Incumbent Renee Reuter, a Republican, is seeking reelection on Nov. 5 to the 112th District seat in the Missouri House of Representatives, and Democrat Dave Rekosh is challenging her for the two-year term.
District 112 covers northern Jefferson County.
According to the 2023-2024 Official Manual State of Missouri, state legislators are paid $39,264 a year.
Reuter, 55, of Imperial is an attorney and serves as senior intellectual property counsel at Armstrong Teasdale. She has two sons, one grandson and one granddaughter. She attended Jefferson College from 1987-1988, earned an associate degree in history from Pikes Peak Community College in 1993, a bachelor’s degree in American history and political science from Colorado College in 1995, and a law degree from St. Louis University School of Law in 2002.
Rekosh, 46, of Barnhart is a low-voltage electrician and member of IBEW Local 1. He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lindenwood University in 2002. He and his spouse, Erin, have four children.
What experience do you have that might service you well in this position?
Reuter: I served on the County Council in Jefferson County (2011-2022) and have represented District 112 in the Missouri House of Representatives. I’ve also participated in many volunteer programs throughout my life (too many to really list here). I have a heart for service.
Rekosh: I am not a career politician. I believe the government was designed for citizens to do public service and then return to their regular lives when they are done. That is how we get representatives who are not out of touch with everyday people. I have been interested in politics for many years and got involved with state politics to stop right-to-work legislation in 2018. I have also worked with House and Senate campaigns since then.
What specific needs exist in your district, and how would you address them?
Reuter: Inflation and economic uncertainty are needs in my district. As a Budget Committee member, I have watched spending and multi-year trends. Missouri will be grappling with a smaller budget than in recent years as COVID-era spending has ended. I want to remain on the committee to use my experience to help achieve more with less funding.
Senior citizens in my district soon will get the senior real estate tax freeze, and I recently hosted a town hall to inform residents about the program. I will continue helping seniors on a fixed income find ways to enhance their standard of living.
Rekosh: Education in my district has been threatened due to funding shortages. The Fox C-6 School District has threatened a four-day school week and the possibility of closing an elementary school. These shortages will be amplified by the voucher system. We need to properly fund schools, and public taxes need to stay in public schools.
According to many state legislators, the latest session wasn’t as productive as they would have liked with a near record-low number of bills passed. What do you think needs to be changed to address the problem?
Reuter: Many House bills stalled and then died in the Senate, largely due to a few senators. I have built good relationships with the senators from Jefferson County and will continue to do so. I believe the next few years will be more productive than the last few, largely because the makeup of the Missouri Senate has changed dramatically through term limits.
Rekosh: We need new members of the House with new ideas. Republicans have had a majority in the House and Senate for more than two decades. They had a supermajority in Congress with a Republican governor in the above-mentioned session. Nothing was stopping them from getting things done other than themselves. This shows an unwillingness to do it because the Democratic Party had no power to stop them.
State legislation recently was passed that raises the minimum teacher salary to $40,000, with no state funding mechanism attached. Do you think the state provides enough funding for education and why?
Reuter: The teachers deserved salary adjustments. In many schools, a shortage of teachers places more work on those who remain. Because of the scarcity of teachers, there should be adequate funding to cover the much-needed salary increase. In the past two years, I have voted to remove obstacles that limited retired teachers from continuing to teach post-retirement. We don’t just need more teachers; we need more experienced teachers.
Rekosh: This legislation was a publicity stunt to improve the image of the Republican Party. This will cause already underfunded school districts to divert funds for this new legislation and will cause a decrease in the quality of education due to financial shortcomings for supplies and programs. We not only need to pay our teachers well, but we need to fund the schools themselves for education and security.
State legislators have proposed bills aimed at making it harder to amend the state constitution through an initiative petition. Do you support these efforts and why?
Reuter: I support efforts to change the initiative petition process to restrict special interest organizers from outside our state changing the Missouri Constitution. Requiring signature collectors to be paid hourly instead of pay based on the number of signatures gathered removes incentive to pad numbers or break rules when collecting signatures.
Also, our constitution must be protected. I’ve seen many bills passed that later needed amending due to problems that arise after a new law or policy is implemented. With a constitutional amendment, if such a change is required, it will almost be impossible to amend with a second vote.
Rekosh: I do not believe we should make it harder for the people of our state to have a voice. The initiative petition process is true democracy when the government is not doing the will of the people. We should protect our rights as citizens to develop our constitution as a majority of the state sees fit.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Reuter: I’m most qualified to serve as state representative in District 112. I understand our residents’ needs and I’ve proven my commitment to service. Once re-elected, I’ll have the seniority to be even more effective since I’ve worked to develop the relationships and reputation needed to move issues forward. My goals are to secure a regular funding source to build a new courthouse for Jefferson County, identify a process to relieve residents from the burden of emissions testing (only three counties in Missouri, including Jefferson County are required to comply with emissions testing regulations) and support legislation requested by constituents.
Rekosh: My goals include improving education because it is one of the few places the government can spend money and get a return. An educated workforce attracts businesses, drives innovation and increases the tax base, which expands the economy. I want to protect individual rights and freedom for all. I also want to maintain the separation of church and state. You can’t have religious freedom if we legislate any religion into law. I will protect unions and workers, including stopping any right-to-work legislation.