I start this post with a screenshot from one of the best Missouri politicos on Twitter: the one and only "Dark Prince of Secrecy" R. Gregg Keller who if you are on it, you have to follow on Twitter.
Fortunately but unfortunately a lot of the people responsible for the past two years are term limited out and are now running for a statewide office to keep spreading their ineptness. I'm not going to name these people because I know a lot of people will get lost in all the names so I'm going to just tell you who I think you should support in next Tuesday's Republican primary. You also need to realize a lot of those same people are only running as Republicans because they know that's the only way to win 75% of the elected positions in Missouri. These are the type of people that if the state was swinging towards the well intentioned and wonderful politics of the People's Republic of Illinois they would be running as Dems.
This is a big law enforcement support election and there are some big choices that need to be made. You can click on the names to get to the candidates home pages and read about them for yourselves.
Mike Kehoe is THE choice for governor. Tort reform and legislative leadership is what he will bring to the table. You would think I would be in one of the other camps but the other two have been and will be ineffective at keeping the state momentum moving forward.
Holly Rehder is THE choice for Lieutenant Governor. She's got a great life story and her performance in the State Senate showed that she is more concerned about results and reform and not the grandstanding that's made the last two years ineffective.
Shane Schoeller is THE choice for Secretary of State. He's been in the state house and currently is in local government as the Greene County Clerk. He's the type of person we need in the SOS office who's there to take care of business. Under no circumstances should you vote for a couple of the candidates in this race so keep it safe and vote Shane.
Cody Smith is THE choice for State Treasurer.
Will Scharf is the THE choice for Attorney General. There's been too many key mistakes in the office that have been happening lately that need to stop.
There are two state amendments and two Platte County ballot questions.
Amendment 1 eliminates property taxes on daycare facilities. I'm indifferent on this. I'd rather they freeze everyone's property assessments until you sell your house.
Amendment 4 is a revote of an amendment overwhelmingly passed in 2022 but the state Supreme Court ordered a do over because of the fiscal note language. It passed once and the voters should pass it again.
Now before I highlight Platte County Questions 1 and 2, you need to know that I work for the County and have been intimately involved in these issues. I pay the monthly fee to Typepad to host this blog and all my comments are being made as a private citizen. I've got the disclaimer at the top of the page. I'm writing this before bed while watching Be Cool Scooby Doo with the kids. There's a clear separation between work and home. I do this because I care and because you should be educated if you're going to vote.
Platte County has two law enforcement questions, and you can learn more about them by going to Platte County Detention Center Expansion - Platte County Missouri which I encourage you to do. The County is growing and unfortunately growth attracts things that have to be dealt with so here we are.
You aren't going to be in town Tuesday? You can head up to extremely charming Platte City and vote in person as no-excuse absentee voting is happening and also download your own ballot from the Platte County Board of Elections. Just remember that you need to exit at Route HH just past Route 92 as MoDOT is fixing the bridge over I-29.
While you're there, you should check out the downtown Platte City restaurants and businesses on historic Main Street. The Downtown Platte City Business Association has been setting up some festivals and free regular concerts. I encourage you to like their FB page here and clear your calendar for the Hot Summer Night event Saturday August 17. They're promising a 100 foot plus slip and slide on Main Street and I'm looking forward to seeing that.