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.
Residents of District 3 in the Missouri Senate haven’t been had a state senator since January, but the process of changing that will start in the Aug. 4 primary election,
Gary Romine of Farmington had held the seat for seven years but stepped down in January when he was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson to fill a vacancy on the State Tax Commission.
Romine was barred from running for a third four-year Senate term under the state’s term limits standards, so 2020 would have been his last year.
Looking to replace him in the Republican Party’s primary are Kent Scism of Farmington, Joshua Barrett of Fredericktown and current state Rep. Elaine Freeman Gannon of De Soto.
Like Romine, Gannon was not eligible to file for re-election to her District 115 seat in the state House of Representatives, so she chose to run for the vacant Senate seat.
Barrett did not return a Leader candidate questionnaire.
The winner of the Republican primary will run unopposed in the November general election.
State senators are paid $35,915 a year plus a weekly allowance for miles traveled going to and returning from meetings, and expenses for each day the General Assembly is in session.
District 3 includes the southern half of Jefferson County, including De Soto, Hillsboro and Olympian Village and parts of Cedar Hill, Dittmer and Festus. It also takes in all of Ste. Genevieve, St. Francois, Washington, Iron and Reynolds counties.
SCISM, 64, lives in Park Hills. He and his wife, Angie, have three children. He is the owner of Sam Scism Ford-Lincoln in Farmington.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in science from Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State).
Social media: Website: scismforsenate.com
GANNON, 67, lives in De Soto. She and her husband, Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon, have two children and two grandchildren. She is a retired teacher from the De Soto School District and is now a school board member of that district.
She graduated from Bismarck High School, Southeast Missouri State University and Southwest Baptist University.
Social media: Website: ElaineGannon.com Twitter: @votegannon
What experience do you have (elected office, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc.) that might serve you well in this position?
Scism: I have been a two-time past president for the Missouri Automobile Dealers Association, a trustee of its workmen’s compensation fund, and a Missouri national director for the National Auto Dealers Association.
Gannon: I am dedicated to serving the community I have called home my entire life. I have served for 32 years as a teacher, 11 years as director of the De Soto parks program, eight years as a state representative, and was recently elected to the De Soto School Board. I am running for the State Senate because I want to keep giving back to this region by fighting for lower taxes, conservative values and family-supporting jobs.
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?
Scism: Yes. Level the business climate for our Missouri retailers.
Gannon: Local small businesses should be on an even playing field with digital businesses. Under current law, Missouri sellers have to collect sales tax when they sell to most out-of-state destinations, but giant out-of-state companies that don't produce a single job in our state don't have to pay a dime when they sell an item to a Missourian. They are using a loophole to avoid taxes, giving them an unfair advantage over Missouri companies, and this has to stop.
Where should the state budget be cut to make up for unexpected expenses incurred to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic?
Scism: Sunset regulations to legislation should be required and reviewed every two years for three requirements: 1. Is the law still needed? 2. Is it functioning as intended? and 3. Is it cost-effective?
Gannon: We are going to have to cut every bit of waste that we can find in the budget. I support increasing efforts to find and eliminate fraud in our state's welfare programs, which are the largest part of the state budget.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Scism: I have been a small business owner for 40 years. I am a constitutional conservative and, like the president, I am an outsider and successful businessman. I believe in common-sense government and that the government should function more like a business. I say “no” to mail-in voting and I am 100 percent pro-life and in support of the Second Amendment.
Gannon: I will keep fighting to protect the unborn. I will work hard to get Missouri's economy back on track by lowering taxes for families and small businesses, eliminating needless red tape, and embracing innovative ways to bring jobs back. For too long, we have watched China take our jobs, our technology and even purchase American companies. This has to stop, and they have to be held accountable for COVID-19, for the continued theft of American intellectual property, for their aggression on the world stage and for their irresponsible and illegal trade tactics.