Author: Mark Holguin

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis County Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway expounds on her decision to not run for another term this year.

The Chesterfield Democrat represents the council’s 2nd District, which includes municipalities such as St. Ann, Maryland Heights, Creve Coeur, Bridgeton and Hazelwood. She was first elected to her post in a 2019 special election and won a full four-year term in 2020.

Here’s what Dunaway discussed during the program:

• How the political turmoil around the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in her decision not to seek another term. She also talked about the dissension among Democrats on issues such as mask mandates and occupancy restrictions.
• How the hostility that local elected officials faced since the pandemic may prompt people to think twice about serving in public office. 
• New ideas to raise revenue — including providing naming rights to county buildings or streets — with the county facing a budget deficit. She also talked about the consequences if the budget isn’t dealt with in a serious manner.
• Her vote against an incentive package for Boeing, which put her in conflict with St. Louis County Executive Sam Page. He and Dunaway have been allies since she joined the council, but she detailed why she diverged from the fellow Democrat on this issue.

Dunaway attended Southern Illinois University for her undergraduate degree in history and UCLA for law school. She was the director of learning and development for the Bryan Cave law firm and now runs a training and consulting firm for attorneys.
After Dunaway prevailed in a 2019 special election over Republican Amy Poelker, Democrats regained control of the council. It marked the first time a council majority consisted entirely of women.

Missouri state Rep. Aaron Crossley is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the Independence Democrat talked about the 2024 session.

Crossley represents Missouri’s 29th House District, which takes in a portion of Independence. He was elected to the House in 2022 after winning a closely watched race against Republican David Martin.

Here’s what Crossley discussed on the program:

• How the death of Grayson O’Connor in Kansas City should be a wake-up call for legislators to devote more money toward investigating child abuse. Missouri has struggled to recruit and retain Children’s Division investigators, especially in the St. Louis area.
• Crossley talked about expectations for the 2024 session, which are fairly low because of election year politics. But Crossley is hoping that lawmakers at least come together to renew the Federal Reimbursement Allowance, a tax that is critical for funding the state’s Medicaid program.
• Even though similar ideas crashed and burned in Ohio, Crossley expects lawmakers to try to put something on the ballot that would make it more difficult to amend the state’s constitution.

Crossley is a social worker who first decided to run for office in 2022. While Independence has historically been a Democratic stronghold, parts of that city have become more competitive in recent years. And his contest against Martin was one of the more expensive contests of the cycle.

Ultimately, Crossley won his race with more than 52% of the vote. He currently serves on the House Budget Committee and the House General Laws Committee — two bodies that often make key financial and policy decisions in the General Assembly.

In a twist, Crossley’s father, J.C. Crossley, ran as a Republican in the same 2022 election cycle. He narrowly lost to Rep. Kemp Strickland. Had he prevailed, it would have been the first time in recent memory that a father and son served in the Missouri House together for opposite parties.

State Rep. Keri Ingle is the latest guest on St. Louis Public Radio’s Politically Speaking, where she previewed the 2024 legislative session.

Ingle represents Missouri’s 35th District, which takes in a portion of Jackson County. She was first elected to her post in 2018, flipping a seat to Democrats.

Here’s what Ingle had to say on the program:

• She expects the 2024 session to be rough, especially since legislators will be jockeying either for statewide office or to move into the Missouri Senate. Those election year pressures, she said, could affect the ability for lawmakers to pass much of substance.
• Legislators may have difficulty passing what’s known as the Federal Reimbursement Allowance, a tax hospitals place on themselves to help fund the state’s Medicaid program. Lawmakers had to go into special session in 2021 to pass the FRA.
• She discussed efforts to get measures on the 2024 ballot that would legalize abortion. There are competing ideas about how to roll back the state’s abortion ban, with one group taking a relatively modest approach and some abortion rights organizations pushing for something more expansive.
• Ingle talked about a budgetary push to pay Children’s Division workers more money. That issue has gained more attention amid recruitment and retention issues for child abuse investigators, especially in the St. Louis region.

Ingle has a background in social work and previously investigated child abuse and neglect as a Children’s Division employee.

Ingle won reelection in 2020 and 2022. She can run for one more term in 2024 before service limits will prevent her from being elected again in the House.

State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick returns to Politically Speaking to talk about his first year in office, which included a high-profile fight with state Attorney General Andrew Bailey over the potential costs of passing an abortion rights ballot initiative.

Fitzpatrick became state auditor earlier in January after winning election over Democrat Alan Green. He previously served as state treasurer and also was House Budget Committee chairman.

Here’s what Fitzpatrick said on the program:

• Fitzpatrick went into detail about his dispute with Bailey over cost estimates of proposed ballot items to legalize abortion. Fitzpatrick pushed back against his fellow GOP official’s contentions that the measures could cost the state billions.
• Fitzpatrick discussed his transition into office, including how he’s sought to get more money to hire additional auditors. He previously said staffing concerns made it difficult for him to launch discretionary audits, such as one for the Children’s Division.
• He also talked about his decision to launch an audit of the state marijuana program, something he said he would do when he was running for the post last year.
• While Fitzpatrick is not on the ballot in 2024, he talked about whether a series of crowded primaries for statewide offices will hamper GOP chances next year.

Fitzpatrick served three full terms in the Missouri House. Gov. Mike Parson appointed the Barry County Republican to be treasurer in early 2019 after Eric Schmitt was picked to be attorney general. He won a full four-year term in 2020 against Democrat Vicki Englund.
After state Auditor Nicole Galloway decided against running for reelection in 2022, Fitzpatrick won a primary against then-state Rep. David Gregory — and then easily defeated Green in the general election. Fitzpatrick’s victory meant that Republicans controlled every statewide office.

Fitzpatrick is a native of Shell Knob, a community about 40 miles from Branson. He started a dock repair business while he was in high school, a company that grew dramatically while he was in college.