Thursday, September 10, 2015
Rumorville: Gardner for CA?
Although there has been no chance in the status of her campaign committee, word is that Rep. Kim Gardner is mulling a bid for St. Louis City Circuit Attorney. Gardner is not term-limited.
She’d be joining an increasingly crowded field in the race to succeed retiring Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce.
Other declared candidates are Steven Harmon, Steve Roberts Jr., and Mary Carl. Carl is the front-runner.
Greitens Won’t Make Gubby Debate
The first major debate of Republican gubernatorial candidates this weekend will be missing Eric Greitens… “Unfortunately we got word today, that since Eric Greitens has not ‘officially’ announced his Governor Candidacy, he will not be attending our Forum Saturday as was previously indicated.”
There has been some grumbling among Republicans that Greitens has been too slow to put himself into the public arena, and remains an unknown commodity. This will heighten those concerns.
Nasheed Breaks With Obama on Ozone
Sen. Jamilah Nasheed gets quoted in a Politico piece about black political leaders concerned that President Barack Obama’s environmental agenda could hurt those on the lower rungs of the economic ladder. See it here.
Pull Quote: The administration is slated to tighten the restrictions for ozone, the pollutant that causes smog, by Oct. 1, but some African-American state and local politicians are lining up with business groups to warn that the clampdown would hurt poor communities and manufacturing centers like Gary, Ind., and St. Louis… [T]he arguments against the new smog rules may be harder to dismiss when coming from local and state officials who represent the areas that are the target of the environmental efforts to reduce pollution — and who have been staunch supporters of Obama in the past, such as Democratic Missouri state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed. “I know I speak for the vast majority of my 5th District constituents here in St. Louis when I say I appreciate the job President Obama has done, especially the moral leadership he showed in the face of racial tragedies in Ferguson and other communities over the past year,” Nasheed, who is black, wrote to Obama senior adviser Brian Deese in July. But lowering the ozone threshold too far would make things worse for a city like St. Louis that is “still feeling the pain of the 2007-2009 recession,” Nasheed said, and would hurt employment and "create new hardships for already struggling low-income urban families.”
House 36 Special
The special election in House 36 was expected to be a Democratic hold, and that’s still the probable outcome. However, the Independent candidacy of Mary Ann Drape has increased the possibility that Republicans could “steal” it – depending on how much Drape polls.
Observer: It's an interestingly drawn district, eastern part heavily African-American, western side to the Kansas state line, mix of blue collar and upper income... I'd expect Drape to have the trial attorneys behind her as well as large support from St. Thomas Moore Catholic Parish one of the biggest parishes in South Kansas City… Someone is winning this seat in a special with a plurality of between 39-41% of the vote.
Non-Committee Expenditure for RTW Web Ads
A non-committee expenditure report was filed for the web ads which popped up about a week ago attacking Republican representatives who are No votes on right to work. See it here.
Forest Hills Properties is owned by businessman Greg Hoberock. His name was also on the disclaimer for ads. According to the report he spent $6,803 on the ad. He paid Candidate Command LLC for the production and ad buy. Candidate Command is a Jeff Roe company.
Baringer in House 82
St. Louis Alderwoman Donna Baringer announced yesterday that she will seek election in House 82. Rep. Michele Kratky, the incumbent, is termed. Baringer is the first person to officially throw her hat in the ring.
Baringer’s ward is a high turnout ward in the city, and should give her a good base from which to run. She’s no stranger to Jefferson City, having grown up there. And she has been walking the halls at least once a session for the past couple years as a member of the policy committee of the Missouri Municipal League. Furthermore, her sister Claire West, was a familiar presence in the building, and expert on issue of retirement systems.
From the announcement: Donna’s inspiration to serve her community began at a young age in Jefferson City. Donna’s mother worked at the Capitol. While observing the value of public service alongside her mother, Donna learned that “people” are the difference in creating positive change in our communities. Today, Donna is announcing her candidacy for the 82nd district. Donna has a proven track record of success in both the public and private sector. Donna’s colleagues and constituents refer to her as a thoughtful pragmatist; she is direct and sensible when assessing problems and producing solutions. Donna wants to take her leadership approach to Missouri’s Capitol. Donna seeks this Office not for its rewards, but because of its many challenges. As an Alderman in the City of St. Louis for 13 years, Donna has listened to the concerns of residents and businesses and helped them confront various challenges around economic development, public safety and education, and government accountability…
Burke: Huge Lobbyist Wage Gap
Brittany Burke was the guest on KWMU’s Political Speaking podcast (listen to it here). A great deal of the conversation centered on the “capitol culture,” including not only sexual harassment but also a double standard within the building depending on your gender. Burke tells of an enormous pay gap between male lobbyists and female lobbyists
Pull Quote: “There’s a huge pay discrepancy between what a male lobbyist charges for services – whether it be to monitor legislation, lobby on behalf of legislation, manage an association – and what a female lobbyist will charge. I had no idea how severe, how large the gap, the discrepancy was until I started my own firm. And you know, lobbyists that mentor me, good friends of mine, I started asking, ‘hey what do you charge for this? What do you charge for that?’ trying to get a sense of what the going rate was. And I was shocked!... Let’s say we’re monitoring legislation here, not lobbying, not whipping votes, just monitoring the debate, how the bill is moving through the chamber. What a female lobbyist, on her own, whether with a smaller firm or on her own, let’s say she would charge $800 a month for that, so $800 January through May. Ask the same question of a male lobbyist, with a firm or on his own, I was told $10,000, $8,000, $7,000… there’s a huge pay discrepancy.”
Bits
St. Louis Young Republicans will have Bev Randles at their September meeting tonight 7PM at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters.
Rep. Bill Otto kicks off his congressional campaign Friday September 25 at 5PM at the Laborers Local 110 New Headquarters, 4532 S Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis.
Today’s Events
From Mary Scruggs’ indispensable events calendar:
Reps. Noel Shull & TJ Berry Golf – Excelsior Spring Golf Course
Lobbyists Registrations
Douglas Stone added Good-otis LLC, Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance, B&W Investment; and deleted JSC Development Company LLC, HDR Engineering Inc, and St. Joe 47 Inc.
Ferdinand Niemann added Raytown Quality Schools, Independence School District, and Blue Springs School District.
George Constantine added Brevan Howard Asset Management LLP.
William Bates added LeadingAge Missouri, and Coalition for Quality Senior Care.
Benjamin Jones added Equal Justice USA.
Charles (Pat) Kelly added St. Louis County Municipal League.
Bridget Ohmes added St. Charles County Association of Realtors.
Richard AuBuchon deleted Norcal Mutual Insurance Company.
Judy Delaney deleted MOSERS.
Noah Reandeau deleted Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, and Thermo Fisher Scientific.
$5K+ Contributions
Greitens for Missouri - $25,000 from Evergreen Investments LLC.
MO Democratic State Committee - $15,000 Ameren Missouri.
Hawley for Missouri - $10,000 from Ron Hawley.
Notes on Money
Evergreen Investments LLC is related to the Plaster family. See the elder Plaster’s obituary here. He was involved in a controversy late in Rod Jetton’s speakership.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Paul Woody (36).