MOScout Daily Update: MOSERS Meets on China - MRL For Onder - MLW for Eigel - PP for Quade - Carpenters for Beck and more...
Dunlap Services
Visitation for Ian Dunlap will be 3-7PM Wednesday, December 13, at Trimble Funeral Homes – Jefferson City.
A funeral service will be held 10AM Thursday at First Christian Church in Jefferson City.
Ian cherished his role as a devoted husband and loving father. His commitment to family knew no bounds; they were the center of his universe.
MRL Endorses Onder
Missouri Right to Life PAC gave Bob Onder its sole endorsement in the lieutenant governor’s race. See the endorsement here. “As State Representative and State Senator, Dr. Bob Onder has been a stalwart champion of Pro-Life legislation and strategy.”
What It Means
Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder enjoys a demographic edge as the only woman in a field that currently has four men.
But I think Onder is well-positioned…
· All indications right now are that Onder will be the best funded candidate in the primary.
· MRL is one of the most coveted endorsements.
And
Onder, in his announcement video, dings his fellow Republican legislators… “I believe that too many times Republicans have squandered the trust you’ve placed in them.” See it here.
Driving the Day: Emergency MOSERS Meeting
Following Governor Mike Parson’s exhortations, the Missouri State Employee Retirement System will convene a special meeting today at 10:30AM to revisit Treasurer Vivek Malek’s proposal to disinvest its fund from China.
Inside the MOSERS Board, resistance to Malek’s proposal appears to be led by Gary Findlay, a former executive director of the system, who argues that investment decisions should be left to the professionals without board meddling. Malek’s retort: “[The pros] work for us… we have both the responsibility and the authority to set rules reflecting investment priorities of transcendent importance and moral clarity.”
Outside the MOSERS Board, Malek’s position is the consensus Republican position. In addition to Parson, Senator Josh Hawley (see his letter here) and Congressman Eric Burlison (see his video here) voiced their support for it recently.
Carpenters Give $100K to Beck PAC
In the large contributions, Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Missouri-Kansas Area PAC sent $100,000 to Doug PAC, the political action committee backing Sen. Doug Beck’s re-election.
· Senate 1 is a tilt Democratic district (Biden won it with 52.9% in 2020). But so far Republicans haven’t recruited a candidate.
PD: STL Police Staffing Hits New Low
Post-Dispatch reports that “the St. Louis Police Department’s staffing has hit its lowest levels on record after it lost another 17 cops — almost 2% of its commissioned workforce — over the past month. The city is budgeted for 1,224 officers, but just 912 of those positions were filled as of the first week in December.”
· Sen. Nick Schroer’s pre-filed SB 808 says that St. Louis City “shall employ no less than 1,313 commissioned officers per each tenth of a percentage point of the violent crime rate within such city according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting System during the immediately preceding year, or 1,142 commissioned officers, whichever is greater.”
Gubby Endorsements
Republican Bill Eigel was endorsed by the Make Liberty Win. “The organization chose Eigel because of his strong conservative voting record and numerous legislative victories during his tenure in the Missouri State Senate… As part of their election efforts, Make Liberty Win PAC sends teams of students to meet with voters and advocate for their endorsed candidates. Through their advocacy, Make Liberty Win PAC has helped elect over 300 state legislators across the country.”
· This will help power Eigel’s ground game.
Democrat Crystal Quade was endorsed by Planned Parenthood. “As a leader in the Missouri House, she has been a champion on sexual and reproductive health, and she has vowed to help rebuild meaningful access to abortion care in Missouri… We could not be more excited about Crystal's campaign to become Missouri's first female governor.”
· Together with her labor endorsements, this cements Quade as the establishment Democrats as she fends off a primary challenge from businessman Mike Hamra.
Williams Joins Speaker’s Office
Press release: Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher is happy to announce the appointment of Hampton Williams as the new counsel for the Speaker’s Office. A distinguished trial attorney and partner at the Tri-Lakes area's largest law firm, Schenewerk & Williams, Williams brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this critical role…
eMailbag: LG or Gov
I heard you reported on Bob Onder over the weekend in your "Missouri Scout News." I have narrowed down my Run for Missouri State-Wide Office to either the Office of Missouri Governor or Office of Missouri Lieutenant Governor… You never mention me in your Newspaper, or in the Saint Louis Business Journal (as you are the State Budget & Legislative Reporter). It is like I do not exist! Is that proper not to tell Missourians the true facts of "Missouri Politics?" If I do not win State-Wide Office, then I will again be Running for Saint Charles County Executive in 2026!...
Very Truly Yours,
Arnie C. AC "Honest-Abe" "Arn" Dienoff
Lobbyist Registrations
Michael Harris added Missouri State Teachers Association.
$5K+ Contributions
DougPac (pro-Beck) - $100,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Missouri-Kansas Area PAC.
Another Viceroy PAC - $7,500 from J&J Venture Gaming of Missouri, LLC.
Majority Forward - $10,000 from Pipe Fitters Local 533 Voluntary Political Fund.
Nexus PAC - $10,000 from Paric Holdings, Inc.
Northland Strong PAC - $30,000 from Clarkson Construction Company.
Missouri Realtors PAC Inc - $11,640 from Robert Borgmann.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Celeste Rueter, Noel Torpey, Sal Martinez, Chris Girouard, and Sreenu Dandamudi.