms, then they advise
them on sticking with their initial
goal of college graduation.
College Bound just graduated its
first class from college in May and
held a cap-and-gown event to celebrate those students achievements,
and for Baier, the stories he hears
from successful students who have
turned into successful people makes
all of the difference.
It allows me to go to work everyday with a level of joy. Even in
the frustration, I know that the
work Im doing is creating a more
equitable society, he says. I get
the opportunity to work with some
incredibly charming and intelligent
and deserving kids. Its easy to stay
motivated. It becomes more than a
job.
Roughly one hundred kids per
year are accepted
into
Budget withholds directly hurting firstgeneration college students

the program. Yet to properly serve
those students, it takes money
and funding. Currently, College
Bound receives a fairly large sum
of money from AmeriCorps, and it
holds an annual gala that this past
year brought in roughly $800,000
dollars for the organization. The
nonprofit receives other private
donations from corporations and
individuals, but state funding could
propel it to the next level.
College Bound fought for and had
carved a line item in the budget of
$450,000, but it was withheld in
July. They will now have to make
the appeal that the program has significant enough impact to warrant
hundreds of thousands of dollars
Baier foresees that an expansion of
services to other parts of the state
could easily happen with a line
item in the state budget that specifies funding for groups like College
Bound.
The group draws from poorer
students who have parents that
have not attended college, who
typically graduate college at a rate
of roughly seven to nine
percent. The students that
participate in
5 MINUTE READ
their program graduate college at
50 percent. They believe they can
get that number up to 65 percent.
A college degree also brings with
it multiple benefits, especially economically. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that a college degree
typically leads to better pay and a
lower unemployment rate. Baier
says it also comes with collateral
benefits.
Students that have higher education are healthier, they do not
go to jail as frequently, they vote
more often. All of the indicators
you look at for an engaged citizenry are there, he says. Education in
my mind is the wisest investment a
state can make in its own economic
viability because youre removing
people that might have been blanks
on the taxpaying side.
It remains to be seen whether
or not College Bound can retain a
small chunk of the FY 2018 budget,
but their plight only highlights one
of dozens, if not hundreds, of organizations, both within and outside
of government around the state that
also want a piece of the pie.
PHOTO/SUBMITTED
OPINION
TOP 10 REASONS WHY OVER 90%
OF LEGISLATION FAILS
Irl Scissors
Gateway Government Relations
1. Legislation does not have the votes.
Gateway works closely with legislative leaders to educate and inform
members regarding client issues, building long-term relationships
and successful coalitions of support.
2. Legislative sponsor not chosen correctly.
Gateway uses its vast network, working with political leaders of all
parties to strategically seek out legislative leaders who are the most
effective policy makers.
3. Legislation stuck in the process.
Gateway relies on its expertise of the political process closely monitors and advocates making sure client issues are addressed.
4. Legislation incorrectly drafted.
Gateway works closely with legislative researchers to make sure legislation says what it is supposed to say.
5. Legislation absorbed by larger omnibus bill that stalls.
Gateway works with legislative leaders to make sure client issues
addressed in legislation have multiple avenues for success.
6. Time runs out.
Gateway works closely with clients and legislators to educate and
advocate well in advance of any actual legislative session, mapping
out strategies and goals at the most advanced opportunity.
7. If a tree falls
Some bills go unnoticed or inadequate attention is given to certain issues. At Gateway, we fight to make sure client issues become priority
legislative matters.
8. Fear and dissuasion regarding pay-to-play.
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significant resources at your disposal, then you cannot compete. Not
true. At Gateway, we advocate for clients, large and small. Regardless
of your sphere of influence, we consider your issue a priority and that
is how we approach our advocacy.
9. Education, education, education.
Most bills do not see the light of day because legislators are not
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understandable information for them to process.
10. Timing is everything.
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39
www.hahnodaniel.com
FUEL OF THE FUTURE

BENJAMIN PETERS
THE MISSOURI TIMES
The Missouri Soybean Association has come a long way in 50

years.
2016 marks the 50th anniversary for the organization, and since
its inception, their goal has always
been the same: to advocate for the
soybean industry, a major cash crop
for farmers and a multi-billion dollar business. Missouri is currently
the second largest producer of biodiesel in the nation
The organization is also a significant political player, as they endorse state officials and make contributions through a political action
committee.
But things have not always been
easy for the MSA. Just a few years
ago, the MSA was in the midst of a
complete overhaul of their organizations structure. Several people
resigned or were let go as part of
a major shakeup and the changes
went all of the way to the top.
40
Fast forward two years, and now

the organization is thriving under
the leadership of Executive Director/CEO Gary Wheeler, who took
over in April 2014.
And one of the major focuses for
the organization now is finding a
way to make biodiesel fuels more
available to Missourians.
Missouri's soybean organization
has been a national leader in developing soy-based fuel used in diesel
vehicles since the inception of the
idea. Missouri soybean farmers first
funded research into biodiesel in
the early 90s, partnering with the
University of Missouri.
They got the idea from some research that was being done in Germany on rapeseed oil, Christine
Tew, the communications director
for the Missouri Soybean Association, said. Farmers invested in that
early research as way to find a use
for soybean oil. Prior to that, soybean oil was used to control dust on
gravel roads.
Through the soybean checkoff,
farmers continue to invest in research, working on policy to help

get the fuel recognized by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), to set up testing protocols, distribution networks, and
everything that comes with establishing a new industry.
In 2002, the Missouri Qualified
Biodiesel Producer Incentive Fund
was established, and that provided
some funding opportunities for the
biodiesel industry, specifically biodiesel plants, Tew said.
The MSA played a major role in
getting farmers to help start the
first biodiesel fuel plant in Missouri,
Mid-America Biofuels, which was
built in Mexico, Mo. in 2006.
Now, the Show Me State boasts
eight biodiesel plants in the state
and creates nearly 200 million
gallons of biodiesel fuels from soybeans every year.
A lot of our biodiesel gets exported to other states, and thats
something that were really looking
at how we make biodiesel avail-
able to consumers in the state, Tew

said. Right now, weve got less than
20 fuel stations where a consumer
can go and buy biodiesel for their
vehicle. We produce 200 million
gallons of this clean, local renewable fuel that has great benefits for
air quality and sustainability, and
thats the only places you can buy
it.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were roughly 115,000
gas stations in 2012. Out of that,
Missouri has a total of 18 gas stations in the state which offer biodiesel as a purchasing option.
Tew says that their goal is to get
Missourians to look at soybeans
as an alternative fuel source, and
to see the benefits of switching to
biodiesel. They estimate that Missouri would create 86 percent fewer
greenhouse gases and reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 67 percent
by using biodiesel. The MSA says
the lower emission levels for biodiesel would be the equivalent of
taking two million cars off the road
Missouri soybeans look to replace diesel

every year.
In addition to that, they say the
economic benefits would be great
as well. Tew says that biodiesel supports nearly 2,500 jobs in Missouri,
and has created $1.7 billion in value
added benefits to the states GDP
since 2007.
One group of Missourians looks
to receive the most benefits from
biodiesel: farmers. An increased
demand for biodiesel would mean
increased demand for soybean oil,
and in turn, would require more
soybean crops to be planted. The
MSA estimates that biodiesel adds
more than a 15 percent increase per
bushel to the farmers bottom line.
It also means that in the effort to
create the soybean oil, there would
be more soybean meal, the leftovers
after the oil is extracted. The oil accounts for about 20 percent of the
soybean.
That, in turn, would mean more
soybean meal on the market, which
would lead to lower prices for farmers seeking to feed their livestock
with it.
But the difficulty is that there
isnt much of a demand for biodiesel
in Missouri. Many fuel stations are
yet to make the switch to biodiesel
because it would require the usage
of their current tanks and pumps,
or the installation of new ones. So,
the demand has to come from the
customers. Thats where Tew says
the MSA has to focus their efforts:
creating the demand, dispelling the
myths, and building the network.
She says there are plenty of reasons
to use biodiesel fuel if you can.
The idea that biodiesel is something that doesnt have quality
standards, or isnt tested thats
an education hurdle that we have
to clear, Tew said. This is a priority area for us going forward. Its
approved by all of the major engine
manufacturers. If you have diesel
engine, biodiesel blends do not violate your warranty, or require any
special treatment. Weve got a great
testing protocol with the Missouri
Department of Agriculture, and all
of it meets the highest quality standards.

One way the MSA is looking to
educate people about biodiesel is
by putting their money where their
mouth is: the organization has purchased a pair of 2014 Chevy Cruzes,
both of which run on the biodiesel
fuel. The University of Missouri is
also promoting the usage of biodiesel with the football teams equipment truck. TrumanOne, a Peterbilt
Model 579 truck, is supplied by a
homegrown Missouri trucking company and fueled by biodiesel made
in Missouri.
Tew says they have had meetings
with fuel suppliers and farmers, as
well as offered training to mechanics and colleges. She says that is the
top priority for the MSA to further
the biodiesel initiative.
Well do meetings around the
state this winter; January and February are a big time for us for meetings, since harvest is done. Were
working with retailers to make sure
they and their staffs have the infor-
mation, but we also need consumers to ask for it. Its a little bit of a
chicken and egg situation in terms
of supply and demand, she said.
Tew says the main struggle is getting people to make the change.
Change can be tough for everyone. Missouri doesnt have a mandate, or anything that requires a
retailer to carry biodiesel, so its up
to the free market, she said. Looking ahead, the big opportunity is to
grow our distribution and make this
available to people.
41
ARTICLE X, SECTION 26 No new sales tax on services
the obvious - car repair, haircuts,

ticeable, according to Sebree. He
and doctors visits - to more comviewed the measure as more of a
plex acts which could be legally inpre-emptive strike on a tax war that
terpreted as services. Advertising,
could come.
John Sebree, the CEO of Misbanking, and real-estate commisBecause it was to rule out
souri Realtors, had a good night on
sions could also be regarded as sersomething that isnt currently hapNov. 8. Among all the other historic
vices if a particularly enterprising
pening, the fast answer is nothing
happenings that night, his organigovernment body interpreted it as
should happen, he said, adding the
zations baby, Amendment 4 had
such.
amendment is a clear mandate to
passed by a convincing margin after
Service sales tax laws have gone
state bureaucrats and policymakers
a relatively under-the-radar caminto effect in North Carolina and
about the directions they may look
paign. Sebree said the moment he
Washington, and other states have
for new revenue.
saw it projected to win was surreal.
heard proposals on such measures.
Scott Charton served as the priThere was so much attention
No such wide-sweeping legislamary spokesperson for Missourians
on the presidential race, on our
tion has emerged in Missouri, even
for Fair Taxation, the organization
US Senate race, our gubernatorial
though the state does have a few
who championed Amendment 4
race, Sebree said. With all of these
specific instances of services which
into the states guiding document.
other high-profile races, the burden
are applicable
to tax already. Among WITH
He noted that the Missouri Departof getting the message
out and eduGROWING
MISSOURIS
ECONOMY
those services that can be taxed are
ment of Revenue had gone out of
cating the public was especially difSMARTER
ENERGY
INFRASTRUCTURE
mandatory
gratuity at restaurants
its way to begin taxing some serficult. When you have
that kind of
for tables with large parties, advices by reinterpreting existing law.
environment, its tough to know if
Theyoure
electric
grid is thewith
backbone
of our economy.
is the time
to update Missouris
mission Now
to sports,
entertainment
Sen. WIll Kraus passed a bill last
connecting
the voters.
and
recreation
facilities
like
theme
regarding one of those inBut
they
apparently
did
as
their
century-old regulations that are holding us back. Working together, we can spursession
economic
parks and stadiums, and rooms, stances, when the DOR began taxconstitutional amendment won just
development
Missouri
will benefitor
our customers.
foodstronger
or drinksgrid
soldthat
at restaurants
ing instructional classes arbitrarily.
a hair overin57
percentas
ofwe
thebuild
vote.a smarter,
hotels
(which
can
be
construed
as
a
Those instances figured into CharIt was incredible, Sebree said.
tons work on the campaign trail.
So what will the amendment do? service, not a good).
It is unclear exactly what the new
We talked about the department
In fairly plain language, it prohibits
constitutional amendment means
of revenue going out on its own ineither the state legislature or any
for these specific instances, but if
terpreting existing laws to include
body within the executive branch
the law acts as expected, its immecertain services. That should stop,
from instituting a sales tax on a
diate impact should hardly be nohe said. Whether bureaucrats are
service. Those services range from
TRAVIS ZIMPFER
THE MISSOURI TIMES
4 MINUTE READ
listening and paying attention: time
will tell.
While opponents to the measure
voiced concern that this amendment would tie the hands of future
legislators and governors administrations, Charton said regardless,
the solution was not to tax services
and that the state should maximize
its collection on goods if it wants to
see a revenue increase.
It does not shut off any revenue
source, Charton said. We should
maximize the collections that are
legally allowed now.
Sebree argued that funds simply
need to be spent more wisely on essentials like education, law enforcement and first responders.
Typically what the public believes is they pay a certain amount
of money in taxes and the government should be able to exist on
that, he said. They should be
using that money for its intended
purpose. We should be looking if
were paying the taxpayers funds
correctly.
The amendment went into effect.
Dec. 7.
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ARTICLE VIII, SECTION 23 Campaign finance reform
7 MINUTE READ
BENJAMIN PETERS
THE MISSOURI TIMES
The 2016 General Election featured several candidates running
as outsiders, priding themselves on
their distance from the political machines of the two major parties. One
of the strongest rallying cries from
a number of Republican candidates
was the promise to clean up Jefferson City, leading a surge of red and
taking over control of the Show Me
State.
Gov.-elect Eric Greitens referenced corrupt career politicians
numerous times in his bid for
Missouris highest office. The newly-elected governor says career
politicians have turned Jefferson
City into a corrupt, do-nothing
embarrassment and vowed to put
a ban on lobbyist gifts and place
term-limits on every statewide
elected official.
The website for Josh Hawley,
Missouris next attorney general,
also ran on the platform of cleaning
up politics, saying politicians have
delivered failure, embarrassment
and gridlock, trading favors with
special interests rather than standing up for the people of Missouri
Its time to make the political establishment clean up their act and get
our government back to serving the
people.
The accusations of crooked politics and unethical behavior at the
Capitol stem from a number of
issues inside the statehouse in recent times, including two sexually
charged scandals with interns in
2015, hundreds of thousands of dollars in lobbyist gifts and record-high
campaign contributions.
Following the events of 2015, the
General Assembly vowed to work
on ethics reform. Since then, it has
been the center of attention for Missouri politicians in 2016, with the
House and Senate working on several attempts to pass legislation on
the issue.
Ethics bills passed through the
Missouri House with little effort,
but stalled in the Senate, where
opponents of the measures became
bogged down with cuts before being
killed on the floor.

The end result was a six-month
cooling off period for lawmakers
before becoming lobbyists, a ban on
lawmakers working as political consultants while in office, and a ban on
elected officials holding onto their
campaign funds if they become lobbyists.
Throughout the election, campaign finance was a constant topic of
controversy. The 2016 election cycle
featured six- or even seven-figure
donations to campaigns in the Show
Me State, with multimillion-dollar
donations in the governors race
breaking records. Members of the
Missouri Democratic Party even
went so far as to file complaints with
the Missouri Ethics Commission,
asking for an investigation into the
Greitens campaign donors.
Missouri was just one of a handful of states with no limits on campaign contributions or lobbyist
gifts, having abolished donation
limits in 2008. But the November
passage of the Missouri State and
Judicial Campaign Contribution
Limits Initiative, also known as
Constitutional Amendment 2, put
an end to that. Voters passed the
constitutional amendment to reinstate campaign contribution limits
with a strong margin of more than
one million votes, and elected several new officials who have vowed to
put an end to corruption in the state
Capitol.
But the passing of the amendment has left many people scratching their heads and searching for
answers. They typically turn to the
Missouri Ethics Commission, who
says they have received several calls
in regard to the new amendment.
People are wanting to understand how aspects of Amendment
2 may impact what theyre doing,
especially in the campaign finance
world, James Klahr said. Klahr has
served as the executive director for
the Missouri Ethics Commission
since 2013.
He says that one question people
have been asking about is the effective date for Constitutional Amendment 2. Theres been some confusion as to when the law takes effect,
because a previous law putting

contribution limits in place took effect immediately after the election.
Klahr says thats because the last
time it passed, it was a proposition,
which goes into effect immediately.
This time, as an amendment, it goes
into effect after 30 days, or December 8th.
Another question being asked is
this: how will the new restrictions
change campaign contributions in
Missouri?
Under the new law, donors can
no longer give unlimited amounts
of money to candidates seeking
office in Missouri; instead, it puts
a $2,600 cap on donations to any
state legislative, judicial or executive office, and the limits will
increase with inflation every four
years.
In a year dominated by massive
campaign donations, the new stipulation would prevent donors from
making sizeable contributions.
It also caps donations to political
parties at $25,000 and bars corporations and labor unions from directly contributing to a campaign.
Democrat gubernatorial candidate
Chris Koster raised more than
$24 million, roughly $8.6 million
of which came from labor-related
groups.
The new amendment also puts
restrictions on political candidates
donating to another candidates
committee, makes it illegal to shuffle money between committees, and
bans candidates from accepting
money from out-of-state committees and foreign entities. The majority of contributions to the Greitens
campaign came from out-of-state.
The election limits apply to just
one election, but as the law states
that a primary election and the
following general election are separate elections, meaning the contributions apply to each individual
election. The amendment does not
affect candidates in local elections.
The reporting deadlines are still
going to be required, but Klahr says
it wouldnt be a stretch to expect
changes in the operation and execution of the law as it is interpreted
by the commission moving forward.
Some things will change. Right

now, theres a statute that says
within 48 hours of receiving a contribution of over $5,000, theres a
report that must be sent to us within 48 hours after receiving that. Of
course, thats not going to be a frequent issue anymore with the new
limits, because the new limits are
below the $5,000 mark, he said.
Im not sure day-to-day it will affect how we deal with the reporting
side of things, but I think one of the
things that is going to require the
legislature to look at is what the interaction is between Amendment 2
and our statutes.
Any entity that violates the rules
will receive a warning from the
Missouri Ethics Commission, and
have 10 days to return the funds. If
violated a second time, the person
transferring the funds will be guilty
of a Class C misdemeanor. A third
violation will result in a Class D felony.
Klahr said they are putting information on the Missouri Ethics Commissions website, and will continue
to do so in an effort to provide more
context about the amendment,
while also answering phone calls.
We also, under the statute, have
the ability to field more formal advisory opinion requests. Weve received a couple those, and I anticipate that, as the commission meets
later this year, we will be putting
those questions to the commission
for possible response. That will give
some further guidance to the regulating community.
More changes could still come,
as legislators look to return several
ethics bills to the General Assembly.
A number of ethics proposals are
expected to appear in 2017, including a ban on lobbyist gifts, a waiting period extension for lawmakers
looking to become lobbyists, a ban
on legislative staff doing paid campaign work for interest groups, a
ban on campaign donations during
the legislative session and the possibility of increasing the powers of
prosecution for the Missouri Ethics
Commission.
43
MISSOURI RIDESHARE ALLIES
PHOTO/SUBMITTED
Uber and Lyft find friends in the legislature
7 MINUTE READ
TRAVIS ZIMPFER
THE MISSOURI TIMES
Lyft has grand designs for the
future of ridesharing. It foresees a
system in which urban dwellers give
up their own cars and turn to a subscription model with Lyft drivers to
get around town or take excursions
on the weekend. It sees less congestion in major urban areas as fleets
of their companys drivers that
are part of their as people decide
whether or not they even need a car
anymore.
However, that puts the cart before the horse, and first, Lyft must
conquer a prize that it has had its
eyes on for some time - Missouri.
Although the company currently
operates in 37 states and the District of Columbia, Missouri is not
one of them anymore after the company left St. Louis and Kansas City
in 2014. Lyft says that the reason is
because Missouri does not have a
favorable regulatory environment.
However, theyre hoping to change
that this year.
We have statewide operating
rules in 35 states and the District
of Columbia, said Adrian Durbin,
a spokesman for Lyft. We look for
common sense policy proposals
that put safety first and foremost,
but also provide a framework under
which the part time nature of our
driver community allows them to
take advantage of these opportunities.
Last year when transportation
networking companies (TNC) like
Lyft and their primary market competitor and legislative ally, Uber,
set their sites on passing comprehensive statewide regulations in
Missouri, their attempts began explosively with widespread support
before quickly fizzling out in the
Senate. Bills authored by Sen. Bob
Onder and Rep. Kirk Mathews contained provisions that a few legislators in Kansas City and St. Louis
found untenable, especially a provision that would not require TNCs to
use fingerprint background checks
like the St. Louis Metropolitan
Taxicab Commission (MTC) uses.
44
Some Kansas City legislators were

incensed that TNCs had attempted
to pass statewide legislation that
would supercede an ordinance in
Kansas City. Opponents of the measure did not necessarily dislike the
idea of TNCs, but they said they
merely prioritized the safety of passengers, questioning whether or not
Uber or Lyft could effectively vet
their own drivers.
Proponents of the measure are
optimistic about the chances an
Uber bill reaches Gov.-elect Eric
Greitens desk. Onder pre-filed the
legislation and said he believed
it would be a priority in both the
House and the Senate.
I can never say what definitively
all of the priorities will be because
were going to be doing some very
big things this year, but I think
this is one of the biggest economic
development bills we could do this
session, Onder said.
Speaker Todd Richardson has
also stressed the issues importance
to him in the upcoming session.
Its one of those things thats
just a common sense level of economic freedom in addition to a service that a lot of people would like
to have access to, he said. I travel to other states and you see how
well its working there, and I think
its important we have that kind of
business to operate and thrive here
in Missouri.
Richardson added that it had
a public safety benefit by keeping
drunk drivers off of the road.
Although Lyft does not operate
in the state, Uber has taken some
steps to make its case to Missourians. It began service in Springfield
in November after the Springfield
City Council approved of an Uberbacked ordinance that left background checks to the TNCs. Uber
spokesman Bobby Kellman said
that Missouri should use that legislation as a model going forward.
"Every Missourian should have
access to safe, reliable and affordable transportation options and
opportunities to earn a living with
greater flexibility," Uber spokesman
Bobby Kellman said.

Uber also began service in St.
Louis last year, but they did so to
much controversy. After the St.
Louis MTC voted Sept. 18, 2015 to
mandate fingerprint background
checks and the requirement of a
chauffeur's license for TNC drivers,
Uber simply started offering their
UberX service in the city the same
day. Uber also filed an antitrust
lawsuit against the St. Louis MTC
that day as well, which is still pending. The MTC even said in May that
they would ticket Uber drivers in St.
Louis.
Jane Dueker, a St. Louis attorney, stressed that the MTC wants
parity for all ride-for-hire companies, regardless of the precise business model.
Right now, Uber is operating illegally, she said. They dont have
any capital investment, they dont
have cars, they dont pay taxes,
so theyre clearly at a competitive
advantage. From the cabbies perspective, statewide standards are
not necessarily a problem as long as
theres not a competitive advantage
for ride sharers vs. other vehicles
for hire.
However, Onder called the taxicab commission a primary obstacle
to Uber for wanting to keep competition out at the cost of the consumer and at the expense of seeing
a valuable service come to market.
He believes that Uber is inevitable
and that waiting only puts Missouri
further behind other states.
Its going to happen, and [the
MTC] needs to do some things to
adapt their own business model to
the 21st century, Onder said.
In St. Louis and Kansas City,
many lawmakers and advocates
have criticized Ubers unwillingness
to play nice and work towards compromise.
Uber wants to do business, but
they only want to do it on their
terms, Rep. Kevin Corlew told the
Kansas City Star in May. On the
floor during debate over the bill,
he expanded on his remarks. I
am not against innovation. I think
its a wonderful service that theyve

got and I think it provides a great
means of using technology. However, just because something is innovative doesnt mean we completely
forget safety regulations and dont
try to provide as much safety as
possible.
Dueker succinctly agreed with
Corlews perspective.
Most people who negotiate with
Uber feel theres not a whole lot of
negotiating, she said. They basically say this is our way or the highway.
That mentality led to efforts
for both Uber and Lyft to abruptly leave Austin after voters in the
Texas city struck down an initiative sponsored by the two TNCs
that would replace regulations set
on ridesharing companies by the
Austin city government. Among
the changes, Proposition 1 stated
TNCs would not have to undergo
FBI fingerprint background checks
for their drivers. When it failed by
nearly 10,000 votes, the two companies quickly ceased all business
in the city, though other ridesharing companies willing to adhere to
those rules have sprung up in their
absence. However, Uber has shown
interest in going back to the city
with a new public affairs manager
for Austin City Hall.
Lyft has done something similar
in Missouri, while Uber has taken
a different track and, in the case of
St. Louis, it has defied and largely
ignored regulations meant to bind
it. Yet, they are hoping the new legislation offered this year means they
can operate legally within the state,
especially since that means access
to St. Louis and Kansas City.
Missouri has two of the largest
markets in the country that dont
have traditional ridesharing including Lyft, Durbin said. We would
love for that to change this year and
will work as hard as possible to ensure it does.
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45
ERIC GREITENS
YOURS IN SERVICE
RACHAEL HERNDON DUNN
THE MISSOURI TIMES
As a token of appreciation for the
relentless dedication of law enforcement around the state, Eric Greitens has had one clear resounding
message: he has their backs.
When tragedy struck Ballwin in
late July, then-Republican primary candidate for governor Greitens
penned a 2,200-plus word letter
released on July 20 simply titled
Tragedy. In the letter, he declared
the weeks before the shooting of
Ballwin Officer Michael Flamion as
the worst loss of life for our police
officers since September 11, 2001.
A few months later, Officer Blake
Snyder of the St. Louis County Police Department was killed while he
and his partner responded to a disturbance.
Ambush attacks have become
both a danger and a reality for those
who put on the uniform in the United States.
The National Law Enforcement
Memorial (NLEM) says officer fatalities are up 21 percent from last
year, and the fatal shooting of police
officers is up 68 percent. Sixty-four
of the nations 137 police deaths this
year were related to firearms. On
average, the NLEM says one law enforcement officer is killed in the line
of duty somewhere in the United
States every 61 hours.
Texas leads the nation with 18
record law enforcement deaths in
2016, as Dallas became the site of a
deadly attack in July, which claimed
the lives of five officers. Another six
officers were shot in an attack in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, three of
whom died. Missouri has seen two
officers killed in the line of duty
in 2016, as well as several injured
during attacks.
46
"Sheena and my prayers are

with their families and with all law
enforcement officers who step out
to do dangerous work for us every
day, he wrote. We have your back.
Always. These men and women go
out each day and night to do their
job. They say goodbye to their familiesas tens of thousands of officers
doto protect all of us. And they go
to protect the constitutional rights
of otherseven as many protest
against them.
When two more officers were
shot on each side of Missouri on
November 20, Greitens quickly announced his first specific policy initiative - calling on the legislature to
establish a Blue Alert system. The
Blue Alert system, set up similarly
to Amber and Silver Alerts, would
send out emergency notices to
speed up the capture of anyone who
shoots a police officer.
Twenty-seven other states have
such a system in place, and it is time
Missouri do the same.
After visiting one of the victims
at a hospital in St. Louis just hours
after the attack, Greitens released
a statement that Monday ensuring
that he would work as governor to
ensure the protection of those in
law enforcement.
We must stand up for those who
stand guard for us, Greitens wrote.
In the year ahead, my administration will push for the strictest possible punishments for anyone who
assaults a police officer.
On December 12, as paralyzed
Officer Michael Flamion was scheduled to be presented with the Law
Enforcement Purple Heart and
Medal of Valor, Greitens declared
Flamion a hero, applauding his
years of service and again echoing
his consistent call to action for Missouri to have the backs of law enforcement.
He called on citizens to act in the

July letter, stating politicians "have
failed citizens and "the media
would move on. His 6-point callto-action for Missourians included
prayer, thankfulness, engagement,
donation, studying - including reading the Constitution and the Letter
from a Birmingham Jail - and participating in a ride-along. Greitens'
letter promised things can change.
On December 13, Rep. Shamed
Dogan, R-Ballwin, announced he
would be pre-filing a bill to establish a Blue Alert system.
The goal is to put this vital information in the hands of our police
officers and the public as quickly as
possible so that these criminals can
be brought to justice, said Dogan.
We have seen far too much violence directed against the men and
women who protect and serve our
communities, including the heinous
attack on Ballwin Officer Michael
Flamion in my district and the murder of St. Louis County Officer Blake
Snyder. Its important that we send
a strong message that we will not
tolerate crimes directed at our law
enforcement community.
Greitens has continued to not
only call for action from the legislature, but to consistently focus public appearances and releases on the
support he and his administration
will offer law enforcement.
"In the face of this violence, we
must take action, Greitens said on
November 20. "We must stand up
for those who stand guard for us. In
the year ahead, my administration
will push for the strictest possible
punishments for anyone who assaults a police officer.
Less than two weeks later, pre-filing from the legislature opened and
bills were quickly filed by Sen. Doug
Libla, R-Poplar Bluff; Rep. Marsha
Haefner, R-St. Louis; and Rep.-
elect Nick Schroer, R-OFallon, to

declare an assault on a member of
law enforcement as a hate crime.
"I have talked with Speaker Richardson, and he has given me his full
support and says he will move this
bill, Haefner said. "I know there
will probably be other similar bills
filed, but he said he would give it
attention, and I believe this is important to Gov.-elect Greitens, too."
When asked if she anticipated
the Gov.-elect cracking down on
crimes against law enforcement,
Haefner said, "I hope so, and I think
it's about time."
In an unexpected turn, Greitens
wife, Sheena - an assistant professor of comparative politics at the
University of Missouri - was robbed
at gunpoint not far from the Greitens home in the Central West End
of St. Louis on December 5. The
robbery was carried out by three
young men - two minors - who stole
Sheenas phone and laptop. Greitens released information saying
the law enforcement response was
swift and skilledand we thank
God for their presence tonight.
"I have spoken in the past about
the importance of public safety.
About the need to take care of the
men and women of law enforcement who have our backs. About
the danger too many Missourians
feel walking in their neighborhoods
at night, or taking their kids to
school, or going to the grocery store.
"If tonight's incident has done
anything, it has only served to
strengthen myand our family's
resolve. We are, now more than
ever, committed to the law enforcement officials who were by Sheena's
side within minutes. We are, now
more than ever, disturbed by the
violence and chaos in our communities. And we are, now more than
ever, focused on the mission of cre-
VICTORY REMARKS
ERIC GREITENS
GOVERNOR-ELECT
NOVEMBER 9, 2016
PHOTO/MEDIA RELEASE
ating safer neighborhoods for all of

our families and all of our children.
Greitens displayed great humanity in his press conference the next
day, addressing the robbery.
My first thought as a husband
was for my wifes safety. My second
thought was for justice. And Im
glad these men of law enforcement
found these young men before I
did, he said. These young men victimized many people last night, and
they need to face the justice system
for what they did.
Greitens also said his thoughts
turned to the boys involved in the
crimes and to their families.
As a father, I know that for these
young men, their lives also changed
and I feel for their families, he said.
Faith teaches us that we must forgive. And thats what Sheena and I
plan to do.
We want those young men to
know that today, we want their families to know that today, he continued, his voice cracking. I plan to sit
down with their mothers and their
families to discuss what we can do
together to make sure that every
family and every community in the
state of Missouri knows that they
can go home at night, look at their
kids, and know they will be safe.
The newly-elected governor has
vowed to increase public safety in
the coming months, as both he and
his wife said the events of the previous night only highlighted what is
an increasing concern all across the
state.
Law and order must prevail. It
must prevail in all of our communities, he said. But I also recognize that we have a choice to make
here in the state of Missouri. If we
continue down our current path, it
will continue to lead to more disorder, more lawlessness, more chaos,
people living farther and farther
apart from each other, divided by

fear. This has strengthened my belief that we must do different in the
state of Missouri.
Days later, Greitens stood with
police chiefs (pictured, above) from
around the state for their annual
conference in Jefferson City, further
reaffirming his commitment.
"I stand ready to work with all of
you, and every one of the men and
women who serve in your communities, to make sure that the officers
who are on the front lines know that
they have strong leadership all the
way up to the governor's office,
Greitens told fall conference. "For
too long, career politicians have
only supported law enforcement
when it was convenient. And when
a media story ran in the wrong direction and the politics turned,
they were abandoned. I want you to
know that ends with me.
In addition to calling for legislation, Greitens will have other opportunities in his new capacity to
support law enforcement, including
making new appointments to state
boards relating to law enforcement
- many of which have vacancies or
members will soon or long expired
terms.
"To those in law enforcement:
We have your backs, and were going to fight for you, Greitens wrote
on November 21. "Always.
The heartfelt promise marks
when the governor-elect followed
through with a subtle change in his
messaging, beginning to sign emails
with: Yours in Service, Eric Greitens.
Benjamin Peters and Travis
Zimpfer contributed to this story.
We did it! We did it because of your incredible

dedication and devotion, your heart and hard work.
Sheena and I thank all of you. Thank you for your
faith, your prayers, your hard work, your courage, and
your sacrifice. Thank you for having our back.
Around this state, thousands of you joined us in a
grassroots campaigna movement that hasnt been
seen in Missouri for generations. There were law
enforcement officers and first responders who brought
their friends and family out and made thousands of
phone calls. High school students who woke up before
the sun rose to put up campaign signs. And so many
strong veterans around the state who stood beside us.
This campaign reminded us that great teams can be
formed out of great struggle. All of us on this campaign
knew how much was at stake. We knew how many
people were counting on us. That mission gave us clarity
and courage. That shared purpose gave us strength.
Our mission wasand isto create a stronger
Missouri, to take this state in a new and better direction.
And we are going to work to make sure we bring more
jobs, higher pay, safer streets, and better schools to our
state.
What we earned yesterday is something sacred:
the privilege to serve. As your Governor, I intend to
be a servant-leader. As citizens, we all need to serve
alongside and for each other. Now we must take all of
this energy, all of this compassion, all of this courage
and use it to build a Missouri we can be proud to pass
on to our kids and grandkids.
Sheena and I are honored, humbled, and inspired to
be on this journey with you.
Almost three thousand years ago, the poet Homer
wrote the story of an ancient warrior named Odysseus.
His war was over, and Odysseus and his crew faced a
difficult journey home. Thinking of the obstacles and
the uncertainty ahead, they said: We will endure it,
keeping a stubborn spirit inside us. We have done
much hard work on the waves and in the fighting. Now,
let this adventure begin.
47
AN INTERVIEW WITH A GOVERNOR

With Gov. Jay Nixon leaving office,
Missouri will lose a public servant
that has worked in the Capitol for
nearly three decades. After Missouri Southern State University named
a new building after him, he spoke
in November to Missouri Times
publisher Scott Faughn on This
Week in Missouri Politics to discuss
his last eight years as the chief executive of the Show Me State and
about elections that finally seemed
to have cemented Missouris status
as a red state.
Scott Faughn: Youre somebody
who has ran for governor of Missouri, overwhelmingly elected - twice.
Youre from Jefferson County. I
think you might be a unique person
to have served in government but
be from an area that understands a
Trump voter. Why did he win and
what are your thoughts on that?
Gov. Jay Nixon: First of all, he hit
a nerve, a clear nerve, a populist,
outsider nerve, both in the primary on the Republican side and in
the general election, and second, I
think Missourians never warmed up
to Secretary Clinton. It was never a
race in which she was making progress, and so we always knew the Republican was going to have a wide
avenue to run in Missouri with her
as our candidate.
Faughn: You were able to run
with a president who didnt do well
in Missouri in 2012, and you won
and flipped that. Why do you think
Trump had more coattails at this
time?
Nixon: Im not quite sure what you
48
mean by coattails, but the folks that

got elected statewide Republicans
got far fewer votes than he did, the
governor 51 percent, the senator
less than that, so I think it was more
of a Trump move than a partisan
move. I worked really hard, I know
the state well, Im not going to say
anything to be derogatory to anyone else running I think the people
of the state of Missouri knew me,
they knew I worked in the middle,
they knew I was able to bring people
together, they saw my 16 years as
attorney general where I fought for
them each and every day. Then after the first term as governor - that
after the pressure was on and things
needed to be handled, whether it
was a fiscal crisis or a tornado in Joplin - that they had somebody that
was willing to bring people together
and lead.
Faughn: It looks like we saw a little
bit about that this week. What did
you think about him, what did you
think of his campaign?
Nixon: When youre in this job, the
campaigns seem stunningly simplistic. The message field you deal
with and responsibilities you deal
with are much broader than clips
and sound bites. As we begin the
process, trying to make sure that he
is a capable and intelligent fellow,
understands the breadth of the office and that were really open with
moving forward with him to maintain fiscal discipline to keep the
progress on things were involved in
and to make sure he has the information he needs to make the decisions over the next few years to keep
this state moving forward.
Faughn: You strike me as somebody that if Eric Greitens has a

question in March, something hes
never seen, youll take his phone
call.
Nixon: Ive really been helped by
former governors, especially Gov.
Bond. He had that recession - 8182 - that was kind of similar in a
way. Ours was a little bigger when
it came in, but the same kind of
structure. Kit was really helpful in
that regard and gave me some good
advice and some strength to make
decisions and make them quickly.
When you have budget problems,
you have to solve those problems
early. And the legislatures not going to solve those problems, all the
legislature does is pass the budget
authorization. The Governor balances the budget. The constitution
gives you that responsibility, and
so you have to make those choices,
and as a former governor, as I said
to Gov.-elect Greitens, You and
I are going to be in the same time
sometime soon, former governors.
Its going to come faster than you
think.
Faughn: Whats the day youre
most proud of?
Nixon: In an odd way, when school
started in Joplin on Aug. 17 after
that tornado. We had 98 percent
of the kids show back up. I was
really fearful that you could lose a
town. When you have 7,500 houses
gone, 161 people dead, 1,100 people injured, 11,000 cars gone, nine
schools and youre able to retrofit a
11 MINUTE READ
high school into a mall in 54 days,
youre able to build a middle school
in an old factory, but most importantly, the people stayed and they
had confidence the future of their
community was going to be strong.
As I sat there with the principals
and everyone else, literally getting
accounts from each of the various
middle schools and elementary
schools and seeing 96, 97, 98 percent [attendance], and comparing
that to Greenwood, Kansas where
fewer that 20 percent of people still
live in that town after that tornado,
that was a moment where I felt like
everybody tried really hard together. I was able to marshal some resources and work with the will and
spirit of Missourians and in a lot of
ways, that town was saved.
Faughn: As an outstate person,
it looked like you personally cared
about bringing Joplin back.
Nixon: Absolutely, when you have
that much loss, we had 105 law enforcement agencies working under
unified command down there I
gave the graduation speech at Missouri Southern on that Saturday,
and then Sunday is when the tornado happened and when I got back
there, that same room I gave the
speech in had 450 people on cots
that had been injured and while I
was there the sirens went off for the
next tornado and we had to evacuate that place. The things you remember about it, the happiness of
a graduation met by disaster. I was
there for 10 of the first 11 days, we
set up a permanent resource center
and marshaled resources and got it
done.
Faughn: Let me ask you about a
day you would like to have back,
give me a decision you would like
to have another bite at the apple on.
Nixon: I continue to believe if you
look at some of the bills on the
fiscal side that theyre getting a little loose. Some of these tax breaks
they continue to pass, whether its
the retroactive one this year for ag
or a special tax break for the tax
company in Kansas City. These special interest tax breaks Also 509,
I dont think that Kansas-style tax
cut of saying were going to give you
a break on LLC money has created
jobs in Kansas City, I think its instead had people go to their accountants and say, How do I move my
income in a way so that it doesnt
have tax. I think it hasnt worked in
Kansas, and even though its a little
smaller here and it will begin to go
into effect, I dont think thats good
policy. If youre going to get rid of
taxes, the way I have - getting rid of
the franchise tax, getting rid of the
tax on veterans, making sure were
keeping taxes low. I think Democrats have held the line on taxes and
cut taxes - I dont think that is the
way to cut taxes and long-range, I
think thats going to make it very
difficult to fund the necessary services that can move the state forward.
Faughn: Some folks look to Kansas and say they havent cut a lot of
spending and that seems to be part
of the problem. Theyve cut taxes,
they havent cut the spending part.
Nixon: Well, we did. Back when
the first part of this happened, the
House passes a big budget and we
got to the Senate, we got serious. We
had to cut more after that, but Ill be

forever thankful to Rob Mayer for
being a real statesman in a difficult
time for his state and standing up
and standing with us to make sure
that budget got a lot closer. Now,
the economy kept going down and I
had to take more out of it, but I really appreciate the statesmanship and
the knowledge which he showed. I
went up to the Senate as the bill was
being finished that day and I waited
on the side gallery to thank him on
behalf of Missourians for the work
hed done.
I think we got serious about cutting
the budget. We now have 5,100 fewer employees, we have basically $1.5
billion less. That first year, I had to
restrict 7 different times. Eleven
states have had their credit rating
drop and ours has stayed at the top
of the country.
Faughn: Campaign finance, youve
been outspoken on it. Youre someone that maybe the last time you
manage a divided government for
some time in this state Youve ran
on the system of limits and without
limits. Whatre the differences and
which ones better?
Nixon: I believe limits to candidate committees are important
themselves. I went to the United
States Supreme Court and argued
that case personally and we won it
6-3. I understand theres going to
be money in politics, I understand
theres going to be independent expenditures and coordinated expenditures, but I believe that the candidate committees should have limits
because what happens if you dont
is two things: huge checks and corrosive effects of directing two candidates to money as opposed to coor-
dinated party expenditures or what

not, and secondarily candidates get
a little lazy. Instead of going out and
raising $25 or $50 or $100, they
just get wired transferred $40,000
out of some leadership PAC and
they dont have to do the hard work.
As governor, theres been a number
of times where Ive been surprised
when a local candidate didnt know
about his home district as much as
I did. If you have to go out and do
that sort of stuff, raise that money and make those connections in
your local community when youre
running, thats a positive part of
democracy. Money is involved in
politics, I just think those candidate committees are different and
should be treated differently. Im
not here saying moneys not going
to be in politics and all of this sort
of stuff, but I do think that limiting
the contributions to those committees is a very important part of our
process.
Faughn: You know, its interesting thing, I worked in politics under limits and you go to the golf
tournaments in a reps district and
youd see the car dealer and the insurance company, and that means
that legislator had to call them and
talk to them about what they cared
about and ask if they would sponsor a hole. Now you see lobbyist
signs. You dont see a lot of those
local businesses writing those $200
checks, and it means they havent
had to talk to them a lot you lose
contact.
a day and my donor base grew up

to tens of thousands, not by the
internet, but by real people. And
boy, they tell you stuff. They really
do. Politics is the exact opposite of
plumbing: When a plumber comes
to your house and fixes something,
you pay him and you never want
to see him again. But if a politician
comes and you give him 25 bucks,
you get more invested and interested in what their future is.
People that actually give something,
whether its time, put up a sign or
put a bumper sticker on or a small
check, they become more invested
in the system. They become more
invested in the candidate and democracy as a whole. If they think
the system is rigged or controlled
by a few smart people, a few rich
people, theyre much more cynical
about the democracy that is so important for our country.
Faughn: Will Missourians ever
have the chance to vote for you
again?
Nixon: I dont think Im going
to run here for office again. Once
youve been governor, what other
job is there? Thirty years of working, and they put you on the day
shift. Ive had the chance to serve
as a senator, to be attorney general,
to argue before the Supreme Court,
to be governor Getting out with
my integrity and some portion of
my sense of humor intact, the First
Lady and I are ready for the next
chapter.
Nixon: Even when I ran for governor, we did things called 5Ks. Every
weekend we would go out and do
$25, $50 head events and 5K was
our goal - to raise $5,000 in small
increments. We did three or four
49
KINDER
DEPARTS
THE SECOND FLOOR

TRAVIS ZIMPFER
THE MISSOURI TIMES
When Sen. Peter Kinder first
came to Jefferson City to represent
Cape Girardeau in 1992, he recalls it
as a much different place than it is
today. For one, people in town drink
a lot less today than they did years
ago, and the culture of debauchery
still often emphasized has diminished considerably.
Theres a popular perception
that I think is a misconception that
its all parties every night, he says.
Im here to tell you its a small fraction of what it used to be.
Colors have changed too, now
that he ends his 12-year tenure as
the states lieutenant governor and
a 24-year career in the Missouri
Capitol. His hair, once a graying
blond, has become a shocking, almost trademark shade of white. The
states color, meanwhile, has shifted
from a nearly solid slate of blue to
purple to a deep crimson at all levels
of government as Republicans have
cemented their status as the majority party in the state. Kinder served
as one of the primary instigators of
the states shift into a red hue.
Pam Dixon, a longtime friend
and campaign manager says that
stems from a deep belief in rightwing values like self-subsistence,
limited government and Christian
values.
Hes conservative to the core,
she says. Its a part of who he is. A
lot of people get into politics to promote themselves, where with Peter,
it was always about moving the conservative agenda. He cares so much
more about conservative policies
being in place than whats good for
his political career.
50
His conservatism and involvement in Republican politics started

at a relatively early age for a family
that was decidedly non-politically
active, though still influential. His
father, James Kinder, was a pediatrician so revered in Cape Girardeau
that Southeast Missouri Hospital
named their pediatric wing after
him when he died. He still enjoys
a close relationship with his three
brothers. Kinder also knew Rush
Limbaugh growing up as their
mothers were best friends.
Kinders political career began
when he campaigned for then-Attorney General Jack Danforth just
after he finished high school, and he
managed Congressman Bill Emersons campaign against incumbent
Congressman Bill Burlison in 1980.
He worked on Emersons staff in
Washington D.C. for a few years before returning to Missouri.
After working as an attorney and
editorialist for a time, he ran on his
conservative principles and came to
Jefferson City and helped transform
it into a haven for conservative politicians.
I grew up in a Missouri in which
the only election that matter was
the August Democratic primary,
he says. We did not win statewide
offices, then along came Jack Danforth and Kit Bond. We began to
win without standing candidates,
but we still couldnt break through
at the legislative level.
Yet, Kinder and other conservatives found that most Democratic
areas of the state, especially in rural
areas, still had socially conservative
values. Kinder and other Republicans increased their messages on a
platform emphasizing gun rights,
anti-abortion policies, low taxes
and limited government regulation

- driven by Kinder.
He has such a pulse on the conservative base, he knew if an issue
would be important or not, Dixon
says. It resonated with him so it
would resonate with other members
of the base.
Public
Service
Commission
Commissioner Bill Kenney, another friend and former state senator,
also added that Kinder had a strong
feeling for what conservatives in
Missouri wanted in their government.
Hes a guy that is very politically astute as to whats happening on
the forefront, Kenney says. Hes a
true conservative and someone who
accomplished a lot of things.
When Republicans shifted to an
emphasis in socially conservative
ideals emphasized by strong social
conservatives like Kinder and, later
former House Speaker Catherine
Hanaway, they immediately saw
results. Since then, they have continued to chip away at Democratic
strongholds while Democrats have
been limited to more progressive
areas like St. Louis, Kansas City and
Columbia. All of those cities metropolitan areas now have significant
Republican representation.
The Democratic Party has been
almost completely cleaned out of its
pro-life legislatures and that swing
has turned into veto-proof majorities in the House and Senate, he
said. We have been moving towards much more business-friendly
and investor-friendly policies that
will endure to the benefit of Missourians.
That mission has made him one
of the leaders of the party within
the state. Joe Passanise, a longtime
Republican politico, said that oftentimes he would be tasked with making progress on tough legislative
issues like right-to-work or the fight
against partial birth abortions.
Peter has been a faithful servant to the Republican Party for
his tenure in office with his loyalty
to spreading and teaching conservatism and his approach to government, Passanise said.
When Kinder became lt. governor in 2002, he focused on making
the office more active than merely
a part-time job that oversaw and
governed the Senate. He focused
on veterans issues around the state
and worked with several charitable
causes around the state, especially
in St. Louis urban areas.
Kenney believes that shift to
making the lt. governor position
a full-time role that emphasized
service has been a massive part of
Kinders continued relevance in
state politics.
He set a precedent, Kenney
says. I dont think its going to go
back to that temporary office anymore.
During Kinders tenure, statewide offices still eluded Republicans
until the 2016 election cycle. As the
results rolled in and Republicans
claimed victory in every statewide
office race on the ballot, Kinder relished what was still a bittersweet
moment for him. He would not be
a part of the victorious Republican
revolution that for which he had
worked so hard. He had lost in the
Republican gubernatorial primary to Gov.-elect Eric Greitens and
he had finished third behind John
Brunner in August. But he remembered his many victorious elections.
I always told myself when I won,
OPINION
PHOTO/FACEBOOK
My fond farewell (really) to Peter Kinder

JEFF MAZUR
LAUNCH CODE
7 MINUTE READ
that both victory and defeat are impostors, and its never as bad as it
looks when you lose and its never
as good as it looks when you win,
Kinder says, echoing Kipling and
adding that the impetus was on the
Republican Party to move the state.
Everyone is watching us. And
theyre looking for performance.
Theyre not looking for rhetoric,
theyre looking for results. So they
need to keep one thing in mind: under-promise and over-perform.
Now, he leaves the office to Lt.
Gov.-elect Mike Parson, a well-respected legislator in both chambers.
Kinder says the transition has gone
smoothly thus far and that he has
met and spoke with the states next
second-in-command multiple times
since the election.
Whenever he asks my advice, I
tell him to hit the ground running,
Kinder says. Hes well-known in
the House and the Senate, and I
told him to trust his instincts and
I think hell make a fine lieutenant
governor.
As he gets set to leave the second
floor, Kinder says he has options
open in front of him. The 62-yearold has some opportunities available to him in the private sector that
he does not wish to disclose at this
time, but he also has contacts with
Donald Trumps transition team.
He may have a spot in that administration.
The only thing for certain is that
when February rolls around, Peter
Kinder will not work in the Capitol for the first time in 24 years.
Even though he will not physically
be there, the legacy he left and the
party he helped built will serve as a
testament to his efforts.
Its been a running joke for years

among my Missouri Democratic
political friends that wed find great
sadness when Peter Kinder no longer held office. Kinder is someone
we can chuckle at, the gag went,
while he keeps a statewide seat from
a Republican who might actually
parlay the office into a bigger and
more dangerous role.
Kinder was a safe adversary. He
was the devil we knew, one whose
tweets we could ridicule.
Now as Peter Kinders time in
public office dwindles I am struck
by a genuine (if mild) disappointment, but not for the reasons Id
previously offered as a punchline.
Kinders exit is the symbol of a sad
transition from statewide candidates defined by their longevity and
familiarity to those most notable for
their novelty, ambition, and access
to money.
We are worse for the change.
What Peter Kinder had in politics he earned with hard work over
a long period of time. Three terms
in the State Senate, more than ten
years of his time there spent in the
minority. Three terms as Lieutenant
Governor, only one concurrent with
that of a Governor who recognized
his existence. A refugee from the
pre-term limits era, Kinder served
in these inglorious roles for nearly
a quarter century.
Whether you found him to be a
steadfast crusader or a gadfly ideologue, you knew who Peter Kinder
was.
The new era is dominated by
the idea that longevity is a cancer.
We are sold on the pessimistic,
post-merit notion that anyone who
has been around long enough to be
recognizable based on shared experience is unqualified to serve longer
or in a higher role. If Kinders great
strengths of hard-won familiarity
and determined, patient careerism
are successfully cast as anathema
to democracy, we will build a world
in which people come to rule us by
swearing off the very virtues we
aim to ingrain in our own children.
Fresh faces are just a well-marketed cover for self-denial.
It is not just that Peter Kinder

was around for so long, but also
that his were campaigns built on
old school politicking rather than
the overfunded, death-from-above
adfests that are the state of the art
in statewide politics. People who
know will tell you Peter Kinder has
a relationship with everyone whos
anyone in Missouri GOP politics,
and has since before he wore glasses. Kinder works the grassroots organizations and knows the issues by
heart.
What Kinder never had was
steady access to a handful of
multi-millionaire megadonors who
could fund the media deluge necessary to break through the crowded
din of a four-way primary.
Kinder belonged to every Missouri Republican, and the big-ego
political funders of 2016 require
membership in a more exclusive
ownership group.
On money, contrast Kinder with
Josh Hawley, a prototype for the
new statewide candidate. In 2016,
Kinder could look back on decades
of political leadership and success,
all of which earned him enough
funding to be thoroughly outspent
by all three of his primary opponents. Hawley, meanwhile, took his
litigation on behalf of a home decor
retailer and nascent relationships
with national groups like the Federalist Society and Washington-based
funders and rode them to literally
millions of dollars in support for his
successful Attorney General primary.
Maybe Josh Hawleys story appeals to an irrational entrepreneurial exuberance that tricks us into to
believing we, too, could someday
be whisked to success on a cloud
of someone elses venture. But as a
tale of representational democracy,
it sucks the wind from us. The influence of money in politics has on its
own a well-known corrosive power.
Corrode democracy to the benefit
of people whove hardly gotten to
know us and we can be excused for
feeling cheated.
Beyond having little experience
and access to lots of campaign cash,
the new model statewide candidate
has ambition on a scale and with an
expected velocity that are unprece-
6 MINUTE READ
dented in Missouri. GOP newcomer
Eric Greitens is running for office
for the first time, and its for Governor. If hes successful, hell begin
jockeying almost immediately for
the 2020 Republican Presidential
nomination. Vast ambition understates Greitens posture.
After studying such seemingly
inhuman certainty, the thoughtful,
look-before-I-leap track record of
Peter Kinder is a comfort.
Twice before opting into the 2016
GOP governor race, Kinder stepped
to the edge of a gubernatorial run
only to walk back to the safety of
Lieutenant Governor. I think what
kept Peter Kinder from trying
quickly to climb the ladder was that
he believed he was doing the best
thing he could possibly be doing.
Not every stone is a stepping stone,
some are the place where you build.
Peter Kinder had spent much
of his career in service. It was who
he was. Lieutenant Governor was a
way to let that continue, to let him
do the things he thought important
to do and help the people he felt it
was important to help. Ambition
was, when he weighed the odds,
more likely a pathway out of doing
the best thing he could possibly be
doing than it was a pathway to doing something better.
Isnt that how we should want
our elected officials to approach
these decisions? Dont we appreciate when a statewide official sees his
office as more important than just a
placeholder until he can gamble on
a more important post?
Thats how Peter Kinder did it
until he didnt do it that way any
more. And now hes on his way out.
And Ill miss him for having done it
that way for so long.
To be sure, I wont miss the
things that Peter Kinder stood for in
office; his politics and mine are incompatible. But when I see the stylistic alternative the guy who just
dropped in from nowhere with millions pledged, the man people know
mostly from the commercials, the
one with his eyes four years down
the field Ill remember Peter
Kinder fondly, with warm distaste
earned honestly, over the years.
51
HOW AND WHY THE

ONLY UNELECTED
STATEWIDE OFFICER
REVOLUTIONIZED AUDITS
BENJAMIN PETERS
THE MISSOURI TIMES
In a day and age in which hackers
have become prevalent, protecting
online information has become a
necessity for everyone. Everything
is connected to the internet these
days, which is a double-edged
sword. As a society, were better
connected worldwide than we have
ever been.
But that also means that someone with malicious intent is more
connected than ever. Were no longer in a day when a person just has
to protect their computers; instead,
everything you need is literally at
our fingertips, through the use of
cell phones, watches, smart TVs,
and tablets. Hackers can even use
some items you wouldnt even consider, such as home routers, security cameras, refrigerators, heating
and air conditioning systems, or
even baby monitors. And with that
kind of threat always waiting in the
background, cybersecurity has become more important than ever.
Missouri State Auditor Nicole
Galloway has been a strong voice
in the effort to increase cybersecurity in Missouri. Galloway says its
often way too easy for computer
hackers to get access to what otherwise should be uncompromisingly
secure data, and the statistics prove
her point.
This is something that affects
everyone. My five-year-old is in
52
pre-K, and I fill out forms with Social Security numbers and health
information at the school and turning over personal information on
myself and my family, she said.
Thats information that I understand is needed to serve my son and
my family. But if you are requiring
that information, then you should
proactively protect that information
so that it doesnt fall into the wrong
hands. Every time that there is an
access, theres an opportunity for
vulnerability.
In 2015, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) reported 781
data breaches in the U.S., the second highest year on record since
the ITRC began tracking breaches
in 2005. And as of November 29,
2016, the U.S. has seen even more;
932 breaches, potentially exposing
34,305,616 records.
Over the past few years, criminal hackers seem to have targeted
more large-scale attacks. In 2015,
hackers broke into Anthems servers and stole more than 37.5 million
records that contained personally
identifiable information. Targets
famous security breach in late 2013
exposed 40 million customer debit
and credit card accounts. One largescale attack in late October of this
year took down a number of favorite
websites and services like Twitter,
Spotify, and Netflix, leaving people
wondering why they were having
trouble accessing the sites. Hackers flooded Dyn, one of the biggest
internet management companies

in the country with junk traffic, basically shutting down services and
websites throughout the region for
hours.
One of the most preferred methods for hackers looking to attack
any system is by using a distributed
denial of service attack, or DDoS. A
DDoS attack looks to break through
a server by flooding the firewall with
junk traffic. DDoS attacks have been
around since the dawn of the modern internet, but they've been growing more powerful as technological
advances continue evolving.
Once in, hackers can access personal information, steal your money or impersonate you. They also
can take all of the records and sell
it to interested buyers, or encrypt
the entire system, ransoming it for
money.
While shutting down Twitter or
accessing Targets records may not
sound like a matter of national security, it highlights a real concern:
What if these attacks were turned
on the systems providing services
needed for day-to-day operations in
government, hospitals, or business?
Most data breaches occur in the
business sector, but the second
largest victim of hacking is in the
medical/healthcare realm. And
while they are targeted less than the
business sector, more records were
potentially exposed in the medical
sector than in any other category in
2016.
Hacking also happens in governmental sectors, impacting city,

county and state offices and school
districts across the country. A massive data breach at the federal Office of Personnel Management in
2015 compromised the personal information of more than 22 million
people, proving that the government isnt immune to breaches any
more than the private sector.
Since Galloways appointment to
the post in the spring of 2015, she
has worked to make cybersecurity a
top priority in Missouri. Her office
has conducted several audits since
then, working to discover weak
spots in state and local government.
I look at this through an accountability lens, through the lens
of an auditor. We can talk about cybersecurity, we can implement policies, we can do all of these things,
she said. But how do we make sure
those policies are followed? How
do we reevaluate to make sure that
we are addressing the correct risks
when it comes to cybersecurity?
Thats where my office comes, thats
what our role is.
One series of audits of the states
education system found several
potential weaknesses. One cybersecurity audit of the Missouri Student Information System used by
the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education found the department unnecessarily collected
and retained personally identifiable
information, including Social Secu-
7 MINUTE READ
rity numbers, from school districts
across the state. Since that audit,
DESE no longer uses that practice.
And those kinds of weaknesses in
the school system, in turn, can take
resources from a school budget.
In terms of school districts, instead of providing services, educating our kids, or doing everything
a school district needs to be doing
with limited resources, theyre instead monitoring kids credit scores,
hiring attorneys, hiring cybersecurity experts to figure out what happened, and how to prevent it in the
future, she said. Cybersecurity is
all about taking preventative measures. Why not avoid these conversations to begin with by putting
policies, procedures, and practices
in place to prevent bad things from
happening?
Another state audit found potential weaknesses in the Judicial
Information System, which is operated by the Office of State Courts
Administrator. The system is used
to store court records, case files,
sentencing and conviction information, as well as financial records.
According to the audit, those weaknesses in the system could lead to
unauthorized users tampering with
data on prisoners, including sentences and release dates.
Galloway says that one of the
most common issues that the audits
have identified is problems with
user access.
We often find that government
employees have access to more

information than they need to do
their job, Galloway said. Sometimes this occurs because systems
were put in place a decade ago.
Everybody had access to every part
of a computerized system, and its
never been re-evaluated to see if its
needed.
But perhaps the common issue
found by these audits is the most
troublesome; agencies are failing
to use safe password protocols. Often, they have found a group of users sharing a single password and
account. In some cases, they have
found no password at all.
We can tell folks they need to
have passwords on their computers, but sometimes, until an auditor
checks, there is no accountability
for protecting peoples personal information, Galloway said.
The good news for Missouri is
that many of the recommendations
are simple fixes, such as requiring
a password change, implementing
a system backup or creating a data
breach response policy. Taxpayers
will also surely be glad to hear that
most solutions would require no
cost.
GALLOWAY ON...
...becoming the only Democrat statewide

office holder...and the only pregnant
statewide officer in Missouris history
Nicole Galloway was never elected to the office of Missouri Auditor but was
appointed by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon in April of 2015. Her appointment
came at a time when nearly every statewide office was held by Democrat.
Following the general election this past November, Galloway has now
become the only incumbent in a sea of red. Surrounded by a new group of
Republican leaders, Galloway is officially the highest ranking Democrat in
Missouris statewide offices. But anyone who thinks that will faze the Auditor
and her team is mistaken. For them, Galloway says, it will be business as
usual.
It doesnt really change anything or the approach of the office. Since
taking office, we have shown our independence. We are fair and thorough. We
have shown strong audits that get results for citizens and taxpayers, and will
continue to do that moving forward.
The mother of two is expected to give birth to another child in January,
making her the first statewide office holder in the history of the state to
become pregnant while in office.
Galloway says her team has already put plans in place to see that the office
continues to do their job during her absence, but anyone who knows the
former Boone County treasurer will tell you that shell back at work before you
know it.
The knowledge of her pregnancy has led to speculation from other publications as to whether she will step down as state auditor. That, however, will
not be the case. She will not resign. Galloway has stated that she intends to
run for the office in 2018, and after the results of the past election, shell be
facing tough opposition from the Republican Party. The newly elected leaders
of the Missouri Democratic Party have stated that the re-election of Galloway
and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill will be key to their success in 2018.
53
Congrats to Missouris
99th General Assembly!
from the Missouri Community Action Network
Together, Missouri leaders and communities
can create a state where all Missourians thrive.
A Chance for Success
In every community,
Missourians are hard at
work to acheive a brighter
future for their families. In
every county, the
Missouri Community
Action Network - Missouri
CAN - is hard at work to
ensure families who want
to succeed, can.
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Changing Lives
Missouris 19 nonprofit
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Agencies provide direct
services to low-income
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them to achieve selfsufficiency.
Strengthening
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mobilizes communities
through local
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in all 114 counties + the City of St. Louis
54
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55
OPINION
PHOTO/TIM BOMMEL - HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS
Building a vibrant and growing economy

REP. TODD RICHARDSON
SPEAKER OF THE MISSOURI HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES
With the results of the 2016
election in the rearview mirror, it
is time to lead the State into 2017.
I am coming to the end of my sixth
year as a member of the Missouri
House of Representatives and about
to begin my second legislative session as Speaker of the House, the
question I get asked all the time this
time of year is what are the legislatures priorities going to be in the
upcoming session. Missouri voters
overwhelming reelected a Republican supermajority in Jefferson City.
It seems like Missouri voters sent a
message both to Washington D.C
and Jefferson City about what our
priorities should be this year. While
Donald Trump received 1,585,752
votes in Missouri and won the State
by an astounding 19+ points, I am
proud to say that State House Republicans received 1,600,728 votes
collectively defeating the Democratic opposition by 32 points, 66 to
34. If that isnt a mandate to lead, I
dont know what is.
Despite resounding victories in
Missouri, when I look around at
the current state of political dialogue in Missouri and Nationally
I sometimes wonder how we got
here. It is clear that political discord has devolved into something
almost unrecognizable. While problems are always argued about on
TV, solutions are rarely discussed.
Campaigns have become crusades
against your opponent and rarely
discussions of your own accomplishments and beliefs. Since the
first day that I decided to put my
name on the ballot to run for office,
I vowed to be part of the solution
and not contribute to the problem.
It is my goal, that over the next few
56
years, the House will demonstrate

to Missourians that we are worthy
of the trust that they have given us
to lead.
For years, in Missouri, we have
had sluggish growth and stagnant
wages. We have a Medicaid system
that is growing enrollment by the
tens of thousands and bankrupting
the taxpayers. Our infrastructure
is crumbling, our urban schools are
failing an entire generation of children and college graduates are leaving Missouri to find employment
elsewhere. These are big problems
that are going to take fundamentally rethinking how government
does business and our leaders are
going to have to be willing to make
tough decisions. We must start by
getting back to the basics; restoring
the public trust in government and
building a strong vibrant economy.
Last session, we began the process of reforming Missouris ethics
laws, passing the first revolving
door ban which prevents legislators
from leaving office and immediately
becoming lobbyists. Also becoming
law this year, were prohibitions on
legislators serving as consultants on
their fellow legislators campaigns
and strict restrictions on what elected officials may do with money in
their campaign accounts. But this
was just the first step, as I have said
since the bill was killed on the last
day of session last year, the first bill
out of the House this session will be
a restriction on lobbyists gifts and
meals to legislators. These are common-sense issues that will help improve the culture in Jefferson City
and, more importantly, restore the
publics trust in state government.
Rebuilding the States economy is going to take several steps.
Missouris legal system puts the
trial bar ahead of small business
owners and it continues to hurt
our economic growth. Reforming

Missouris legal climate will be a
top priority. Missouri is also in the
minority nationally and one of the
last states in the region not to give
employees the freedom to decide
whether or not they want to join a
union. Voters overwhelming elected
a Republican governor largely campaigning on labor and legal reform
over a candidate who supported the
status quo on both fronts, the voters
have spoken and it is time for us to
act. For years, the Missouri House
has worked to reform our states legal and labor climate. This session,
these important reforms will once
again be among our top priorities.
Additionally, Missouri will never
be able to realize its full potential
until it is willing to embrace new
and disruptive technologies. Missouri should stop fighting against
innovation and build a regulatory
framework that encourages those
who seek to break the mold and create 21st Century jobs in our state.
Transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft and others are
changing the way people travel,
not to mention, providing jobs and
new economic opportunity to thousands of people around the country.
Missouri however, is still stuck in a
20th century mindset by refusing
to acknowledge that technology is
changing. Home sharing and short
term rental companies like AirBnB, HomeAway and VRBO are also
changing the way that people travel,
revolutionizing the lodging industry
and providing people with options
and income potential. Our government should be encouraging this
kind of innovation, not standing
in the way. There is no one silver
bullet for economic growth, but,
with these emerging companies,
consumers have spoken. We must
provide the right environment for
6 MINUTE READ
growth to be possible. By getting
government out of the way, innovation and modernization are happening. We need to decide if they
are going to happen here or somewhere else.
Our entitlement systems have
long been broken with far too much
federal involvement. One in six
Missourians is currently on a broken but rapidly growing Medicaid
system. We are going to have to
get serious about getting the federal
government out of micromanaging
Missouris health care system. By
providing a Missouri solution to
our health care challenges, we can
reform these programs and move
people off welfare and back into the
workforce.
Lastly, Missouris long-term economic outlook requires a worldclass education system. We must
be focused on accountability and
innovation. As we have for years,
this session, the Missouri House
will pursue reforms that give parents and students more choices,
reforms that ensure accountability
for all school employees, and, most
importantly, ensure that children in
failing school districts have more
available options to pursue a quality
education.
The Republican Caucus that voters sent to Jefferson City are some
of the finest individuals I know and
it is an honor to work with them
to lead the House of Representatives towards a better more vibrant
Missouri. I will work to make sure
my two children Sawyer and Briley
grow up in an America and especially a Missouri that values work more
than welfare and opportunity more
than opportunism and faith in God
more than dependency on an ever-expanding government. As big as
our challenges are, we have the capacity and the people to solve them.
57
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MAGAZINE

ERIC GREITENS: YOURS IN SERVICE

WORKING TO PRESERVE MISSOURIS HISTORY

CLASS OF 2017: FRESHMAN YEARBOOK

WALSH TAKES OVER

The Voice of Missouri Business

Lets work together to strengthen Missouri businesses and the economy.

FIVE BEST PLACES FOR A

MORE THAN JUST A HOT DOG

WALSH TAKES OVER

ONDER TALKS SJR39 AND MORE

THE MAN BEHIND TRUMPS

BUDGET WITHHOLDS DIRECTLY

TOP 10 REASONS WHY OVER

FUEL OF THE FUTURE

ADOPTED NOVEMBER 8, 2016

MISSOURI UBER ALLIES

KINDER DEPARTS THE

MY FOND FAREWELL (REALLY)

HOW AND WHY THE ONLY

GALLOWAY ON BECOMING THE

SPEAKER TODD RICHARDSON

ST. LOUIS REGIONAL DAY

HRCC WELCOMES THE SUPERMAJORITY

Tom Robbins, Steve Tilley, Amy Huber, Shawn Rigger

& ASSOCIATES, INC.

WISHING EVERYONE A SUCCESSFUL SESSION!

Publisher and Editor

strives to exceed our clients expectations.

In 2014, the Missouri Times had a magazine called Upon

I hope you enjoy the edition!

Rachael Herndon Dunn

WISHING EVERYONE A SUCCESSFUL SESSION!

The Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys.

The wisdom of our sages and the blood of our

STREAM ONLINE AT TWMP.TV

GROWING MISSOURIS ECONOMY WITH

get or Hy-Vee will get you your

eran, who served a tour in Iraq as

JUST A HOT DOG

you to get the Philly cheesesteak,

How did you become a lobbyist?

sions made by others in the Capitol

What is your favorite part about working

NEW EPISODE EVERY WEEK, FEATURING MISSOURI LEGISLATIVE STAKEHOLDERS AND

SUBSCRIBE IN THE ITUNES STORE!

How did you become a lobbyist?

ed. To be clear, its really legislative

How did you become a lobbyist?

el legislation I was taken back a

all of its students. It was the

part of Missouri politics

of a good friend and one of

The people. There are some

be subject matter experts

is someone I met back in

One of my current clients is someone

I do not care for how

We look forward to working with you

P. O. Box 651 Jefferson City MO 65102

How did you become a lobbyist?

Harness-Gallagher LLC In 2004, I

How did you become a lobbyist?

Congressional Districts for both

What legislation do you consider your

2014 legislative session. Rick and

the issue. However, several individual auto dealers as well as some of