MOScout Daily Update: Franz Took Tickets - Special Election Day - Fitz Kicks Off - Soft Skills Gap and more...

Franz Left Under Cloud

Post-Dispatch reports that driving Ward Franz’ ouster from the Division of Tourism was “an

investigator in state Auditor Nicole Galloway's office [who] wrote to the Department of Economic Development, which oversees the tourism division, on Oct. 25. The letter outlined allegations from a whistleblower complaint that the auditor's office had received. The letter, addressed to department Director Rob Dixon, said the auditor had begun a preliminary investigation to determine whether the complaint was credible…

The complaint, according to the letter, also said Franz attended a Friday, March 15, conference in Maryland Heights and ‘continued to stay in St. Louis for the remainder of the weekend at the Chase Park Plaza, at Division of Tourism's expense.’  The whistleblower also said Franz accepted two baseball tickets ‘valued at over $1,000’ in June...”

Driving the Day: Special Elections

It’s election day for in several House districts.  There’s really only one to watch: House 99.

None of the others will be competitive.

House 22 – Brandon Ellington’s seat – Democrat Yolanda Young will win.

House 36 – DaRon McGee’s seat – Democrat Mark Sharp faces only a Green candidate.

House 74 – Cora Faith Walker’s seat – Democrat Mike Person faces only a Libertarian candidate.

House 78 – Bruce Franks’ seat - Democrat Rasheen Aldridge is unopposed

House 158 – Scott Fitzpatrick’s seat – Republican Scott Cupps will easily prevail.

But House 99 (Jean Evan’s seat) is a district in the St. Louis suburbs.  It’s been Republican for years, but McCaskill carried it in her 2018 loss to Josh Hawley.  Dems think it’s winnable. 

What It Means

Not that much.

·         Special election turnout is famously wacky.

·         The seat is up again next year.

·         Unless it’s a blow-out.  If one side trounces the other, then we’ll give it some weight to tell us the mood of the suburbs.  Otherwise, don’t let the outcome – one way or the other – carry too much weight in your 2020 thinking.

Third Party Expenditures in House 99

Pro-Lee Ann Pitman (R)

·         House Republican Campaign Committee - $75,298

·         Mighty Missouri PAC - $11,000

·         Next Gen PAC - $1,900

Pro-Trish Gunby (D)

·         Carpenters PAC - $35,033     

·         House Victory Committee - $21,252 

·         Planned Parenthood Votes-St Louis and Southwest Missouri - $5,947

·         Sierra Club Missouri Political Committee - $434

·         Naral Pro-Choice Missouri PAC - $140

And

There’s an interesting ballot question in Hallsville.  A proposal is on the ballot to sell city’s wastewater utility to a private company.  Read about it here.

Republican Rep. Cheri Toalson Reisch on Facebook opposes the deal… “Hallsville voters will decide whether to sell our sewer system. This is a complex issue with a lot of misinformation out there. Most people's rates will go up. Mine will double! No local control, once sold the City will never get it back. The for-profit New Jersey Company can and has used eminent domain. PLEASE VOTE NO!...”

Buchheit-Courtway in House 115

Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway announced for House 115.  Buchheit-Courtway is a Republican. The current incumbent, Republican Rep. Elaine Gannon, is term limited.

From the announcement: Buchheit-Courtway is a graduate of Jefferson College in Hillsboro and is currently employed at Mercy Hospital Jefferson; she previously worked for 13 years at Buchheit, Inc. For the past few election cycles, Cyndi has worked to elect Republicans to numerous offices. She has been a member of both the Jefferson County Republican Central Committee and the Jefferson County Republican Club, serving on the executive board of each….

And, in a signal perhaps that Republicans intend to marshal plenty of resources to defend the seat, Tri-County PAC was formed.  It’s an independent PAC which will advance the interests of Buchheit-Courtway.  The PACs are no subject to the contribution limits to which candidates must adhere.

Fitz Kicks Off

Reader: [State Treasurer] Scott Fitzpatrick had a blowout crowd of more than 425 at his launch in Cassville. Joined by Republican electeds including Gov. Parson, Kehoe, Ashcroft, Schmitt, Haahr and many former House colleagues, Fitzpatrick’s speech included familiar themes: his fiscally conservative record as Budget Chair, his background as a successful small business owner and his frequent criticism of socialism.

RFP For Missouri One Start

The state has issued a request for proposals to provide the Department of Economic Development with a standard operating procedures and evaluation tool for the Missouri One Start Job Training Program.  See it here.

One Start was provision of SB 68 which assists “qualified companies in the training of employees in new jobs and the retraining or upgrading of skills of full-time employees in retained jobs.”

Meanwhile

According to the latest Missouri Employer Survey (see it here) “The most common shortcoming [of job applicants] cited [by employers] is poor work habits, followed by lack of communication skills and lack of critical thinking and problem solving. Results are similar in metro and non-metro areas, showing these applicant shortcomings, particularly with soft skills, are consistent across the state… In general, soft skill shortcomings are viewed as more significant than hard skills that an employer can possibly teach…”

New IPs

Deirdre Hirner filed another initiative petition to legalize marijuana.  See it here.

New Committees

United Parcel Service Inc. Political Action Committee Missouri - Federal Committee was formed.  It’s a PAC. Its treasurer is Ron Hines.

$5K+ Contributions

Nexus PAC - $10,000 from Paric Corporation.

Justice for All PAC - $5,001 from CL PAC.

MO Opportunity PAC - $10,000 from Evergreen Investments LLC.

Professional Fire Fighters of Eastern Missouri 2665 PAC Fund - $9,600 from Professional Firefighters of Eastern Missouri.

Lobbyists Registrations

Dr JL “Doc” Mendoza Quinones deleted Children’s Education Council of Missouri, Missouri Medical Marijuana Collective, and Missouri Education Reform Council; and added TDW Educational Resources.

Bill Leutkenhaus deleted Bill Luetkenhaus, and MI2 Operating Systems LLC.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Cora Faith Walker, Brad Ketcher, Aaron Jeffries, Angie Postal, and Becky Willard.