Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Dixon Out
Sen. Bob Dixon dropped out of the governor’s race yesterday. There are now four Republican candidates: John Brunner, Eric Greitens, Catherine Hanaway, and Peter Kinder.
Dixon’s exit doesn’t change the dynamics of the race much. He only pulled 4% in last month’s Missouri Scout poll (See it here). And unlike Greitens – who polled at 6%, but has $2.3 million in the bank – Dixon was unable to muster much fundraising. He ended last quarter with $82K on-hand.
Here is the campaign statement: Sen. Bob Dixon announced Monday morning he is ending his campaign for Governor of Missouri. In a short message, Dixon said, “I thank those who truly believe we need to renew the Spirit of Missouri, and sincerely supported the campaign expecting nothing in return other than good, honest government.”
Dixon told supporters, "Your authentic support inspired me every day. Together, I know we could have renewed the Spirit of Missouri and made our state a place of renewed freedom where no one, rich or poor, would settle for living off the backs or the work of others, but rather a place where all would be free to determine their destiny and enjoy the reward of their own labor.”
Dixon also expressed “my deepest respect and admiration for Amanda, my bride of 23 years who has stood beside me always with honor and trust, encouraging me daily to trust in the goodness of God.”
Senator Dixon will not be endorsing a candidate or making any further statement.
Chappelle-Nadal’s First Fundy Email
Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal sent the first fundraising email for his nascent congressional bid.
For years now, our community has been ignored because St. Louis lacks a strong voice in Washington, D.C. How many decades will it take to get something done? The reality is nothing is changing. There is no fresh energy. No new ideas. We hear the same tired rhetoric over and over again.
It is time for a New Direction.
We do not need more of the same. We need progress. We need someone willing to actively stand against injustice, even when it is an unpopular thing to do. Public office is not meant to be a constant position of comfort. Sometimes feathers are ruffled when you're actually fighting for change.
Time and time again, I have been a strong voice for our region - often times as a lone voice. It's been tough for our residents to carry the burdens of the region with far too few vocal champions. Together, we have faced a number of citizen inequities, whether it is educational, social, economic or environmental. Many of you have heard crickets from some of our more prominent leaders. In Ferguson, there was silence. Cold War radioactive waste causing cancer clusters, there is silence. Education inequity, there is silence. High poverty rates, there is silence. Policies for second chancers, there is silence. In each one of these situations, I have been on the frontlines every single time, even when it was unpopular. In Congress, I will continue to stand for progress and action. I won't just vote right, I'll show up. I will do the heavy lifting as I have always done…
Will you help usher in a new era in St. Louis and in Washington, D.C. by donating? Will you help me make history in becoming the 1st African American woman to represent Missouri in Congress?
I'm really excited about this new journey! It will be an uphill battle to victory.
However, you know when I pick a fight, I go all the way to the end….
Moon on Obama
On his Facebook page Rep. Mike Moon links to audio clips of President Barack Obama talking about Islam, and appears to conclude that Obama is Muslim… “For those who say that Barack Hussein Obama is not a Muslim, listen to this audio - at the 1:11 mark.”
Cossette to MO Chamber
Brendan Cossette is headed to the Missouri Chamber to become their new chief operating officer.
He’s leaving Missouri Primary Care Association where he’s been the director of government affair and general counsel. (That’s a good job opening for some talent…).
Cossette has held a variety of positions over his career. He was political director for Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, general counsel for the Department of Health and Senior Services during the Matt Blunt administration, and served as chief of staff for the Senate Pro Tem Charlie Shields.
Diehl Hangs Out Shingle
Former speaker John Diehl filed papers with the secretary of state’s office organizing Diehl Law Group LLC. The email on the paperwork is jdiehl@diehllawgroup.com.
22nd Circuit Judicial Commission Vacancy
Here are the folks who have applied for the 22nd Circuit Judicial Commission vacancy. They include Rep. Mike Colona, Public Administrator Gerard Nester, and Mary Entrup, the wife of Board President Lewis Reed…
Timothy J. Boyer, Suzette Carlisle, Francisco J. Carretero, Michael J. Colona, Katharyn B. Davis, Mary C. Entrup, Cynthia M. Fox, Katherine M. Fowler, Micah D. Hall, Bridget L Halquist, Richard A. Harper, Heather J. Hays, Craig K. Higgins, Teneil L. Kellerman, Jessica W. Kennedy, Julia M. Kerr, Annette Llewellyn, Jennifer E. Matthew, Newton G. McCoy, James A. Michaels, Jr. Joan K. Miller, Scott A. Millikan, Gerard A. Nester, Gwenda R. Robinson, David A. Roither, Jason M. Sengheiser, and Michael L. Walton.
The commission will meet beginning at 8:30 a.m. December 17, 2015, at the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, located at 815 Olive, 3rd floor, St. Louis, Missouri, to conduct public interviews to select three nominees from this applicant pool for the governor’s consideration. The public is invited to attend and observe the interviews.
The members of the Twenty-Second Circuit Judicial Commission are: Lisa Van Amburg, chief judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Steven L. Groves, Rita Burlison, Tiffany Franklin, and Thomas Neill.
Heidi for Burlison
Please join us
Along with Special Guest
Heidi Cruz, Wife of Presidential Candidate and Senator Ted Cruz
For a reception to support
Rep. Eric Burlison
Monday, December 7th, 5:30pm - 7pm
Metropolitan Grill
2931 E Battlefield St, Springfield, MO 65804
MO Congressional on NGA: Location, Location, Location
The press release: All eight members of Missouri’s U.S. House delegation have sent an urgent letter to National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Director Robert Cardillo stressing the national security response advantage of locating the new NGA-West Headquarters in North St. Louis.
In their bipartisan letter, the Members noted that 70% of current NGA-West employees reside on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River. As was the case after the recent ISIS attacks in Paris, when an act of terrorism or other national security threat occurs, some NGA employees routinely report back to duty immediately, at all hours.
Besides the overwhelming economic benefits confirmed by the recent draft Environmental Impact Statement, the easy proximity for the vast majority of critical staffers and much easier access means that the proposed Northside site also offers NGA-West a significant national security response advantage when compared to a potential site in O’Fallon, Illinois….
Bits
From Politico’s Influence: Capitol Counsel has a rich new deal to represent Turkey, as a subcontractor for Gephardt Group Government Affairs. At a $32,000 monthly rate, Capitol Counsel's tasks include to "develop and utilize contacts at the State and Defense Departments, and the National Security Council to convey the seriousness of the genocide issue and the potential threat it poses to the U.S./Turkey relationship," according to newly filed Justice Department documents. The addition of Capitol Counsel appears to boost Turkey's bench on the Republican side: Former Rep. Jim McCrery (R-La.) leads the account. Turkey hired Gephardt Group, led by former Majority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), in March for $1.7 million…
St. Louis Business Journal reports that World Wide Technologies will get a subsidy of over $25 million to build their new headquarters. See it here.
Pfizer buying Allergan in a $160 billion deal. (See it here.) It will move their headquarters to Ireland to save on taxes. Pfizer’s in-house lobbyists is Drue Duncan. They also use Penman-Winton.
New Committees
John Schilligo started a campaign committee to run for House 89 as a Democrat. This is the old John Diehl seat.
Mehlville-Oakville United, a PAC, was formed. It appears to be the group that supported the last property tax increase (successful) to fund their schools. The treasurer is Kevin Schartner.
eMailbag: on Noranda
Really no good mechanism for the Public Service Commission to act. There is no rate case pending and it is probably illegal to change the rate outside a pending rate case. Also remember that the special rate was predicated on conditions like employment levels and capital investments...
Federal Filings
Kansas City Southern Employee PAC’s November filing showed $2,428 in receipts and $63,909 cash on-hand.
The Believe in Life Liberty Yourself AKA Billy PAC’s October quarterly filing shows $15,014 in receipts and $38,366 cash on-hand.
Lobbyists Registrations
Ginger Steinmetz added Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
$5K+ Contributions
Greitens for Missouri - $5,001 from Gordon Sondland.
Pharmacy Political Action Committee - $25,000 from MO Pharmacy Services Corp.
Koster for Missouri - $10,000 from AgXplore International LLC.
MEDA PAC (MO Energy Dev. Association Political Action Committee) - $5,500 from Empire District Electric.
Missouri Health Care Association PAC - $38,662 from Missouri Health Care Association.
Association of MO Electric Cooperatives PAC - $10,000 from Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to former Rep. Dennis Wood, Gloria Boyer, Bill Eigel, and Ryan Nonnemaker.