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Meet Missouri’s Constitution Party candidate for state auditor

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The race for state auditor includes Constitution Party candidate Jacob Luetkemeyer of central Missouri’s California. He faces Democratic Auditor Nicole Galloway, Republican Saundra McDowell, Libertarian Sean O’Toole and the Green Party’s Don Fitz in Tuesday’s midterm election.

Luetkemeyer has a background in analytics and computer technology. He has a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting. He’s developed his own accounting and point of sale software and analytics tools.

Jacob Luetkemeyer

For the last six years, Luetkemeyer has worked in IBM’s Security division auditing compliance, automation development and operational metrics analytics.

“I believe that with the skillset that I’ve gained over the last 15 to 20 years of my life, that would be a great place for me to start,” Luetkemeyer tells Missourinet affiliate KSSZ in Columbia.

He says he’s not beholden to party politics.

“We don’t have any dark money behind us. Obviously being a minor party, we’re not getting a lot of that attention. Missourians can be rest assured that I’m not going to be partisan in where I look and where I look to audit,” he says.

Luetkemeyer says he’s against Amendment One, otherwise known as Clean Missouri.

“I’m not sure the reasoning that it was kept on the ballot, but there’s multiple subjects within this amendment. I believe there are probably some things in there that we could all agree on but mixing them in with different areas just makes it difficult for Missourians to fully understand the intent behind the amendment itself. I think we could do better in the area of ethics,” he says. “I believe that it would further create a higher level of gerrymandering than what we may have now.”

He opposes having a state demographer draw Missouri’s legislative districts. The measure will be on tomorrow’s ballot.

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Governor Parson signs Missouri STEM education bill into law

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Legislation expanding STEM education in schools was signed into law Tuesday by Governor Mike Parson (R) in southeast Missouri’s Poplar Bluff and in St. Louis.

The governor called the Legislature back into special session in September for the bipartisan bill, which was a top priority for House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, and House Minority Leader Gina Mitten, D-St. Louis.

State Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, speaks on the Missouri House floor during the September 12, 2018 special session in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, is the House sponsor of the bill, which allows the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to create a “STEM career awareness program” for students in grades six through eight.

Senate sponsor Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, has told Missourinet that many of today’s computer science jobs go unfilled because not enough students have been trained for the positions. Libla joined Governor Parson for the bill-signing ceremony at Poplar Bluff High School.

Speaker Richardson says Missouri must have a trained, educated workforce to compete for 21st century jobs.

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New Missouri Medicaid director Richardson to examine rural health care

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State officials say Missouri’s new Medicaid director will face multiple challenges.

House Speaker Todd Richardson addresses the Capitol Press Corps on September 12, 2018 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, will resign his seat in the Legislature on Thursday to become the new MO HealthNet Director. He’ll begin his new position that morning.

Medicaid provides low-income families and individuals with health care coverage. Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) Director Steve Corsi says Richardson will face challenges.

“He will be charged with taking a look at sustainability for Medicaid statewide,” Corsi says. “Number two, we have a need to take a look at rural health care.”

Rural hospitals in Farmington, Kennett, Osceola and Reynolds County have closed since 2010.

DSS Director Corsi says Richardson will transform the program through modernization and innovation. Corsi notes Medicaid’s budget is now about $10 billion, which is about one-third of Missouri’s $28-billion dollar operating budget.

“He’ll be looking at the rising costs of Medicaid, and I think it’s fairly safe to assume that the rising costs of Medicaid are driving health care costs across the state and across the country,” says Corsi.

About one million Missourians are currently on Medicaid.

Richardson and Governor Mike Parson (R) told Missourinet at a press conference last week that they’re focused on reforming Medicaid, not expanding the program.

“My focus is not going to be on expanding the Medicaid eligibility,” Richardson said at that Statehouse press conference. “It’s going to be how do we work with its existing population to improve health outcomes, and how do we put it on a path to financial stability.”

The governor says providing accessible and quality health care to Missourians is critical to workforce development.

Governor Parson praises DSS for appointing Richardson to the post. Parson notes it’s been 22 months since Missouri had a permanent Medicaid director.

“I think it’s an area where we need to spend a lot more time on it when it comes to reform, and emphasis on that is going to be huge to the success of Missouri moving forward,” Parson says.

Richardson’s salary will be $225,000, according to Mr. Corsi and the governor’s office.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) is again calling on the state to expand Medicaid. She says a lack of Medicaid expansion is a key factor in the financial stability of rural hospitals.

McCaskill cites a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which she requested.

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McCaskill and Hawley blast each other’s positions during final Missouri Senate debate

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Missouri’s two major U.S. Senate candidates clashed over civility, tax cuts, tariffs and health care during their heated final debate Thursday afternoon in Kansas City.

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill (D) waves to supporters at the Mizzou Homecoming parade in Columbia on October 20, 2018. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) and GOP Senate nominee Josh Hawley debated at KMBC 9 News in Kansas City, before a live studio audience. The moderators were veteran KMBC political reporters Kris Ketz and Michael Mahoney, and audience members also asked questions. The audience members were primarily from western Missouri.

Some analysts believe Missouri’s race could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate in January.

The race’s tone was an early debate topic. Missouri Attorney General Hawley says he’s concerned with what he calls a “culture of incivility”, as well as confrontation and violence.

“It is extremely concerning to see our politics come to this level,” Hawley says. “I have never attacked my opponent personally. I’m not going to.”

Senator McCaskill is calling on both sides to “turn down the temperature.”

Missouri GOP Senate nominee Josh Hawley walks with supporters at the Mizzou Homecoming parade in Columbia on October 20, 2018. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

“There are people being ugly on both sides,” says McCaskill. “And I really got to disagree with you (Attorney General Hawley). He has spent this entire campaign trying to trash me personally.”

During the debate, Hawley blasted former Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, saying she said you can’t be civil with those who you disagree with. He also notes some people have been driven out of restaurants, apparently referring to a recent incident involving U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

McCaskill responds by talking about incidents on both sides.

“It’s really interesting to listen to his answer, because did you notice he blamed it all on the Democrats. That’s the problem. This is a problem on both sides,” McCaskill says.

McCaskill and Hawley also blasted each other on tax cuts.

McCaskill calls for making tax cuts for middle-class families permanent.

“The Republicans had it backwards. They made the rich people’s tax cuts permanent. They made the middle-class tax cuts temporary. I’d like to flip those,” says McCaskill.

Hawley says he’s open to additional tax cuts for the middle-class.

“Senator McCaskill says that she wants to make the tax cuts permanent, but she voted against them. Let’s just be honest, she voted against the middle class tax cut,” Hawley says.

Hawley says the tax cuts are benefiting working families, while McCaskill says they haven’t provided wage growth.

This was the third and final debate between the two. They debated last week in St. Louis.

The election is November 6.

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Report says Columbia is “the brightest spot in the Missouri economy” (AUDIO)

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A recently-released report from two University of Missouri researchers says Columbia’s economy is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in Missouri since 2001.

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce hosted Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe on October 16, 2018 at the new Drury Hotel (photo courtesy of Columbia Chamber of Commerce)

Columbia Chamber of Commerce President Matt McCormick notes the report says the Columbia metro area’s growth rate has been more than double the rate reported statewide.

“Then you also have things like American Outdoor Brands, they’re in the process of getting opening and hiring,” McCormick says. “And (Colorado-based) Aurora Organic Dairy is doing their project, and you got Beyond Meat that’s doing an expansion.”

Massachusetts-based American Outdoor Brands manufactures firearms and outdoor sports and recreation products. They are set to open a massive 630,000 square foot distribution center, which is expected to create about 150 jobs.

A spokeswoman for Beyond Meat tells Missourinet it’s expanding in Columbia and is adding jobs. The company now has multiple sites in Columbia, including a location near Lemone Industrial Drive. The company is now global. Beyond Meat’s website says the company’s mission is to create delicious plant-based burgers, sausage, crumbles and strips, made directly from plants.

The report is written by Mizzou researchers Joseph Haslag and John Holtmann Jr. It describes Columbia as the “brightest spot in the Missouri economy.”

The report says the Columbia metro area has seen the highest average annual growth rate among the state’s four largest metropolitan areas since 2001. McCormick says Columbia has seen big projects like the new Drury Plaza Hotel near I-70 and Highway 63.

“You’re seeing some great things, I mean this hotel is beautiful and they just finished it up and it just opened. You can still smell the new carpet, right,” says McCormick.

The report notes Veterans United Home Loans has seen a 79% increase in employment between 2013 and 2017, and that Columbia Public Schools (CPS) has seen a 17% employment increase. Haslag and Holtmann also found that Veterans United hired one of every five new employees in the Columbia metro between 2006 and 2017.

The Columbia area is the only one of Missouri’s four largest metropolitan areas in which the economic growth rate has exceeded the average annual growth rate in the nation, according to the report.

McCormick praises the report, adding that education, insurance and health care are still the city’s three economic drivers.

“What’s great about Columbia is it has such a diverse business base and you’re seeing it even diversify more with some of the new manufacturers come in, which is always very helpful,” McCormick says.

Columbia is home to the University of Missouri, Stephens College and Columbia College. State Farm and Shelter Insurance are two of the top ten employers in town, as is Veterans United Home Loans.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Columbia Chamber of Commerce President Matt McCormick and Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth, which was recorded on October 16, 2018 at the new Drury Plaza Hotel in Columbia:

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Mizzou chancellor: School’s finances are headed in the right direction

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University of Missouri chancellor Alexander Cartwright says the flagship school’s finances may still be a challenge next year, but he thinks it will be manageable.

Dr. Alexander Cartwright

“From there, we’ll be in a much stronger position and be able to do all the things that we want to do,” he says.

The university slashed 185 jobs earlier this year to cut costs.

Cartwright also tells Missourinet affiliate KSSZ in Columbia that freshman enrollment is up 13% this semester compared to last year.

Cartwright has been serving as chancellor for more than one year. He says his goals for year two include more research, better affordability for students, and an even higher retention rate once students get to campus.

“That’s what we think is necessary,” he says. “That’s what we owe society, because we really are here to serve society and to serve Missouri.”

Cartwright says the school’s Nobel Prize winner helps to promote to alums what’s happening on campus. He says George Smith was awarded the prize for chemistry, reflecting the quality of Mizzou faculty.

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Parson on gas tax: We’ve added 6,000+ new highway miles since last gas take hike

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Missouri’s governor has been barnstorming across the state, campaigning for a November ballot measure that would increase the state gasoline tax. Governor Mike Parson has traveled to Springfield, Hannibal, St. Joseph, Sedalia and other towns during the past two weeks, campaigning for Proposition D. The Bolivar Republican says Missouri can’t keep kicking the can down the road.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James (left), Missouri Governor Mike Parson and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson listen as SBA Administrator Linda McMahon briefs them at T-REX in St. Louis on September 7, 2018 (File photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

“We haven’t done anything for our transportation system for over two decades, for over 20 years,” Parson says. “And we’ve added 6,000 miles of new highway systems since that time.”

Missouri’s gasoline tax has remained at 17-cents a gallon since 1996. Proposition D supporters say that because of inflation, the gasoline tax is worth just seven cents of the value it had 22 years ago.

During a visit last week to the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) headquarters in Jefferson City, Governor Parson told Missourinet the state’s transportation system is underfunded.

“And you know, I’ve never been out in front of taxes or use fees hardly ever in my career. But this is one that I really think sometimes you just got to step up and do what’s right for Missouri,” says Parson.

If Proposition D is approved, the state’s gasoline tax would be increased by ten cents a gallon. It would be phased in over four years, at 2.5 cents annually.

The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Missouri Pork Producers Association and the Missouri Farm Bureau are among the commodity groups backing Proposition D.

Parson says agriculture and transportation are linked.

“When you think of all the products in this state and it’s the number one industry, whether it be pork, whether it be beef, whether it be rowcroppers, of all the transportation that’s involved in that, it’s a huge deal,” Parson says.

Cattle producer Patty Wood in west-central Missouri’s Pettis County says Proposition D “means getting from farm to market without delay,” and says Missouri must invest in transportation.

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Director Patrick McKenna also says Proposition D’s passage is crucial.

Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, a Republican, who also supports the measure, told the Columbia Chamber of Commerce last week that there is no organized opposition to Proposition D.

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McCaskill and Hawley clash at Missouri U.S. Senate debate

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Missouri’s two major U.S. Senate candidates clashed over international trade tariffs, tax cuts, the minimum wage and gun regulations during a televised debate Thursday night in St. Louis. Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and GOP Senate nominee Josh Hawley debated before a live studio audience of Missourians at the KETC-TV studios.

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley debate at KETC-TV in St. Louis on October 18, 2018, as people watch in an outdoor public viewing area. (Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

Some analysts believe Missouri’s race could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate beginning in January.

The Trump Administration’s tariffs highlighted a key difference between the two candidates, a difference both highlighted during separate August presentations to the Missouri Farm Bureau in Jefferson City.

Senator McCaskill said tariffs are “brutal” for Missouri and the state’s bean farmers will not break even this year.

“Our economy is so dependent on the exporting of agricultural goods,” McCaskill said. “These tariffs have killed commodity prices.”

McCaskill added that tariffs have hurt manufacturers. She said Mid-Continent nail factory in southeast Missouri’s Poplar Bluff is “hanging on by a fingernail”.

Hawley, the Attorney General, noted that he’s been endorsed by the Missouri Farm Bureau and McCaskill won’t return President Blake Hurst’s phone calls.

“We are in a trade war,” said Hawley. “It’s a trade war that we did not start. Certainly our farmers didn’t start it, China started it many years ago. But if we’re going to be in the war, I’m for winning it.”

Hawley also praised President Trump’s recent trade deals with Canada and Mexico and says 75% of America’s ag exports go to the countries.

The two candidates agree on one key issue: both oppose cutting Social Security and Medicare.

That was the first issue that PBS Newshour’s Judy Woodruff, the moderator, asked about during the debate. Hawley says Americans have paid into the system.

“I don’t support any changes to those programs for anyone who is currently receiving benefits or who is going to be receiving benefits,” Hawley said.

Hawley told the audience that Senator McCaskill voted to cut $716 billion from Medicare in order to pay for the Affordable Care Act. McCaskill responded by saying that was not a Medicare cut, but instead was a cut to the profits of health insurance companies.

“And what did we do with that $715 billion, we filled the donut hole for Medicare prescription program part D,” said McCaskill.

McCaskill said Missouri seniors can now enjoy more prescription benefits.

While both say they support the Second Amendment, McCaskill and Hawley also disagree about the issue of guns during the debate.

McCaskill noted she was raised in rural Missouri, and that her father was a hunter. She said she supports universal background checks and a ban on bump stocks, which make semi-automatic weapons fire more rapidly.

“But what the NRA (National Rifle Association) has peddled for years is that you can’t support the Second Amendment and gun safety at the same time, and you can,” McCaskill said.

Hawley favors legislation to include health records in the background check system, and said McCaskill voted against that.

“I think we need to fix the national background check system,” said Hawley. “We have a background check system, a national system, but it doesn’t work that well because there’s a giant loophole right in the middle of it. And that is, it doesn’t include mental health records.”

Hawley also called for guns to be kept out of the hands of criminals and “dangerous people.”

The two candidates also clashed on the federal tax cut and on the minimum wage. Neither the U.S. Supreme Court nor the Brett Kavanaugh hearings came up during the debate.

The “Missouri 2018 Senate Debate” was presented by KETC, St. Louis Public Radio KWMU and KSDK Channel 5. KETC is St. Louis’ PBS affiliate.

In addition to facing questions from Woodruff, KSDK’s Mike Bush and KWMU’s Jo Mannies, McCaskill and Hawley also took questions from the audience.

McCaskill and Hawley also debated near St. Louis in September, at the Missouri Press Association’s candidate forum.

(audio is courtesy of St. Louis Public Radio, KWMU)

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Chinn: high-speed internet crucial to attract next-generation Missouri farmers (AUDIO)

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The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) director says technology is important in attracting young farmers.

State Rep. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, speaks in committee on May 23, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

MDA says the average age of a Missouri farmer is 58.

“Two of the top priorities the governor has is workforce development and infrastructure,” MDA Director Chris Chinn says. “And I think those play in very nicely to how we bring that next-generation back home.”

Chinn says high-speed internet is crucial to attracting those next-generation farmers.

She says the entire Cabinet is working closely with Governor Mike Parson, a Bolivar farmer, on getting high-speed internet to rural areas.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) told lawmakers in April that 51 percent of rural Missourians lack access to broadband. During that address to the Missouri House in Jefferson City, Blunt predicted that broadband will be just as important during the next 50 years as the telephone was over the past 50 years.

“We need to make sure that they (next-generation farmers) have the tools and the skills that they need to come back to the farm prepared and ready. The infrastructure is all about, you know, the high-speed internet,” says Chinn.

She says the aim is to make Missouri the best place for businesses to grow and to relocate.

Missouri lawmakers approved a bipartisan bill this year from State Rep. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, which enables the state’s rural electric cooperatives to make unused capacity available for residential and commercial purposes.

The bill also declares that the expansion of broadband service is in the best interests of Missourians.

Outgoing House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, noted earlier this year that Missouri ranked 40th in the nation in access to broadband service.

 

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Chris Chinn and Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Brownfield’s Tom Steever, which was recorded on October 15, 2018 at MDA headquarters in Jefferson City:

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Missouri’s proposed gas tax increase receives support from business and labor (AUDIO)

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Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe told business leaders in Columbia on Tuesday that a proposed gasoline tax increase is receiving bipartisan support.

Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe addresses the Columbia Chamber of Commerce about Proposition D on October 16, 2018 (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Missourians will be casting ballots in November on Proposition D, which is a ten-cent gasoline tax increase.

Kehoe delivered a presentation to the Columbia Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, noting the measure has support from groups ranging from the Teamsters Union to the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. He says roads are not a Democratic or Republican issue.

“Trying to keep our roads safe and trying to make sure our bridges are intact for our school buses and families to drive over, that’s a non-partisan issue,” Kehoe says.

Governor Mike Parson, a Republican and U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill, D, and Roy Blunt, R, are among leaders in both parties supporting Proposition D.

If approved, the tax increase would be phased in over four years, at 2.5 cents annually. Kehoe says Proposition D would mean more than $2 billion in new state funding for roads and bridges.

He says there’s a contractor in southwest Missouri’s Joplin who goes to Texas and Arkansas to work because there aren’t enough projects in the Show-Me State.

“The estimate is after full funding in ten years it puts about an additional 20,000 Missourians to work,” says Kehoe. “And those are the people you go to church with, those are the people you see in the grocery store.”

Missouri’s 17-cent gasoline tax has remained the same since 1996. Proposition D supporters say that because of inflation, the 17-cent gasoline tax is worth just seven cents of the value it had 22 years ago.

Proposition D would also establish an “emergency state freight bottleneck fund”. Columbia Chamber of Commerce President Matt McCormick notes the bottleneck fund would address locations like heavily-congested I-70 and Highway 63 in Columbia.

“It is a massive bottleneck in our community and it’s probably one of the worst, I would say it’s probably one of the worst on I-70 right now,” McCormick says.

Traffic is especially heavy on I-70 and Highway 63 during morning and afternoon rush-hour traffic and during Mizzou football Saturdays.

Kehoe tells the audience there’s also a major bottleneck at Interstates 70 and 64, near Wentzville.

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Director Patrick McKenna says Proposition D is crucial for Missouri, adding that MoDOT has about $8 billion in unfunded needs.

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Proposition D.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, which was recorded on October 16, 2018 at the Drury Plaza Hotel Columbia East:

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