Archive for February 2023

State Rep. Barbara Phifer is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast, where she talked about the raucous start of the 2023 legislative session, which included Republicans cutting off Democrats during a debate on state intervention of the circuit attorney’s office.

Phifer represents Missouri’s 90th District, which includes Kirkwood and Glendale. She was first elected to her post in 2020 and reelected to a second term last year. She serves on the House Transportation Committee and the Ways and Means Committee.

Here’s what else Phifer talked about during the show:

• She was critical of GOP efforts to ban transgender girls from playing girls sports — and bar minors from getting gender-affirming care. Those bills have been advancing more rapidly through the legislature than in prior sessions.
• Her assessment of Gov. Mike Parson’s proposal to expand portions of Interstate 70. Parson wants to spend around $870 million to add lanes in the St. Louis, Kansas City and Columbia areas.
• Efforts that would make constitutional amendments more difficult to pass. The House recently passed a measure that would raise the threshold for passing an amendment from a simple majority to 60%. Missouri voters would need to approve that plan in order for it to go into effect.

Phifer is a Washington, D.C., native who spent nearly 40 years as a pastor in the United Methodist Church. She’s served in churches around Missouri, as well as in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Republicans represented the 90th District for many years until Deb Lavender won the seat in 2014 and was reelected by increasingly large margins. Phifer ended up defeating her GOP opponent in 2020 by more than 13 percentage points — a signal that the Kirkwood area is now firmly aligned with Democrats.

State Rep. Phil Christofanelli is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast, where he talked about his legislative priorities and key issues of the 2023 session.

Christofanelli represents Missouri’s 104th House District, which takes in a portion of St. Charles County. He was first elected in 2016 and will be unable to run again for the House after 2024 due to term limits. Christofanelli announced he’s running for a Missouri Senate seat that’s being vacated by Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, who’s not running in 2024.

Here’s what Christofanelli talked about on the program:

• Why he’s filing legislation in response to water contamination in the city of St. Charles. That issue has become a major focal point of the city’s mayoral race, where incumbent Daniel Borgmeyer is facing a challenge from Councilman Tom Besselman. 
• The debate over what’s known as open enrollment, which would allow someone to send their child to a public or charter school outside the district in which they live. That issue has received more attention this session, as it is a major priority for some GOP legislators. 
• His bill to legalize sports betting and whether it will get entangled in the ongoing debate about legalizing video lottery terminals.
• The possible trajectory of bills to bar transgender girls from playing girls sports and prohibit educators from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity. Christofanelli is one of two openly gay GOP lawmakers in the General Assembly.
• Why he supports a ballot item making constitutional amendments more difficult to pass. The House passed a measure raising the threshold to approve an amendment from a simple majority on a statewide vote to 60%. 

A graduate of Washington University, Christofanelli was elected a Republican committeeman when he was 21. He later served on the Missouri Republican Party state executive committee.

Christofanelli completed work on his law degree at Washington University while serving in the House. In addition to his legislative duties, Christofanelli is a practicing attorney.

State Rep. Donna Baringer is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where she talked about legislation around St. Louis’ ability to fight crime.

Baringer is a Democrat who represents Missouri’s 82nd District. After redistricting, that district takes in a number of neighborhoods in southwest St. Louis.

Here’s what Baringer talked about on the program:

• Legislation that would allow the governor to appoint a special prosecutor to handle certain cases. While the bill is being broadened to affect the entire state, it is widely seen as a reaction to how St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has managed her office.
• A proposal that would restore state control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, something that has the support of the St. Louis Police Officers Association. It also received the backing of the Ethical Society of Police, which represents African American officers.
• Her reaction to Gov. Mike Parson’s State of the State speech, efforts by Republicans to make the Missouri Constitution more difficult to amend and bills that would bar transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports.

Baringer has a master’s degree in corporate communication from Lindenwood University and a bachelor’s in business management from Maryville University. Before being elected to the Missouri House in 2016, she served on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen for 14 years.

Baringer will be unable to run again in 2024 due to term limits.