Thursday, November 13, 2014
Englund Hints at Senate Run
Rep. Vicki Englund, in the wake of her defeat last week, sent an email to supporters some of whom are taking it as a hint that she is preparing to toss her hat in the ring to succeed Sen. Scott Sifton should he follow through on his announcement to run for attorney general in 2016.
Dear Friends,
Another election cycle has come and gone, and we have experienced yet another nationwide Republican wave. The results of the election have greatly impacted Missouri once again, and I am afraid, not for the betterment of its citizens.
I want to thank all of you for your support during my campaign. While the results were not what we had hoped, we worked hard and did our very best. I know that politics has its ups and downs, but while I am down at the moment, I am not out.
It is through the support of all of you that I am feeling good about the future. While the next couple of years will be rough for my Democratic colleagues in the House, we will see 2016 as a watershed year, in OUR favor.
Please stay in touch and stay tuned for upcoming announcements. I appreciate all of you…
Shields in WSJ: Expand Medicaid in MO
I missed this yesterday. It’s former Pro Tem Charlie Shields, now running Truman Medical Centers, arguing for Medicaid expansion. Read it here.
Interesting, hard-to-believe nugget: “Truman currently has just one day of cash on hand.”
More on Schaefer Vote
For the record, let me state I think Josh Hawley will be swatted away by Sen. Kurt Schaefer quietly easily should the two match-up in a Republican AG primary, but here’s the contrary opinion: “Dave, Schaefer did not just vote again an abortion bill. It was John Lamping’s Religious Freedom bill (dealing with ObamaCare contraception mandate). Hawley is Mr. Religious Freedom as he participated in the hobby Lobby case. Schaefer’s vote… is potential fatal.”
Zimmerman Hustling the Phones
Heard from some lobbyists that St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman is reaching out. Says one: “He’s definitely in.” No toe-dipping or temperature taking going on.
But the mood from my conversations there’s a lot of wait-and-see in the donor community for this race. It’s early and talk of a possible Jean Peters-Baker has folks wanting to see how the field shakes out.
Early Start to Cycle Impact Legislative Process?
Anyone remember when Chris Koster and Mike Gibbons were both running for attorney general. Gibbons, the pro tem, spent his time maneuvering bills through the process; Koster spent his time imagining what amendments could be offered to give Gibbons tough votes…
We might get a retread of the floor jabbing and posturing with a Sifton-Schaefer match-up – and that’s not to mention Sens. Eric Schmitt and Will Kraus in their statewide bids. If you get Blaine Luetkemeyer into the governor’s race, then Pro Tem Tom Demsey would be running for congress, while Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal eyes a future St. Louis County Executive bid… and we’d have holy spaghetti day in, day out…
Slay and Dooley: More Needs to Be Said
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and County Executive Charlie Dooley did their part of the pre-grand jury announcement ritual… See Slay’s thoughts on his blog here.
“Yesterday, Governor Nixon briefed you on the state’s and the region’s public safety preparations. Charlie and I talked afterwards and we agreed that is there is more that needs to be said… I have directed Chief Dotson to make it part of his mission to protect the constitutional rights of the protesters, to give them some leeway where he can to occupy public spaces, if that is their choice. I have also told him that his first job is to keep all of our citizens safe, and to prevent violence or looting. Violence is not constitutionally protected. Damaging property is not constitutionally protected. The department will do everything it can to prevent it… Regardless of the grand jury’s decision, regardless of any public reaction, life in St. Louis will go on. Most of my focus has been on how different that life will be. How do we make St. Louis a more just place for everyone? How do we build trust between our police departments and all of the citizens they serve? How do we address the concentrated poverty that is at the center of all of this?..”
And
In a sign of the times, gun conceal carry permits continue to set new records in St. Louis County… See it here.
Went to DC to Do Good, and Ended Up Doing Quite Well
“For the first time in history, the majority of America's elected officials in Washington, D.C. are millionaires. At the same time, 50 percent of Americans cannot afford to spend $5,000 in an emergency…”
Ballotpedia has calculated which senators and congressmen have increased their personal wealth by the most during their time in Washington DC. Senator Roy Blunt makes the top twenty list. His average annual increase in assets has been 147%. Can that be right? See it here.
Commission on Compensation
Last week the Office of Administration announced appointments to Missouri Citizens' Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials. The Governor’s appointees are: James Anderson (D) of Springfield; Daniel Clemens (R), of Marshfield; Larry G. Forkner (R), of Richards; Jon R. Gray (D), of Kansas City; Gary R. Jones (D), of O'Fallon; Daniel B. Linza Sr. (R), of Kirkwood; Gary Dalton Murphy III (D), of Bernie; Robert E. Perry (R), of Bowling Green; J. Michael Ponder (D), of Cape Girardeau; Charles Schottach (R), of Owensville; Lynn Wallis (R), of Cuba; Judy M. Wright (D), of Turney.
The Secretary of State's appointees are: Kristin Alexander (D), of Independence; Tamara Daughtrey (D), of Bolivar; Gwenda Hawk (R), of Parkville; Neal Newland (R), of Union; Carol Roeder (D), of Ballwin; Ralph Smith (R), of Amsterdam; Kathleen Warren (R), of Valles Mines, and Katherine Whipple (D), of St. Louis.
The Supreme Court appointee is: The Honorable Booker T. Shaw, of St. Louis.
Two years ago Nixon failed to appoint commissioners thus killing any chance of a schedule being filed. We’ll see what they recommend and whether the legislature feels any heat if they recommend an increase in mileage or per diems while wages in the economy broadly are stuck in neutral.
They’ve had two public meetings already. Here at the next two:
Friday, November 14 - 1:00 pm, Wainwright State Office Building, St. Louis, MO, and Tuesday, November 18 - 1:00 pm, Fletcher Daniels State Office Building, Kansas City, MO.
They will issue their salary compensation report to the Secretary of State by December 1.
Pay increase becomes effective unless rejected by February 1st, 2015.
Help Wanted
University of Missouri System seeks Assistant Director of State Government Relations. “As part of the state government relations team, coordinate the advancement of state legislative priorities through the legislative process. Oversee the development of multiple communication materials for the office. Plan, develop and implement various programs, services and activities for University of Missouri System and its campuses… Assist the government relations team in tracking and advocating for various budget and policy legislation including operating and capital
budget proposals, higher education policy, financial aid, economic development, agriculture and other areas… Three to five years of state legislative experience with the Missouri General Assembly, including advocacy, communication, drafting legislation or amendments, and/or staffing legislative committees or offices…. Salary commensurate with experience.”
George Warren Brown School at Washington University seeks Project Director. “The Project Director will contribute to Center for Social Development's (CSD) portfolio of research on policy solutions for household financial security and mobility. To perform the duties, successful applicants will have demonstrated experience cultivating and managing strategic collaborations, academic training and practical experience with one or more research methods, and a capacity for policy analysis. The Project Director will work under the direction of the Principal Investigator, and/or the Center for Social Development Director or Associate Director… Advance overall CSD research and policy initiatives by cultivating relationships, delivering presentations, and developing publications with a particular focus on financial services and improving economic capability of low- and moderate- income households. Some travel associated with policy work and presentations. The salary range for this position is $3994.25-$5193.50. Interested candidates should apply through the jobs.wustl.edu website.”
$5K+ Contributions
Committee to Elect Jeff Roorda - $6,089 from Sheet Metal Workers Local 36.
MO Democratic State Committee - $50,000 from Claire McCaskill.
Happy Birthday
Happy birthdays to former Reps. Jack Jackson (72), and J.C. Kuessner (72), SSM’s Steve Hoven, Blue Cross’ Melissa Panettiere, and Linda Locke.