Lanning announcement underscores Democrat dinner
, Richmond News Staff
10-27-2009
Leaders and voters gathered, funds were raised and a candidate announced her candidacy for a district state representative’s seat Saturday at the Ray County Democrats’ Rally and Dinner.
Following a dinner at Richmond’s Eagleton Civic Center, Lawson’s Barbara Lanning announced she’ll seek Republican incumbent Bob Nance’s 36th District seat in Missouri’s House of Representatives.
The 13-year Lawson School Board member vowed she plans on helping reverse Missouri’s course. particularly on healthcare and education. Following the rally, she played her cards close to the vest when asked to elaborate on her platform.
“With all of my heart, I believe that the people of this district deserve better representation in Jefferson City than we have had in the past five years,” she said during her address, preceding remarks from guest speaker and U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton. “I believe that our children and our teachers deserve someone who is passionate about public education, and that would be me. I believe our families deserve someone who understands their struggles, and that would be me also.”
Skelton echoed a familiar message from his fellow Congressional Democrats: partisan politics continue holding back progress. He praised the House Armed Forces Committee he chairs for keeping in a spirit of cooperation, except when debating missile defense options.
He has already fought for the Department of Agriculture – not the Environmental Protection Agency – to regulate farm emissions, to keep those decisions in the most informed hands. He vowed he hasn’t forgotten about fighting to better America’s healthcare options, either.
“Over the years, (legislation) has changed,” Skelton said. “It’s become far more partisan, in some cases even bitter, which doesn’t allow people to sit down and reason very well, except in one committee – the committee I chair.
“My staff and I have been studying a very complicated issue. – and what I see now, I don’t like,” Skelton said. “It hasn’t even been put out on the floor yet. One bill, and three committees studying and reporting on the one bill that’s going to have to be melded together, I don’t even know how they’re going to do it. The Senate has an entirely different approach from what the House of Representatives has.”
The brief rally was a time for reflection on where Ray County’s Democratic faithful can direct the county’s future – and how it can be done.
Recently appointed Associate Circuit Judge Jim Thompson dubbed his transition thus far from Ray County prosecutor to a seat on the bench’s opposite side a success.
“I think it was one of those things that maybe I was more ready for it than I thought,” Thompson said. “It’s a busy schedule. Frankly, if it’s something I haven’t tackled for four or five years or looked at, I can look at the docket from the day before.”
On the side where Thompson once stood, interim prosecutor Bryan McMahon addressed doubts from potential prosecutor candidate Stanley Thompson. Thompson, who interviewed along with McMahon for the interim seat upon Jim Thompson’s departure, said after McMahon’s appointment that he didn’t consider McMahon a winning candidate for election.
Though not brazen, McMahon didn’t lack confidence in his qualifications.
“I will concede that I’m new to the community, but I intend to do a good job, work hard, and prove myself as prosecuting attorney,” McMahon said. “I look forward to just getting out and meeting the people. I’m confident that if I do those things, the election will take care of itself. I expect to keep the campaign clean.”
Whomever Ray County voters elect to lead them will shape the county’s future at a pivotal moment, said Eastern Ray County Commissioner Allen Dale. He anticipates that infrastructure concerns, shrinking tax revenue streams and challenges to stimulate the county’s economic growth will make or break both the county and its elected leaders at any level.
“Public policy has an obligation to the tax-base that we have to safeguard what these folks are taking in or paying to the government, just like these folks have to safeguard their own budgets. People are really looking at how we’re managing that, because they know the struggles and things that they’re going through, and they sure don’t want to see a lot of waste in . . . government. ”
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