MOScout Daily Update: Senate District POwerRankings - Pro-Choice IP Adds Millions$$ - Post Floats Mayoral Takeover of Schools and more…
Senate District PowerRankings
I’m initiating “Senate Districts Most Likely to Flip” PowerRankings this morning. Find them here.
· Coming later this week: “House Flip” PowerRankings.
Now a quick catch-up from the long weekend…
Osage Gaming on Ballot
Late last week the Osage River Gaming and Convention won their appeal to have their proposed casino added to the November ballot. MO Indy reports: The initiative, which was initially found to be 2,031 signatures short in the 2nd Congressional District, actually did have enough valid signatures, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office conceded when a planned trial over the petition opened before Judge Daniel Green... Signature verification is “a massive, messy process that does not always produce perfect results,” Chuck Hatfield, the attorney representing the campaign, told Green.
What It Means
· The campaign could feature a civil war among casinos. MOIndy notes the “casino proposal is being bankrolled by Bally’s, which currently operates a casino in Kansas City.” But I assume the other incumbent casinos aren’t thrilled with the prospect of a new player on their turf.
· Bad news for sports betting? It wouldn’t surprised me if this is a mild negative for the sports betting question. Will voters be less forgiving of adding gambling when there are two proposals to expand it? It might spook some voters from Maybe to No.
Huge Pro-Choice $$$ Into MO
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign committee for the pro-choice ballot initiative, received a $3.5 million check from Sixteen Thirty Fund. Sixteen Thirty Fund is a 501c4 dark money fund. This comes after last week’s $2.1 million check from a similar 501c4 fund, The Fairness Project.
Together will smaller (though still substantial checks) the campaign to reverse Missouri’s abortion ban has raised over $6.5 million since start of August.
What It Means
· This will be a well-funded campaign, with – so far – no deep pockets stepping in to oppose it.
· Meanwhile, many Republicans – including their presidential candidate – have become much less strident in their pro-life views recently.
PD Ed Board Floats Mayoral Takeover of Schools
Weekend editorial from the Post-Dispatch: The myriad crises currently rocking St. Louis public schools — the lack of transportation to get kids to class, the district’s sudden plunge into a multimillion-dollar budget deficit, the suspension of the superintendent over questionable hiring and contracting — intersect in one place: an elected school board that was apparently asleep at the switch and is now refusing to talk about any of it.
· Here’s an alternative that’s worth talking about: putting the school system under the control of the mayor’s office…
Platte Tax Advocates Win
Platte County Landmark reports on the strange occurrence of advocates gathering enough signatures to place a quarter cent sales tax on a local ballot and yet being unable to have it put on the ballot.
A lawsuit (see it here) was filed on behalf of Platte County 4 Kids by SuperAttorney Chuck Hatfield came after Reps. Jamie Johnson and Ashley Aune unsuccessfully lobbied the county commission to add the tax to the November ballot. Platte County Circuit Court Judge Megan Benton, daughter of former Supreme Court Judge Duane Benton, ordered the question be placed on the ballot.
· None of the involved parties disputed that petitioners had acquired the necessary signatures to bring a vote…
· The Platte County Board of Elections was represented at Friday’s hearing by attorneys Jared Welch and Scott Campbell. Welch told the court their position was that the election board doesn’t have the authority to put the matter on the ballot, that it would need to come from an “officer or agency.” Welch pointed out that the county commission doesn’t want the issue on the ballot, and that some county commissioners have publicly said they are opposed to the tax. He said the board of elections has no position on the tax. But the county commission’s attorney said the law indicates commissioners are not required to place the matter on the ballot. County counselor Rob Redman represented the county commission…
Acadia Investigated
New York Times reports that “Acadia has lured patients into its facilities and held them against their will, even when detaining them was not medically necessary.” Acadia operates in Missouri.
· In at least 12 of the 19 states where Acadia operates psychiatric hospitals, dozens of patients, employees and police officers have alerted the authorities that the company was detaining people in ways that violated the law, according to records reviewed by The Times. In some cases, judges have intervened to force Acadia to release patients. Some patients arrived at emergency rooms seeking routine mental health care, only to find themselves sent to Acadia facilities and locked in...
· At an Acadia hospital in Missouri, three former nurses said, executives pressured them to label patients whose insurance was about to run out as uncooperative. Acadia employees then would argue to insurance companies that the patients weren’t ready to leave. Sometimes, the nurses said, they wrote patients up for not finishing a meal or skipping group therapy. Once Acadia won more insurance days for patients, it often would not release them before their insurance ran out, according to dozens of former Acadia executives, psychiatrists and other staff members.
Acadia’s lobbyist in Jefferson City is Jewell Patek.
Gubby Appts
Governor Mike Parson announced 6 appointments…
· Carson Ross was appointed to the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority.
· Dr. Christopher Wilhelm was appointed to the Board for the Healing Arts.
· Richard Childs was appointed to the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors.
· Paul “Stephen” Buckley and Dr. Christopher Slinkard were appointed to the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.
· Dr. Joshua Stilley was appointed to the State Advisory Council on Emergency Medical Services.
· Brian Brooks, Cliff Callis, and Tim Peach were appointed, and Randy Warner was reappointed to the Missouri Propane Safety Commission.
· Tim Flora was appointed to the Board of Private Investigators and Private Fire Investigator Examiners.
· Susan "Renee" Pace, and Esther Rosner were appointed to the America 250 Missouri Commission.
· Kim Brown was appointed to the Missouri Pet Spay/Neuter Fund Board.
· Susan Hardy was appointed as the student representative to the Missouri State University Board of Governors.
· Adli Jacobs was appointed as the student representative to the Truman State University Board of Governors.
Help Wanted
American Water seeks Director of Government and External Affairs. Leads and directs the state and local government affairs program for one of American Water’s state subsidiaries, including the development and implementation of recommended strategies and tactics for advancing the company’s priorities, protecting its business interests and enhancing its reputation. Provides counsel to the state president and leadership team on matters affecting policy, politics, and key relationships. This role is the senior government relations professional responsible for overseeing, coordinating, and/or directly establishing, nurturing and maintaining relationships with elected and appointed individuals at the state and local levels of government.
Lobbyists Registrations
Jerry Hobbs added OVH Consulting.
Garrett Webb deleted Native Agtech Inc.
Jeffrey Altmann deleted Bear Medical Group, The Basketball Movement, and Delta Extraction LLC.
$5K+ Contributions
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom - $3,500,000 from Sixteen Thirty Fund (Washington, DC).
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom -$125,000 from Gideon Friedman (New York, NY).
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom - $15,000 from Richard Miles and Patricia Whitaker.
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom - $10,100 from Brent Sandweiss (Tucson, AZ).
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom - $10,000 from Karen Handelman.
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom - $10,000 from Leonard Drey.
Vote "NO" on 3 - $10,000 from Frank Obrien.
Hahn DeBoef PAC - $50,000 from MTX Group, Inc. (Frisco, TX).
Majority Forward - $7,500 from Operating Engineers Local 101 PAC.
Majority Forward - $20,000 from Pipe Fitters Local 533 Voluntary Political Fund.
Missouri Leadership PAC - $10,000 from Missouri Leadership Fund.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Warren Wood, and Adam Crumbliss.