Wednesday, July 12, 2017
McCaskill In
One MOScouter guffaws at any talk that Senator Claire McCaskill isn’t running for re-election… “Only Republicans who won't do town hall meetings would think that McCaskill is not running. She has done 18 town halls so far this year in very tough territory for democrats. She has raised more money this year than most members of the US Senate. That is someone who is running, and running hard!”
Bernsy Has Strong Kick-Off
Last night Rep. Mike Bernskoetter held a fundraiser at Sen. Mike Kehoe’s house which served to kick off Bernsy’s run to replace termed Kehoe.
I heard from a few folks who were there that it was an impressive turn-out. One tipster remarked that “though Bernskoetter is seemingly related to a third of Jeff City, most were not his kin. It was a who’s who of business and community leaders from Cole County.” Among the crowd of 150 or so folks were Sens. Caleb Rowden, Dave Schatz and Jeanie Riddle.
It’s said that Rep. Jay Barnes – well respected for his ability to debate on the floor as well as his intellectual independence – is considering running for Senate 6 as well. However this event signals that Bernskoetter will start the race as the favorite.
And
Word is that Bernskoetter has hired the ubiquitous Republican fundraiser Donna English to help his campaign.
New Committees
Patrice Billings formed a campaign committee to run for Senate 2 as a Democrat. The current incumbent is Republican Sen. Bob Onder. This is considered a safe Republican seat. Billings is co-owner of Butterfly & Moon.
Jordan Presnell formed a campaign committee to run for House 35 as a Democrat. The current incumbent, Republican Rep. Gary Cross, is termed. This should be a competitive district this cycle. According to LinkedIn, Presnell is a software engineer.
John Boyd formed a campaign committee to run for House 37 as a Republican. The current incumbent is Democratic Rep. Joe Runions. Republicans didn’t contest this seat last cycle.
Scott Cernicek formed a campaign committee to run for House 105 as a Democrat. The current incumbent is Republican Rep. Phil Christofanelli. See a video of Cernicek here, discussing recent budget cuts impacting seniors.
Curtis Wylde formed a campaign committee to run for House 107 as a Democrat. The current incumbent is Republican Rep. Nick Schroer. Wylde ran against Schroer last year, losing by 30 points.
Patricia Schuba formed a campaign committee to run for House 109 as a Democrat. The current incumbent, Rep. Paul Curtman, is termed. Schuba is an environmental activist.
Scott Schrum formed a campaign committee to run for House 144 as a Republican. The current incumbent, Republican Rep. Paul Fitzwater, is termed. And this looks like it will be a spirited multi-candidate primary. Schrum is an attorney.
Ben Baker for a campaign committee to run for House 160 as a Republican. The current incumbent, Republican Rep. Bill Reiboldt, is termed. Baker is the Mayor of Neosho.
STL Citizens for Responsible Government was formed. It’s a PAC. Its treasurer is Megan Shackelford who works at The Kelley Group. See her Twitter here.
Show Me Growth PAC was formed. Its treasurer is former Rep. Mike Leara.
Families Against Violence was formed. It’s a PAC. Its treasurer is Marla Underwood.
Missouri Republican 2nd Congressional District Committee for formed. John Judd is the treasurer.
MOSEIA PAC was formed. MOSEIA is Missouri Solar Energy Industry Association. See their website here. Its treasurer is Mark Walter, the MOSEIA board president.
StrongBlue PAC was formed. Its treasurer is Mark Travers. See a brief bio of Travers here.
Governor Signs More Bills
See the list of his actions on legislation here.
From the press release: Today, Governor Eric Greitens signed nine bills into law.
SB 503, sponsored by Senator Munzlinger, enhances public safety across the state by giving regional EMS directors the authority to create protocols that allow a local EMT or paramedic to contact a physician for instruction in treating patients with rare conditions.
SB 64, sponsored by Senator Schatz, names a number of highways and bridges in the State of Missouri….
SB 111, a bill sponsored by Senator Hegeman, contains several provisions related to local governments. Those provisions touch on qualifications to run for office and requirements for public administrators, among others.
SB 112, a bill sponsored by Senator Schatz, also contained several provisions related to local governments.
SB 283, sponsored by Senator Hegeman, gives local counties more autonomy to fill vacant county positions and improves the election process for the Kansas City School Board.
SB 329, sponsored by Senator Kehoe, modifies the Motor Vehicle Franchise Practice Act.
SB 486, also sponsored by Senator Kehoe, conveys 31 acres of the old Missouri State Penitentiary property to the City of Jefferson. The City has plans to develop this land into a convention center. Currently, a portion of the property operates as a museum and visitors can tour the historic site.
HB 115, sponsored by Representative Shull, makes a number of changes to Missouri liquor laws.
HB 292, sponsored by Representative Crawford, updates a number of provisions relating to banking.
On Monday, Governor Greitens signed SB 35, SB 49, and SB 50.
SB 35, sponsored by Senator Cunningham, adds additional pre-purchase notification requirements that state agencies must follow before purchasing more than 60 acres of land.
SB 49, sponsored by Senator Walsh, authorizes St. Louis City and County to ask voters if they would like to increase taxes to support the St. Louis Zoo.
SB 50, also sponsored by Senator Walsh, establishes a registry for advanced health care directives that will help professionals honor a patient's wishes pertaining to medical care.
Mizzou Pushes Back
The University of Missouri issued a statement “from university leaders to set the record straight” in response to the New York Times article. One MOScout reader joked that it was “apparently sent to every email the University of Missouri has ever collected.” (See it here).
We are learning from our past while serving as a model for a new engaged university to the nation. That’s not the story you read on Monday, but it’s one you will hear often from the Missouri family. Their tremendous pride in University of Missouri motivates and sustains us to take on the difficult challenges head-on and to become a stronger and more resilient university…
Bits
Heather Navarro won the St. Louis City special election for alderman with a strong 69% of the vote. She will serve the remained of Lyda Krewson’s term before running for re-election in 2019.
RouteFifty.com has an article about pension funds switching more to alternative investments and hedge funds because they are producing greater growth (see it here). Some have speculated that Governor Eric Greitens has received a lot of dark money from hedge funders because of the opportunity to invest in MO retirement funds. Any move in that direction will surely raise questions of transparency again.
Post-Dispatch’s Tony Messenger writes about Rep. Bruce Franks calling BS on Governor Greitens’ “St. Louis safety plan.” See it here.
Help Wanted
University of Missouri seeks Director Records and Information Management. “Plan the development and implementation of record and information management policies and procedures intended to standardize storing, protecting and retrieving records and other information; Advise and assist University personnel on records and information management policies, procedures and practices; Advise management on long-range needs and objectives for records and information management… Salary: $62,000 - $100,000…” See it here.
Lobbyists Registrations
Katie Hendrickson added Code.org.
Daniel Gibb added US Chamber Institute for Legal Reform.
Emily Van Schenkhof deleted Missouri Kids First.
$5K+ Contributions
Missouri Democratic State Committee - $25,000 from CHIPP Political Account.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, former Rep. Melissa Leach, and Mayor James Knowles III.