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| 10/15/2008 2:19:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| AUDIENCE member Sarah Carey listens to what a candidate has to say. |
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| LISTENING INTENTLY: One of about 50 people in the audience, wearing her John McCain-Sara Palin button, Virginia Campbell considers what the candidates have to say.
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Six candidates seeking three seats
in Johnson County discuss issues
Jack Miles
Editor
The six people who want to serve as state representatives from Johnson County answered questions at a forum attended by about 50 people last night.
Candidates for the 120th, 121st and 122nd House Districts focused most of their answers on education while addressing the crowd at Wood Hall on the University of Central Missouri campus.
Moderator Shari Bax asked initial questions for the event sponsored by the American Democracy Project in conjunction with the Economic Coordinating Board, and then the candidates answered questions from the public.
In opening remarks from candidates in the 120th District, which includes southern Johnson County, Democrat Kristi Kenney and Republican Scott Largent discussed their backgrounds and plans if elected.
Clinton City Councilwoman Kenney said she is a UCM graduate and a small-town lawyer who grew up on a family farm, and wants to give her grandchildren a better life.
Henry County Coronor Largent said he is a UCM graduate who served as a police officer and owns a business offering fire and water restoration in several counties.
In opening remarks from candidates in the 121st District, which includes Warrensburg and other parts of central Johnson County, Democrat Jim Jackson and Republican Denny Hoskins discussed their community roots.
Former Warrensburg Mayor Jackson talked about community involvement in groups including Habitat for Humanity, operating a small business and his concerns for education and economic development.
"We must make higher education much more affordable," he said.
Hoskins, whose expertise is in auditing, said he is honing his skills at a leadership academy. He later said he would be the only certified public accountant in the House - something needed in Jefferson City.
In opening remarks from candidates in the 122nd District, which includes northern Johnson County, Democrat Beth Grubb and incumbent Republican Rep. Mike McGhee discussed their backgrounds.
Grubb told an anecdote about a man who lost both arms in an electrical accident. Fayette, Mo., residents built him a house, expecting him to retire. Instead, the man, her grandfather, returned to work and made a living for his family. She said she understands the need to support Missouri's workers.
McGhee said that unlike the other candidates, college graduates with ties to UCM, he never went to college and graduated high school as "an illiterate" who learned only later to read. He said he is an advocate for children and for education, and works with groups to support them.
Bax asked the candidates in the 120th District how they would improve Missouri's economic outlook.
"Spending has gone out of control. We spend on things that are not necessary," Largent said, and he would control spending and "runaway taxes" that would hurt the economy and his business. "When taxes go up, that's when I'm going to have to start cutting jobs."
At the same time, Largent said, education needs more money and he suggested "reprioritizing" state spending to achieve that goal.
Kenney said the economy could improve without higher taxes if Missouri invested more in health care, renewable energy and tourism.
"Those are jobs (in tourism) that won't be sent overseas," she said.
The same question went to the 121st District candidates. Hoskins answered that places such as Show Me Energy in Centerview and EnerSys in Warrensburg are examples of how energy businesses can work in Missouri. He said a public-private partnership between such businesses and UCM - "the technology university" - could create more business opportunities and jobs for Johnson County.
Jackson discussed what district residents face.
"The economy right now is a tragedy - one of the worst in American history," he said, and the situation leaves retirement accounts drained due to the cupidity of subprime lenders.
New taxes are not needed, but regulations are to stop greed and corruption in the financial sector, Jackson said.
"Government is much better at preventing a crisis than fixing one," he said, and called for better consumer protection laws, regulations for the financial sector and a focus on job creation.
In the 122nd District, McGhee said the government should have addressed subprime loans long before they reached crisis status, but another huge problem is not being discussed - immigration. He said the issue "slid under the rug" because the presidential candidates are afraid to offend anyone. But immigrant workers drain on an already strained economy, he said.
"I sat on the immigration panel. We passed some new laws this year. I'm proud of those - making it tough for people to hire 'illegals' here in Missouri," he said. "I'd like to see us, someday, (say) you can't cross the border coming from anywhere; come here and have a baby and all the sudden our American citizens pay for that. That's hard on our economy, that's hard on all the seniors, that takes money away from my children's schools. I'd like to see our presidential candidates discuss that."
Grubb said state leaders ignored $1.6 billion in Medicaid matching funds that could have employed about 11,000 people while providing health care to Missourians.
"If we don't care for these people in the short term, then we shall truly pay in the long term," she said.
Bax asked the candidates how to ensure high school graduates can afford college.
The Democrats back a plan offered by their party's candidate for governor - Attorney General Jay Nixon - to provide college education free to students who make good grades and meet other requirements.
A Republican, McGhee, said Nixon's plan "is probably a pretty good program."
Hoskins and Jackson support the A-Plus program that allows high school students to take classes for college credit, and expanding the program to benefit college students who could work off the cost by doing community service.
Hoskins said he further supports tax incentives for businesses that help pay for workers' education and he would spend some of the state's $800 million surplus on higher education.
After the forum, one of the people who read questions from the audience - Samantha Hill from Holden - said the program went well.
"It was a very bipartisan format and allowed all of the candidates to express themselves really clearly and completely on the questions," Hill said.
Another audience member - Philip Sherman from Sedalia, who has run for state representative twice - said the candidates did well.
"It was pretty awesome. ... They did a pretty good job up there. Sometimes you could tell that they were a little bit nervous, but for the most part they answered the questions," Sherman said.
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Reader Comments
Posted: Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Article comment by:
Ann Dillon
I think its sad there were so few people there. The paper didn't publicize this until last night and it was buried in a small column on the next to last page. This should have been printed on the front page on Monday night so that people knew and could make plans to attend.
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