MOScout Daily Update: Razer Unveil Big Endorsements - MMJ Oversight Committee - Mantovani Declares for STL CE - More Moon Talk and more...

Razer Unveils Endorsements

Rep. Greg Razer this morning is unveiling some powerful endorsements that indicate he very well might not have a meaningful opponent in his Senate 7 race.  It includes Mayor Quinton Lucas...and his opponent for mayor, Jolie Justus. It includes the two past Senators from the area, Jason Holsman and Justus.  It includes Holsman’s opponent for when he first ran for Senate, Crystal Williams.  City, county, and state officials - from the inner city, south KC, Grandview, and Lee's Summit.  It’s impressive…

See the full list here.

Remember

Filing opens next Tuesday (February 25)…

Mantovani Declares Candidacy for STL County Executive

The move was telegraphed a few weeks ago, but Mark Mantovani made it official yesterday, declaring that he’s running for St. Louis County Executive.  Mantovani narrowly lost to Steve Stenger, and then mounted a mini-campaign to be chosen by the Council when Stenger resigned.  Now he’ll take his case back before the County voters.

See his announcement video here.

He joins incumbent Sam Page and Assessor Jake Zimmerman in the primary. 

·         I wouldn’t be surprised to see a woman or an African American join this field of three white men before all is said and done.

Page: “Being county executive today is a tremendous opportunity to make lives better. Mark and I have very different experiences and outlooks. I look forward to the campaign.”

Zimmerman: “I welcome Mark Mantovani to the race.  St. Louis County stands at a critical crossroads and I look forward to comparing my record against Mark's and Sam’s any day.  We have very different visions and views.  I’m proud to be a progressive Democrat committed to reform. And I’m clear about where I want to lead the County as well as the absolute need for transparency.  Now, voters will have a choice between a progressive leader and others who want to take St. Louis County in a different direction.”

eMailbag on Moon Talk

·         Giving Mike Moon unsolicited campaign advice -- he should take that paragraph about the lobbyists circling the wagons and put it on his mail. Draining the swamp!!!

·         [Here’s] quintessential Moon is voting with the Dems against adoption of the substitute on the abortion bill last year because it violated Hammerschmidt. He did vote for it on final passage. Suspect we could hear about that 1st vote on the campaign trail….

MMJ Oversight

Yesterday’s House Committee on Government Oversight continued their investigation into the process for granting medical marijuana licenses.  See the Springfield News-Leader article here.

Interesting to note…

·         The department seemed unfazed by the amount of appeals in the pipeline.  They said that using other states’ experiences as a guide they expected about a third of those denied to appeal the decision.  That would amount to about 600 appeals in Missouri.

O’Laughlin Education Agenda

Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin filed two more education bills yesterday.  One gets the sense that with six years ahead of her as Education Chair, O’Laughlin could have a steady stream of legislation pouring forth…

·         SB 1021 - Requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to annually publish on the Department's website a list of schools in the state that have been performing within the bottom 5% of schools for more than three years

·         SB 1022 - Permits recording certain meetings by a student's parent or legal guardian

And

Remember the deadline for filing bills is coming up… Rule 48. No bills, other than appropriation bills, shall be introduced in the senate after March first of any regular session unless consented to by a majority of the elected members of the senate…

Bits

·         The Missouri Tourism Commission named Stephen Foutes Director for the Missouri Division of Tourism.

·         Sens. Mike Cierpiot and Lauren Arthur were appointed to the Joint Committee on Education.

New Committees

Mark Mantovani formed a candidate committee (Mark Mantovani for St Louis) to run for St. Louis County Executive as a Democrat.

Lobbyist Registrations

Scott Dieckhaus added Iowa 80 Group, Inc.

Louis Gianquinto added Anthem, Inc. and Its Affiliates; and deleted Missouri Care, Inc. and Its Affiliates.

John Williams Payne added Ozark Wellness LLC, CannaVer LLC, 29 and 79 LLC, and Fractal Farms LLC.

$5K+ Contributions

Page PAC - $15,000 from Thompson Coburn LLP.

UFCW Local 655 Elect Club - $5,665 from UFCW Local 655.

AGC of MO PAC - $6,000 from Fabick CAT.

KCFOP PAC - $6,185 from Kansas City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 99.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rep. Ben Baker, Doug Galloway, Matt Bartle, and Kenny Biermann.