Growing up in a proud union household, I learned about solidarity and the benefits of union membership at an early age. My father was a card-carrying member of UAW Local 249 for thirty-three years, and he made sure that his children understood the importance of workers standing side-by-side long before we could cast our first ballots.
Nearly three decades have passed since my father’s retirement, but when I stop by his house, I often see the latest copy of UAW’s First Local News resting on the coffee table – and I think there’s a lesson to be learned there. While his days on the factory floor ended years ago, my father still considers himself part of the union family and continues to care about the wellbeing of workers he has never met, whose names he does not know. To me, that’s solidarity in a nutshell. And it’s that type of thoughtful concern for working families that I hope to bring to the Missouri House of Representatives in District 30.
Having never run for office before, I’d like to properly introduce myself to the thousands of union brothers and sisters who rely on The Labor Beacon to learn about candidates who can be trusted to have workers’ backs. For starters, I’m a lifelong resident of Eastern Jackson County and have been married to my wife, Janné, for twenty-seven years. Together, we raised three children in Lee’s Summit, and our two youngest continue to live at home while attending college.
Last year, I retired from a 31-year career with the Blue Springs School District, having worked seven years as a high school science teacher and twenty-four years as a building administrator at the middle and high school levels. Beyond the realm of public education, I have sought to continue serving the community by becoming a co-pastor at Woods Chapel Community of Christ, where I previously volunteered as a financial officer.
This commitment to serving others, the same guiding principle that led me to becoming an educator and taking on leadership roles within my church congregation, compelled me to jump in the race for Missouri State Representative in District 30.
As an elected official, I will always be in the corner of working families fighting to secure higher wages, better benefits, and safer work sites. When my father suffered an on-the-job injury that left permanent damage to his left arm and hand, his union not only ensured that he received proper medical attention and compensation for his permanent disability, but also compelled the company to investigate the cause of the accident and reduce the chance that it would happen to anyone else. It’s for reasons like these that I promise to be a faithful advocate for union members throughout the state of Missouri. That means enforcing prevailing wage policies, keeping Right to Work out of our state, supporting paid sick leave for all workers, giving a much-needed raise to folks making minimum wage, and offering support to workers on picket lines. It also means ensuring that infrastructure improvements and workforce development programs are adequately supported at the state level. In short, I understand that a healthy economy depends, first and foremost, on healthy workers.
Our election will not be an easy one – we’re going up against a three-term incumbent with a campaign war chest who’s already been tapped to be the next Speaker of the House. But just as labor unions have made enormous strides in building a better world for working people through collective action, I know that we can flip this seat if we join together in similar fashion.
Thus far, I’m proud to have earned endorsements from IAFF Local 42, the Greater Kansas City Building & Construction Trades Council, the Missouri State Teachers Association, the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO, and the Missouri AFL-CIO. I recognize that the support of union brothers and sisters is an essential factor in my path to victory, and I hope to earn both your trust and your vote. Together, let’s make history by making it clear that District 30 only sends pro-labor candidates to the state capitol!
