If Shane Roden of Cedar Hill is to win a third term representing District 111 in the Missouri House of Representatives in the November general election, he first must turn back a challenge from Gary Bonacker of House Springs in the Aug. 7 Republican primary election.
The winner of the primary election will square off against Phoebe Ottomeyer of Cedar Hill, who has no opposition in the Democratic Party’s primary.
Roden did not return a Leader candidate questionnaire.
The district includes northwestern Jefferson County.
State senators and representatives receive a $35,915 annual salary plus mileage and $113 per day in expenses for each day the General Assembly is in session.
BONACKER, 62, lives at 3598 Byrnesville Road, House Springs. He has a son. He is a farmer and worked for Bonacker Farms until he started Big River Farm. He attended the University of Missouri in Columbia. He has been on the Northwest R-1 Board of Education since 2010 and is its current vice president, and he is the president of the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District’s board, of which he has been a member since 2006. He formerly held membership in the Eureka Elks and the High Ridge Rotary Club.
Social media: Facebook: Gary Bonacker for State Representative
How will you vote on Proposition A and why?
Bonacker: I could not vote in support of Prop A because I feel District 111 is a labor union-based community. I indeed do not support Prop A for I feel we need a balance of labor and ownership so we can build a better America. America's workers are second to none; let’s work together.
What are your thoughts on how to protect insurance coverage for Missourians who have pre-existing conditions?
Bonacker: I am so far from having any real knowledge on the legality of what makes sense to me. But maybe another federal government insurance plan like Medicaid (they want to be in the business) makes sense, with the pre-existing people in that group. That would allow the rest of us who need to purchase insurance to have affordable rates. How much would it cost?
Higher education has been hit by funding cuts to balance Missouri government’s budget. In regard to Jefferson College, how would you address this?
Bonacker: Being on the Northwest R-1 school board gives me some real insight on public education and where it ranks with the General Assembly. Education is a big chunk of our state's budget. At Northwest, we realize that local money from real estate and personal property taxes will need to support more because the state is squeezing public education dollars. Now how can we convince the residents to give even more tax dollars? School ranking is so much of our home values, it’s easy for me to answer that question.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Bonacker: This district needs a representative who is accessible, approachable and is a visible part of the community. I’ve watched the Northwest R-1 staff work together to cut extra dollars from the budget, and I hope to help create that same attitude to help cut waste and extras so junior colleges can not only get by but expand to create more vocational and technical programs, drawing jobs that need trained workers.