Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe Archives

Missouri Governor Parson says sunny days are ahead

January 11, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor talked about unity and working for all residents, during his inaugural address Monday afternoon at the Statehouse in Jefferson City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson is sworn in by Jackson County Circuit Judge Sarah Castle on January 11, 2021 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Under the Missouri Constitution, Governor Mike Parson was sworn-in at high noon, after 12 bells rang at nearby St. Peter Catholic Church downtown.

Governor Parson was sworn-in by Jackson County Circuit Judge Sarah Castle, who is the only judge to be appointed twice by the governor.

The Bible used by the governor during Monday’s swearing-in ceremony was a gift given to him by First Lady Teresa Parson.

“I will care for the unborn to the elderly to the rich to the poor, regardless of the color of your skin,” says Governor Parson.

About 2,000 people attended Monday’s inauguration ceremonies, which kicked off the historic celebration of 200 years of Missouri history. The morning started with cloudy skies and 35 degree temperatures, but sunshine appeared just before noon.

The ceremony on the Capitol lawn began at 11:07 am, which Bicentennial remarks from Gary Kremer of the State Historical Society of Missouri. Kramer outlined the history of Missouri’s Bicentennial.

The oaths of office were administered first to Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R), State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick (R), Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R) and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (R).

Governor Parson’s inaugural address was brief, and he noted Missouri’s diversity.

“When I travel across Missouri, I meet so many different people but regardless of where we come from, we all want what is best for our families and for our state,” Parson says.

State Sen. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, appeared live on Missourinet after the governor’s speech, saying she liked his focus on unity.

The governor also focused on the future, saying sunny days are ahead.

The 135th Missouri Army National Guard Band performed on the Capitol lawn, and the Missouri State University chorale also performed.

A B-2 bomber flew just over the Missouri Capitol after the inaugural address, and there was also a 19-gun salute from the Missouri National Guard.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, issued a statement which says the governor’s inaugural speech ignored last week’s deaths at the U.S. Capitol.

“In setting the tone for his coming term, Governor Parson could have used his inaugural speech to forcefully denounce the members of his political party who helped encourage and incite the insurrectionist mob that assaulted the U.S. Capitol last week. He instead pretended the events that have shaken the very foundation of American democracy didn’t happen and ignored his party’s complicity in them,’ Leader Quade says, in a written statement.

Quade says Missouri needs leaders “who will unequivocally and vocally oppose domestic terrorism.”

Parson defeated Democratic Auditor Nicole Galloway by about 500,000 votes in November’s gubernatorial election. Galloway attended the inaugural ceremonies, as did former Governors Jay Nixon (D) and John Ashcroft (R).

Former Lt. Governor Peter Kinder (R) also attended, as did U.S. Reps. Billy Long, R-Springfield, Jason Smith, R-Salem, Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, and Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth.

Bob Priddy: election history this week as 5 statewide officials run for their jobs for the first time

October 26, 2020 By Missourinet Contributor

Bob Priddy, special to Missourinet

Missourians are voting in a unique election this year because five statewide officeholders are trying to keep a job nobody elected them to hold four years ago.

Missouri historian Bob Priddy explains that Governor Mike Parson, Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe, Attorney General Eric Schmitt, and Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick were not elected to their present offices in 2016.

The resignation of Governor Eric Greitens created a jobs shuffle at the top of state government.

In 2016, Parson was elected Lieutenant Governor. Schmitt was elected State treasurer. Kehoe was headed back to private life as a term-limited senator and Fitzpatrick was facing ouster from the House because of term limits. Parson moved up with the resignation of Governor Eric Greitens and promptly appointed Kehoe as Lieutenant Governor. Schmitt was elected State Treasurer then was appointed Attorney General when Josh Hawley ended Claire McCaskill’s U.S. Senate career. Fitzpatrick, House Budget Committee chair, was appointed by Parson as Schmitt’s successor as Treasurer.

The only statewide officeholder who is running for reelection, not just election this year, is Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who has stayed where voters put him four years ago.

They all have opponents who hope to short-circuit their historic bids on election day.

Ceres expected to return to top of Missouri Capitol next week; GOP lawmaker opposes it (AUDIO)

December 9, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Hundreds of people turned out this weekend in downtown Jefferson City to view a renovated statue that normally sits 260-feet above the ground at the Missouri Capitol.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (right) and Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe unveil the renovated Ceres sculpture on December 6, 2019 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Mike Parson (R) and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (R) helped unveil Ceres on Friday afternoon, on the Capitol’s south side, near the media parking lot.

“And she’s all dressed up, she’s pretty to go back up on top on top of our state Capitol and represent all of us here in the state of Missouri,” Parson says.

Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain, represents Missouri’s agricultural industry.

The ten-foot sculpture weighs more than 1,400 pounds. It was on top of the Capitol from October 1924 to November 2018, when restoration began. Ceres was taken to the Conservation of Sculpture and Objects Studio (CSOS) for cleaning and refurbishing. The CSOS is located in Forest Park, Illinois.

The Missouri Office of Administration (OA) says the statue was struck by lightning about 300 times between 1924 and 2018, mainly atop the head.

Despite cold temperatures Friday, about 100 people turned out for the unveiling event. Governor Parson tells Missourinet he’s impressed with the crowds that turned out.

“It’s cool out here today but for Missouri in December, it’s not bad,” says Parson. “The sun is shining. It’s still a beautiful day here.”

The Ceres restoration cost about $400,000, all part of a massive $50 million renovation project at the Capitol aimed at addressing deteriorating stonework on the facades, dome and drum, which was completed in 1917.

Ceres is expected to be lifted up to the top of the Capitol again next week, but at least one Missouri lawmaker is calling on the governor to stop that from happening.

“God commanded the Israelites to ‘have no gods other than him.’ He also said, ‘Do not make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God. Governor Parson, you and I have placed our trust in the same Lord, the God of the Bible. As such, I appeal to your good judgment, as a follower of Jesus Christ, to direct the Capitol Commission to not return the false god Ceres, the Roman goddess, to the top of the Capitol dome,” State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, writes, in part.

Representative Moon says “we serve a mighty God and we have need for no other god(s).” Moon also says that those who would oppose placing a statue of Jesus on state property would supporting placing what he calls “a false god” on the Capitol dome.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Governor Mike Parson, which was recorded outside the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on December 6, 2019:

$8 million in upgrades planned at Missouri State Fairgrounds; 2019 fair opens Thursday (AUDIO)

August 5, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The 2019 State Fair opens Thursday morning in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia. It’s Missouri’s largest agricultural expo.

The Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia (2018 file photo courtesy of Missouri State Fair)

State Fair Director Mark Wolfe says the fair commission is waiving late fees for entries this year, because farmers have endured hardships from flooding and tornadoes.

“We decided to waive our late fees, and so we did it across-the-board for everything not just our livestock but for entries for everything that we did. As a whole, we decided let’s just waive that,” Wolfe says.

The opening ceremony is Thursday morning at 11, and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe is expected to keynote. Wolfe says about 350,000 people attended last year’s fair.

Thousands of Missourians are expected to make the trip to Sedalia for Thursday’s opening day.

Another big day will be August 15, which is the Governor’s ham breakfast. That begins at 8 a.m. The event normally draws more than 1,000 people to one large tent.

“It’s a popular event for sure,” says Wolfe. “A chance for folks if they want to have a chance to meet the governor face-to-face and meet their legislators face-to-face, that’s a great opportunity over there.”

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt and representatives from U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley are expected to attend the breakfast, along with other members of Missouri’s congressional delegation. The breakfast also attracts state lawmakers in both parties along with candidates and judges.

Meantime, more than $8 million in new upgrades and repairs to the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia have been approved by state lawmakers. Director Wolfe is thanking legislators for approving Governor Mike Parson’s recommendation, saying the improvements are needed.

“It’s a complete electrical upgrade to the swine barn, complete renovation to the old sheep pavilion out here,” Wolfe says. “Gosh, we got some more campground upgrades. A new campground, 150-site campground will be developed just for exhibitors only.”

Wolfe tells Missourinet he’s hopeful all of those improvements will be done by the 2020 State Fair.

Some rural lawmakers, including State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, have called for additional funding for the fair in previous years. Senator Libla has said that investing more money in facilities will pay dividends in the future.

2019 facility improvements and upgrades include a new ticket booth at the Centennial entrance and the remodeling of the Charolais barn.

This year’s fair ends on August 18.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri State Fair Director Mark Wolfe, which was recorded on July 26, 2019: