MOScout Daily Update: Richardson To Leave Medicaid Post - Choi Demands Action on Crime - Another Map Lawsuit - Mosley in Scuffle and more…
Breaking… Richardson to Exit
The Gamble & Schlemeier newsletter reports that Todd Richardson, former speaker and current Director of Missouri MO HealthNet (Medicaid), will leave that post next month, and “an interim director will be named on October 15.”
It’s a huge job, with a huge paycheck ($277,809 in 2024), that will draw lots of interest.
· Unconfirmed rumor I heard is that Richardson will enter the lobbying world. We’ll see…
Choi Demands Columbia Leaders Attack Crime
From: Mun Choi
Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM
To: Barbara Buffaloe, De'Carlon Seewood, rjohnson@boonecountymo.org
Cc: Jill Schlude, Matthew.Stephens@como.gov, Brian Weimer, DCarey@boonecountymo.org < Matt McCormick <matt@comochamber.com>, Lily White, Nickie Davis, Kip Kendrick, paul.eisenstein@como.gov, Dustin Schnieders, Adam Gresham, Ryan Rapp, Mark Menghini, Marsha Fischer, Paul Maguffee, John Middleton
Subject: We Need Your Action to Address the Crime Crisis in Columbia/Boone County
Ms. Barbara Buffaloe, Mayor
Mr. De’Carlon Seewood, City Manager
Mr. Roger Johnson, Boone County Prosecuting Attorney
The crime problem in downtown Columbia is at a crisis point. The shootings, burglary, larceny, property damage, trespassing, and loitering are unacceptable. While the efforts of MUPD and others at the University of Missouri have kept our campus safe, the proximity of downtown and the frequent presence of our students there make this an issue of great importance for me and the University… There’s been too much complacency and it’s time for you to act.
It is incumbent upon you to acknowledge the problem and to take the necessary actions immediately. As I’ve shared publicly on a number of occasions, the Columbia Police Department (CPD) does an excellent job and they need to be supported. But, the success of crime prevention will require honest examination of current policies and practices in the city and county that lead individuals to commit crimes in Columbia without fear of consequences. There are some immediate actions that need to be taken during this period of emergency:
• More policing in downtown - give CPD the necessary resources and support.
• Hiring of more security officers.
• Elimination of policies and practices that attract criminals to the region.
• Passing of a loitering ordinance.
• Cleanup of encampments.
• Prosecution to the full extent of the law for crimes.
• And many others.
I’ve asked our MUPD Chief Brian Weimer to place all available police resources to patrol downtown.
The long-term solution will also require the collective efforts of the entire city & county organizations working together with the university and the business community. In addition to the emergency actions that are described above, I’m asking you to establish a Taskforce of city/county, university and business leaders to develop new policies and practices to improve public safety in downtown Columbia. I am ready to serve and bring the resources of the University of Missouri to bear. We cannot wait to have another tragic outcome due to complacency, delays and indecision.
Please let me know what actions you will be taking by 5 PM tomorrow (9/28/2025). I will seek action and support from the Office of the Governor to address this crisis if there are no actions taken by you.
Sincerely,
Mun Y. Choi
President, University of Missouri
Why This Matters
Local crime is becoming a real political flashpoint. We could see more legislation around this issue – mandating higher police expenditures for example – next session.
· Among those cc-ed on Choi’s email was Kehe chief of staff Adam Gresham.
· Several legislators, including Senate Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, and House Pro Tem Chad Perkins, made social media posts over the weekend denouncing Mayor Buffaloe’s handling of crime.
Here Comes the Money: Abortion Fight
Pro-choice activists and organizations put almost $1 million into Stop the Ban, the committee fighting the legislature’s Amendment 3 which would overturn last year’s Amendment 3.
And
Missouri Independent reports on the continuing tussle to get fair ballot language approved.
Secretary of State Denny Hoskins on Friday pitched his first revision of ballot language for a Missouri constitutional amendment that would ban abortion — without mentioning the ban…
Next week, Judge Daniel Green will decide if it is a ball or a strike…
· If Green rules Hoskins failed, he will have five days to try again.
Here Comes the Money: Map Fight
A half-million came dollars into People Not Politicians. That’s the vehicle to fight the redistricting map. They’re be collecting signatures for a referendum, to put the map to a vote of Missourians.
· Governor Mike Kehoe signed the bill yesterday during the Chiefs game which one reader described as “a new kind of news dump.”
And
Another lawsuit was filed over the weekend. This one repeats a charge from prior suits that the process was a violation of Article III, Section 45 as an “unconstitutional mid-cycle redistricting.” And it adds another claim – that the map is unconstitutional because it is not as compact as possible. Read the suit here.
Webb Mosley Fight
Front pager by Joe Holleman (not yet up online) says that St. Louis County Councilwoman Sholanda Webb wants assault charges filed against Sen. Angela Mosley and Rochelle Walton Gray stemming from a confrontation after a town hall meeting…
Trump Following MO’s Lead on Workforce Education?
Education Secretary Linda McMahon repeatedly drew attention to her efforts to move all career, technical and adult education programs from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor… The Trump administration is not the first government body to propose or execute such a merger, however… Missouri, for example, has been working since 2018 to integrate what was the Department of Higher Education and the Division of Workforce Development into a new Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. Inside Higher Ed spoke with the newly fused department’s commissioner, Bennett Boggs, and deputy commissioner, Leroy Wade, to understand how it came to be, what challenges they faced in the process and the benefits they’ve seen as a result…
Q: One of the core justifications we’ve heard from the Trump administration for merging the CTE operations at a federal level is to eliminate what they say are duplicate programs. When Missouri combined its agencies, was that one of your motivations as well, and did you find any duplicates to consolidate?
Boggs: What we have found here in Missouri is not so much duplication as an opportunity for coordination. A large part of it was about combining functions that have similar end goals but are not exactly the same program. It’s about asking, how can they be coordinated to be more effective together?
One of the answers to that is leveraging broader expertise. If you bring people and programs together and help broaden the perspective of the work that they’re doing, it allows the organization to move from silos to strategic partnerships…
We know in Missouri, 65 percent of all jobs currently require education or training past high school, and that number is only expected to grow. Of that, 35 percent would be an associate degree or some certification, and 30 percent would be a bachelor’s degree and above. So this is a statewide effort to create pathways for all Missourians—so this is not either-or, it’s yes-and...
Q: All challenges aside, over all, has this merger positively affected Missouri’s higher ed and workforce development landscape? And, if so, how?
Boggs: Absolutely. It’s changed the tone and the conversation statewide in terms of postsecondary education being part of economic and community development. It has pulled in strategic partners, from job centers, regional workforce boards, chambers of commerce and regional universities to have really interesting gatherings and talk about where they need to grow. And it makes for a better conversation about the cutting-edge research our flagship institution does. Over all, it helps us as a state have a better, more comprehensive conversation about learning and workforce development.
Former Miss MO Contra Trump
Missourinet reports that “former Miss Missouri Hayley Leach-Stratton is weighing in on recent claims linking Tylenol use during pregnancy to autism.”
· Leach-Stratton told Missourinet that she’s concerned that the conversation may be drifting away from trusted science.
· “People take Tylenol during pregnancy to reduce fever, but we also know that fever itself can increase risk for developmental issues,” said Leach-Stratton. “Unfortunately, I think that by focusing on rabbit holes that we know the data is not there to support it, we’re really losing attention and funding from research and development that are positive for the people on the spectrum.”
Committee Terminations
Six months after forming, Flower Fund PAC terminated. Flower Fund had been formed in support of Rep. Doug Clemens’ senate bid. It received $0 in contributions during its brief lifetime.
Lobbyist Registrations
Strategic Capitol Consulting added Evolution Festival.
Caroline Hoover and Alex Tuttle added SETWorks.
Caroline Hoover deleted Harness & Associates.
$5K+ Contributions
People Not Politicians (redistricting referendum) - $250,000 from American Opportunity Action (Washington, DC).
People Not Politicians - $250,000 from Brick by Brick Foundation (Minneapolis, MN).
Stop the Ban (pro-choice campaign) - $300,000 from The Fairness Project (Washington, DC).
Stop the Ban - $200,000 from Abortion Action Missouri Foundation.
Stop the Ban - $100,000 from Global Impact Social Welfare Fund (Alexandria, VA).
Stop the Ban - $100,000 from Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes (Overland Park, KS).
Stop the Ban - $100,000 from Planned Parenthood Great Rivers Action.
Stop the Ban - $25,000 from American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, Inc.
Stop the Ban - $25,000 from American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, Inc.
Stop the Ban - $10,000 from Laura Horwitz.
Stop the Ban - $10,000 from Mary Anne Sedey.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Erin Brower, Brad Jones, Benjamin Terrell, Rich Magee and Sam Gladney.