Archive for August 2020

Republican St. Louis County executive nominee Paul Berry III is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about his campaign.

Berry is running against incumbent Sam Page. Also on the Nov. 3 ballot are Green Party nominee Betsey Mitchell and Libertarian Theo Brown Sr.

Here’s what Berry discussed on the show:

• How he would have handled the COVID-19 pandemic differently than Page. More people have either been infected by or died from the coronavirus in St. Louis County than any other place in Missouri.
• Whether St. Louis County should have a mask mandate.
• How to get Black residents in St. Louis County to trust police more. That’s become a big issue in the county executive’s contest, especially after Police Chief Mary Barton questioned whether there was systemic racism in her department.
• His reaction to Page’s decision to dismiss Hazel Erby, a former county councilwoman who had served as the director of the county’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department.

A bail bondsman and business consultant, Berry’s entry into electoral politics was in 2012 when he ran as a Democrat for a Maryland Heights-based House seat. He switched to the GOP in 2014, running unsuccessfully for that same House seat that year and then falling short in a Republican primary for Congress in 2016. Berry cited frustration with how Democrats approached numerous public policy issues for his party switch.

He defeated Ed Golterman in the GOP primary for county executive by about 8,000 votes earlier this month. To prevail in the general election, Berry will have to persuade enough Democrats who may be leery of Page’s administration to vote for him — especially since the GOP has had trouble winning countywide races over the past several decades.

This is Berry’s second bid for county executive. Two years ago, he lost by about 20 percentage points to incumbent Steve Stenger. The winner of the November election will serve as county executive through the beginning of 2023.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum: @jrosenbaum

Music: “Take Care” by Drake and Rihanna

State Sen. Bob Onder returns to Politically Speaking to talk to St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll about the stalled special session on violent crime and the future of the Conservative Caucus in the Missouri Legislature.

Onder has represented the 2nd Senate District since 2015. The district covers the western part of St. Charles County, including Lake Saint Louis, O’Fallon and Wentzville.

Here’s what Onder talked about on the program:

• Gov. Mike Parson’s special session on violent crime, which has slowed down considerably after the House decided to split some of the items into separate bills. He also provided his reaction to the House changing the age when some juveniles can be certified as adults to 16 from 14 as originally proposed.
• His support for what’s known as “concurrent jurisdiction,” which would allow the attorney general to intervene in St. Louis homicide cases under certain circumstances. That move has been strongly opposed by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, as well as the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.
• His amendment that would have allowed the governor to remove the circuit attorney under certain circumstances. That measure, which did not pass, received negative social media attention from supporters of Gardner.
• What the lay of the land in the Senate could be with at least two new members joining the Conservative Caucus after this month’s primary, and two closely watched Senate races in St. Louis and Boone counties.

Onder, a doctor and an attorney, first burst onto the political scene in 2006 when he was elected to the Missouri House. His tenure in that chamber was brief, because he left to make an unsuccessful bid in 2008 for the U.S. House in the now-defunct 9th Congressional District.

Onder chose to make a comeback in 2014 by running for the 2nd District Senate seat. He easily won the expensive contest and was reelected in 2018 over Democrat Patrice Billings.

Onder will be term-limited out of the Senate after 2022. He could run for three more terms in the Missouri House, but said he would consider running for Congress, statewide office or a St. Charles County-based office if an opportunity presented itself.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jacyln Driscoll: @DriscollNPR

Follow Bob Onder: @BobOnderMO

Music: “Shimmer” by Fuel