The Leader continues its Voters Guide for the Aug. 4 primary election. To assist an expected high number of people who will cast absentee and mail-in ballots, we will be posting profiles on candidates in contested races and ballot issues. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot or mail-in ballot is July 22. For information, call the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office at 636-797-5486.
The race to determine who will succeed Elaine Freeman Gannon as the District 115 representative in the Missouri House of Representatives will begin on Aug. 4, but it won’t end there.
Gannon, a Republican from of De Soto, was prohibited from running for a fifth two-year term in the House because of the state’s term limit standards. She is a candidate for the Missouri Senate’s District 3.
Three Republicans are battling in the Aug. 4 primary election for the right to represent their party in November against Cynthia D. Nugent of Bloomsdale, who is running unopposed in the Democratic Party primary.
Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway of the Festus area, Marvin Fricke of De Soto and Ryan Jones, of the De Soto area, are seeking the Republican nomination.
Fricke did not return a Leader candidate questionnaire.
District 115 includes parts of south Jefferson County, northwest Ste. Genevieve County and northern St. Francois County.
State representatives serve two-year terms. The pay is $35,915 per year, a weekly allowance for miles traveled going to and returning from meetings, and expenses for each day the General Assembly is in session.
BUCHHEIT-COURTWAY, 44, lives in the Festus area. She and her husband, David, have five children and 15 grandchildren. She is a health information services specialist at Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City and also works part-time at Enterprise Bank and Trust.
A 1994 graduate of St. Vincent de Paul High School, she earned an associate degree from Jefferson College in 2018.
Social media: Website: cyndi4missouri.com Facebook: BuchheitCourtwayForMissouri
JONES, 29, lives in the De Soto area. He is single. He is general manager for United Access, which provides wheelchairs and other equipment to veterans.
A graduate of Hillsboro High School, he earned an associate degree from Jefferson College and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri.
Social media: Website: RyanJonesForMissouri.com Facebook: Ryan Jones for State Rep District 115
What experience do you have (elected office, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc.) that might serve you well in this position?
Buchheit-Courtway: I have been active with several organizations, including 67 Gun Club, Festus-Crystal City Conservation Club and several Republican and conservative clubs. I have taught Sunday school and have been involved in children’s ministries. I have helped numerous candidate campaigns. I have created budgets, have board member and officer experience, managed treasury funds, and have been a leader. We must all work together to improve our community.
Jones: My work experience. Also, for the past three years, I have served as vice president and then treasurer of the Jefferson County Republican Club, so I have a good feel for the voice of the Republicans in my district. I also ran policy campaigns for lower taxes and increased property rights, so I know what it will take to get good legislation passed.
Should the General Assembly pass legislation to allow counties, cities and other local jurisdictions to join the state in collecting sales taxes from internet purchases? Why or why not?
Buchheit-Courtway: I generally do not support additional taxes but this is a unique subject. Sales tax laws were implemented long before the internet. Most people want to support small businesses. They create most new jobs in this country. Many business owners have stated by not requiring this, it harms them. However, before collecting sales taxes on internet sales, I would want to look seriously at reducing personal property taxes. I do not support eliminating personal property taxes, but support a phased-out approach that would reduce the tax assessed to zero after a certain amount of years.
Jones: It is important that some companies do not use this to their advantage to drive local business out with unfair advantages. Corporate welfare and picking winners and losers through political policy advantages needs to stop. Brick-and-mortar locations are crucial to our communities. As someone who works in business and retail, I understand how these policy advantages affect local business. The playing field should be even either a reduction in taxes for all businesses or stop the treating them differently.
Where should the state budget be cut to make up for unexpected expenses incurred to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic?
Buchheit-Courtway: After the pandemic hit, Gov. Parson was forced to withhold more than $448 million from this year’s budget. Expenditures for education, health and senior services, mental health, social services and transportation exceed 80 percent of the budget. No matter where you cut, it is painful. Before additional cuts, we should stop spending on new or expanded programs until the situation stabilizes. Each bill proposed in the General Assembly has a fiscal note describing projected costs. A financial analysis should be completed to review the actual costs of bills that were passed, measuring the deviation from projected costs.
Jones: Reducing the amount we give in corporate welfare is crucial to creating a level playing field for business and having a safety net for unexpected expenses for corona or any state emergency. I would also work to make sure that the state stops paying additional unnecessary tax dollars on bond issues, where we can use the budget over a longer period of time. I would also like to continue more process audits to ensure departments have what they need and are efficient as possible.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Buchheit-Courtway: I have real-life experiences in this district. I have worked, raised a family, volunteered, paid taxes, supported business and civic organizations. I have a heart to serve. I want to be a true representative of the people. I will speak for those who feel that they have no voice. I will fight for their voices to be heard. I am pro-life from conception to the natural end of life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-jobs, pro-seniors, pro-students. I want to find solutions and additional resources for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. These issues have devastated too many families.
Jones: I want to make sure that this district is given the best attention possible. I know how to run a business and will work to make sure that our government operates the best it can. My goal is to save the taxpayers money while giving the best return on services to the people of my district. I hope to remove as many of the barriers that we encounter from government that I can and to reach our full potential as a district. As we move forward, we should make a path for the generations behind us, increasing their freedoms and liberties.