Incumbent Republican Cecelie Williams of Dittmer is seeking a second two-year term representing District 111 in the Missouri House and is being challenged by Democrat Stacey Hagen of Byrnes Mill.
Williams was first elected to the House in 2024.
District 111 covers parts of northwestern and western Jefferson County, including Cedar Hill, Byrnes Mill, Cedar Hill Lakes, House Springs, Scottsdale and Dittmer.
State representatives are limited to serving four terms. Representatives currently receive a $41,770 salary, plus mileage and a per-diem payment for expenses for each day the General Assembly is in session.
Hagen, 54, of Byrnes Mill teaches nursing and is a certified personal trainer, working mainly with women and older adults. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Missouri in St. Louis and her master’s degree in nursing leadership at Regis University. She is married to David and has two children and three grandchildren.
Williams, 45, of Dittmer is the owner and operator of a landscape management company in Cedar Hill. Prior to starting the business, she worked in the insurance industry and was licensed in life, health, property and casualty insurance, as well as Series 6 and Series 63 securities. She was elected in 2024 to represent District 111 in the Missouri House. Since 2023, she has served on the Big River Ambulance District board of directors. She and her husband, Rich, have seven children and four grandchildren.
Why should voters elect you, and what are your goals if elected?
Hagen: I’m not a politician. I’m a nurse and an educator who cares about people. I have watched our Missouri government behave in ways I find not only disappointing but unethical. Missouri politicians lack transparency about what they are doing and who their donors are. Integrity and trustworthiness are essential characteristics of any public servant. I’m running to bring honesty, integrity and transparency back to our state government. Our state legislature has not been putting the hardworking people of Missouri at the center of their lawmaking. Rather, they are focused on keeping their wealthy donors happy, no matter the cost. That needs to change. We deserve better. We deserve reasonable, efficient and effective leadership. I will listen. I will strive to get to the heart of issues. I will collaborate to solve problems. I will be your voice in Jefferson City.
Williams: I believe public service should be about listening, solving problems and never forgetting who you work for. As a small-business owner, mother and state representative, I understand the challenges Missouri families face because I have lived many of them myself. My priorities will remain protecting victims and families, strengthening public safety, improving education and workforce opportunities, supporting workers and small businesses and keeping Missouri affordable for the people who call it home. I will continue fighting for common-sense policies that respect local communities, protect taxpayers and remove unnecessary barriers that prevent people from succeeding. I am not afraid to ask difficult questions, work across differences or stand firm when it matters. My goal is to be an accessible, effective voice for Jefferson County and make sure our community is represented in Jefferson City, not dictated to by it.
In light of recent elections, many voters contend Missouri’s state legislators are following their own political agendas, rather than listening to the will of the people, citing Amendments 4 and 5 as the most recent examples of seeming disconnect between legislators and residents. Do you agree or disagree with that assessment?
Hagen: I agree. The Missouri state legislature treats us, the people they are supposed to represent, like we need parenting rather than representation. They have said we don’t know what we’re voting for when they don’t agree with how we have voted. Then they spend our tax dollars working to find ways to overrule what we’ve told them we want. They waste taxpayer money and precious in-session time overturning our votes. They manufacture problems rather than solving the real problems Missourians face day-to-day. They are inefficient and irresponsible. We need serious people in our legislature who listen to constituents and center government around what the people really need.
Williams: I would not characterize every disagreement between the Legislature and voters as legislators ignoring the will of the people. In the case of Amendments 4 and 5, I believed the questions were significant enough that Missourians themselves deserved the opportunity to make the final decision. My vote to place an issue before voters should not necessarily be viewed as an endorsement of the proposal itself. I believe strongly that, when appropriate, the people should have the final voice on major policy decisions. I also remain committed to reducing the tax burden on Missourians wherever responsibly possible. I serve on the committee addressing property tax reform, and I look forward to continuing that discussion and working toward meaningful relief. I believe government works best when elected officials listen, remain transparent about their votes and respect the decisions voters make at the ballot box.
A common topic of legislative reform concerns tightening the requirements for citizen-led initiative petitions. Would you support reform in IP? What sort of reforms would you support?
Hagen: I would absolutely support reform in the IP process if it strengthens it and upholds the will of the people. The IP process protects the people’s voice. Our Missouri lawmakers have sought to make it harder for citizens to get issues on the ballot, while keeping the rules the same for them. Easy for them; hard for us. Look at the ballots this year. How many amendments on our ballots originated from the legislature? How many from the people? The IP process is already difficult enough. I have worked very hard for the last year and a half, along with more than 2,000 volunteers from all political persuasions, to protect the IP process. The IP process is the people’s route to getting their voices heard when our government ignores us. Protecting the IP process is protecting the people’s voice.
Williams: I support reasonable reform of Missouri’s initiative petition process. As a member of the elections committee, I had the opportunity to hear and consider IP reform legislation during special session, and I supported those efforts. I believe Missourians should absolutely retain the ability to petition their government and place issues before voters. At the same time, the process should have appropriate safeguards to ensure transparency, accountability and broad support from across the state. I am particularly concerned about well-funded, out-of-state organizations using Missouri’s Constitution to advance interests that may not reflect the priorities of Missouri citizens. I would support reforms that increase transparency regarding funding and sponsorship, strengthen signature and verification requirements and encourage broader geographic participation. Any reform should protect the people’s voice, not eliminate it, while ensuring constitutional changes reflect meaningful support from Missourians across the state.
