MOScout Daily Update: Williams for Congress? - Derges Reiterates Innocence - MMJ Adds 4K+ Jobs and more...

“No matter how old I get, I still live my life in semesters…”  In other words: summer’s over.  It’s back to work.

Williams for Congress?

One rumor circulating is that Sen. Brian Williams is getting serious about running for Congress next year. 

·         Knocking off an incumbent is never easy, but incumbents tend to be most vulnerable in their first re-election.

·         While Rep. Cori Bush has become a champion for progressive causes, there are folks who think she’s too far out there.  Williams would presumably try to tap into that sentiment.

·         Williams would have the backing of whatever remnants there are of the Clay machine.

·         And there might be some Republicans who – despite making great use of Bush in their fundraising appeals – would try to help Williams in any way they could.

·         Will he take the leap?  We’ll see… But it’s not a free pass for him.  And that should generate some interest among St. Louis County Democratic reps looking for a promotion...

Derges Reiterates Innocence

Rep. Tricia Derges continues to proclaim her innocence. 

·         From her latest missive: When this nightmare witch hunt began, it was shocking to see that there were actually people serving in the Capital that supposedly "stood" for our Constitution, immediately jumped on the "guilty" wagon and exiled me.  This effort was headed by the Speaker of the House who deemed himself "my juror, judge and executioner".  I told him the truth on the first day, yet he disregarded everything I said.  Nothing short of a disgrace…

·         As my attorney has stated: he believes that Powerful medical organizations, lobbyist and the Board in this state do not want solutions for our broken healthcare.  They don't like that I have stood up for the Assistant Physicians since 2014: now being in the legislature, they apparently saw it as a bigger threat.  One group stating that "I have been a thorn in their side for years". 

See her recent press release here (featuring Al Watkins).

Vaccination Mandates from Business

Gallup polling shows a trend among Americans, losing patience with the unvaccinated.  A majority now favoring businesses requiring vaccinations to go to office (56%), take a plane (61%), stay at hotel (53%)… See it here.

MMJ Industry Adds 4K+ Jobs

Press release: An industry that this time last year existed largely on paper has since added nearly 5,000 new jobs across Missouri — a growth rate expected to rise as medical cannabis cements its foothold in the state.

Through late August, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports issuing 4,584 state agent ID cards to work in medical cannabis facilities.

Could Schmitt Mask Crusade Backfire?

Align’s newsletter notes that school districts that have instituted a mask mandate haven’t done so on a whim.  And one wonders if Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s attack on mask mandates in schools could backfire in some places.  The polling looks good for his position, but it might not play as well in what should be his strongest element, the suburbs.

·         In the face of the fast-spreading Delta Variant, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control recommend masking in schools to protect students and staff and limit community transmission. Some Missouri districts defend their mask requirements in light of the actions of the AG.

·         In Monett, Superintendent Dr. Mark Drake told KY3 ,"We did a lot of looking into data and research and looking into other districts, trying to figure out what was best for our students. We took community input. We had a stakeholder meeting. We did a community survey to try to figure out what was best. So at that point, we decided that it'd be good to require masks for two weeks. That way, we wouldn't have to quarantine a lot of students, and we could keep them in school."

Onder Labor Day Message

Sen. Bob Onder’s Labor Day message raised some eyebrows among pro-labor readers.  It was un-Onderesque (perhaps I’m coining a new word there), in that the video included quotes from folks not usually quoted by Republicans.  For example, Democratic President John F. Kennedy.  See it here.

Meanwhile

Post-Dispatch reports on the Missouri Democratic Party’s labor troubles.

·         The former data director for Missouri Democrats says he is in settlement negotiations with the state party after the National Labor Relations Board found merit to his unfair labor practices charge.

·         The charge, filed last December by Ben Conover, 29, of St. Louis, accuses Missouri Democratic Party leaders of breaking federal labor law by suspending and firing him to “discourage” protected union activities.

·         The case is also part of a larger conflict playing out within the state party, as former employees accuse leaders of trying to sabotage a unionization effort last year even as Democrats actively courted support from organized labor.

·         This continued clashing comes as Democrats scramble to organize ahead of the November 2022 election; the GOP controls all but one statewide office in Missouri and commands two-thirds majorities in the Legislature.

Help Wanted

Washington University seeks Associate Director, Clark-Fox Policy Institute - External Affairs. “In collaboration with the Associate Dean for External Affairs and Director of the Clark-Fox Policy Institute, the Associate Director will provide leadership, strategy and operational oversight and guidance in the programmatic work of the Institute.  Increases the capacity of the Institute’s policy initiatives via grant writing, policy analysis and student and community programming….”   See the ad here.

New Committees

Concerned Citizens of Nixa was formed.  It’s a PAC. Its treasurer is Ronald Sanders.

$5K+ Contributions

American Property Casualty Insurance Association Political Account - $29,870 from American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

ShowMeJeffCO PAC - $10,080 from St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council.

Lobbyists Registrations

Steven Tilley, Thomas Robbins, Brittany Hyatt Robbins, and Tracy King added Bluebird Botanical, Ltd.                                                                    

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rex Sinquefield, Sheila Solon, and Kathlyn Fares.