Conservative club hosts senate and representative candidate forum at Farmington library

The St. Francois County Conservative Club held a political candidate forum at the Farmington Public Library in July.

Senatorial candidates Mike Henderson and Cindy Buchheit-Courtway, and State Representative candidates Dale Wright, Mike Miller, Chad Brown, Ryan Cooper, and Becky Laubinger each had five minutes to address the attendees with their aspirations for office.

Candidates drew lots for speaking order and the senatorial candidates were given the floor first.

Mike Henderson currently serves as State Representative for District 117 and is seeking election as Senator for the 3rd District. A Jackson graduate, he returned to the Parkland around 1983 and worked for 31 years in public education as a teacher, coach, and school administrator until his 2014 retirement. His political career was born soon after retirement.

“In 2016, I ran for the Missouri House. I was fortunate enough to win and I just finished up my fourth term there. During this fourth term, I served as Speaker Pro Tem of the House. I like that because you get a little bit more say in what happens and what’s going on in the Missouri House,” Henderson said.

He expressed his pride in the 14 or 15 pieces of legislation that were passed while he has been in the House, but was also quick to say while he isn’t a promoter of big government or the inclusion of more laws. “Believe me, I know everybody doesn’t say, ‘

I want a lot more laws passed,’ but a lot of them are redoing things that have already been done. People are fixing old problems, things that have become outdated. I say that to say this: I try to get things done when I’m up there. Some of the other things I’m proud of while I’ve been in Jefferson City are that we were able to bring a large amount of money–along with Representative Dale Wright and with Senator Elaine Gannon–for the new Mineral Area College Industrial Technology Center. It’s amazing and it’ll do great things for the next 10 to 20 years.

“I worked this year to bring money for the IKO project over in Bismarck and that project’s going to create 70 to 100 new jobs in the city of Bismarck. I think the salary per year is going to be a little over $9 million and what they’re anticipating it will bring to St. Francois County. You may ask, ‘Is that government’s job?’ I think it’s the government’s job sometimes to get out of the way and assist with economic development. We don’t do a very good job at creating new jobs, but sometimes we can assist in trying to bring some of this together and make sure our area gets their fair share and we have the economic development that we need over here.”

Henderson shared some of the reasons behind his run for Senate, outlining his priorities.

“I want to see the Senate work. The Senate hasn’t been functioning the way it should, just to be real honest with you. It should be deliberate. It should take its time to pass legislation easily. I will be a fighter in the Senate to bring the things we need back here. Right now, some of my things that I think are very important is immigration. We’re not Arizona, we’re not Texas, but every state is really a border state. They’re [illegal, undocumented immigrants] coming in, the crime is happening. I was appointed to a committee on that to try to come up with some ways that we might try to address that next year.

“I’m kind of an anti-tax guy, so I’m just going to tell you that. Since I’ve been in there, we started our effective tax rate when I came in and was 5.1%; now it’s 4.2%. We’ve also cut taxes on social security benefits. We are one of only 11 states that we’re taxing them. And we have also starting August 28th, we will give the county commissioners the ability to freeze the taxes for some of our senior citizens. I think that’s important. We don’t want them taxed out of their homes. So again, I’m running for that to try to do the things I just talked about. We want to try to fight for the values that we have here in this area, the values that we have in the third senatorial district. I will do that. I want to be an effective leader that gets things done. I would appreciate your vote on August 6th.”

Cindy Buchheit-Courtway currently serves as the State Representative for District 115 and is also seeking election as Senator for the 3rd District. She said she sees a need for the people to have their interests properly represented in the Senate. She has extensive experience in the medical administration field and has seen the damage the drug crisis has waged in Missouri.

“I’m running for the state Senate because I believe the people of Missouri’s third senatorial district need someone to represent their interests and needs. For too long, our Senate has spent more time arguing with each other and not getting done what their constituents need. My husband and I have raised a blended family together. We have five kids, 17 grandkids. So believe me when I say that I know how to get things done and how to help with arguments. I come from a rural community and a family rich in traditions of hard work, integrity, and sacrifice. Auto workers, factory workers, educators, business owners, and farmers are all in my bloodline. I’ve been involved in several grassroots efforts and organizations. I am the current chair of the Women’s Legislators of Missouri. I am a life member of the NRA [National Rifle Association]. I work as a health care professional at Mercy Hospital, Jefferson, and I’ve seen firsthand how the fentanyl culture has changed my life. I’ve seen firsthand how the crisis is impacting our families. As per the Missouri Health Department, Jefferson and St. Francis counties are among the most brutally hit in the state.

“We have to get the border secured and stop the pipeline of fentanyl into our country and into our state. As Representative Henderson mentioned, we both were put on a committee that will help look into the matters and I’m proud to say that I am going to the border in September. I want to see firsthand what’s going on and what we as legislators can do to stop the border. In 2021, 1,177 people died in Missouri of suicide. We have a mental health crisis. We must support our veterans, active duty military, and first responders. We also need to help our children. I sponsored a bill this past session, House Bill 2471, that provides tools for teachers to assess suicide risk, how to address it, and age-appropriate training for our kiddos. If we can show our kids better options as children, they will be better equipped as adults.”

She said there is a need to strengthen economic development opportunities in Missouri, and she has been active in that mission.

“One way I took action was with House Bill 2352, which removed outdated restrictions and empowered port authorities, paving the way for enhanced infrastructure, increased economic activity, and job creation throughout our state. We have such a great opportunity with the Mississippi River, interstate highways, and rail, so we should be

taking advantage of it. We need to strengthen the economic development opportunities for Missouri. Having served this past session as the House Transportation Infrastructure Chair, I deeply understand the needs of the Missouri infrastructure system. I helped lobby for successfully $25 million for port development in Herculaneum, which will not only benefit Jefferson County, but our whole region, and actually the whole United States.

“I also lobbied for successfully $12 million because James Hardy, a company that wanted to come into Crystal City, that will have 200 jobs in the first phase and 400 jobs starting in the second phase. They wanted to come in, but they couldn’t drive 150 trucks in front of our hospital [Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Festus]. I lobbied for successfully $12 million to get them an extra road so that they can bring $70,000 a year in jobs, which will be for people in Jefferson County, St. Francois, Crawford, Washington, Ste. Genevieve, and St. Louis. I have driven the roads across our Senate district, and I know we need more investments need to be made. Like Interstate 55, $240 million of road infrastructure currently going on right there. That was slated for 2045, but since I was the chair and with the former chair–Becky Ruth–we worked together to get those infrastructure developments done now.”

She said that Highway 67, coming off Interstate 55, will be lowered with no need for stopping along the way.

“I’ve also worked with the city and county officials for Amtrak to come into DeSoto. We’re bringing back a depot, $1 million in the budget just for that, and the governor just signed the budget bill and did not veto that, so I’m very excited about that. Some of my endorsements for the Senate include the Missouri Right to Life, Missouri Cattlemen’s, State Firefighters Council, Laborers Local 110, Missouri Kansas Regional Council of Laborers, Sheet Metal Workers Local 36, Teamsters, Missouri Kansas Nebraska Regional Council, and the Freedom Principal Missouri. I will never back down or waver from defending our Second Amendment rights. I am committed to defending life from conception to the natural end of life. I believe in the conservative causes that both President Ronald Reagan and President Donald Trump championed. America First should be our first focus and our mission. I look forward to continuing my campaign throughout the third senatorial district, discussing my vision of a brighter future for the district and the state.”

The candidates for state representative were next to stand at the podium and address the audience.

Seeking election as State Representative for District 116, Ryan Cooper is a dedicated family man whose priorities shifted dramatically with the advent of the pandemic and he traded a professional career for farming to better prepare for whatever changes may loom just over the horizon. He said that since then, food and water had become very important to him and he works to promote local food production and distribution wherever he can in the Parkland area, including locating markets for the product in the St. Louis area.

“The reason I decided to run for state representative in District 116 was around the same time I started farming. I started carving out time in my week to go to our local government meetings, municipal meetings, and county-level meetings. I got to know a lot of really great people, a lot of really great politicians, a lot of great leaders who work in our community and I genuinely think are trying to better the future for all of us. But I continually had people say to me that they were so thankful that they weren’t going to raise a family in these troubling times that are clearly coming ahead of us. It really frustrated me and I kind of keep a smile on my face, but I do have to raise a family in these troubling times that are coming ahead of us. I don’t think that we’re pushing back hard enough on the forces that seem to be encroaching on our American way of life.

There are rights that protect us, and sometimes I think that we get those rights confused with rights for us. It’s very easy to believe that you’re right and to be filled with self-righteousness and then impose that on the people around you who are your fellow Americans.

“Through my time of going to these meetings and spending time with these men and women who, again, were serving our community, I felt stirred to do more. Our homelessness is running away. Inflation is destroying most American savings. These are big problems that talk isn’t going to fix them. I think a lot of people in here claim to be conservatives. We’re conservatives, conservative Americans. We have to stop spending money. We have to stop spending money that we don’t have. We jumped to grants and to raising taxes and to Prop P–which I want to go on record–was a lie. Prop P was a lie. That was raising the taxes on the people and it oppresses the people at the very bottom of the hierarchy.”

Cooper said that is why it is running, and he thinks it’s time to start pushing back against whatever forces seem to be encroaching on our people and our way of life here in small-town America.

He concluded by saying, “I love it here and plan to farm here for 100 more years with my family. To do that, we’re going to need to make sure we have our water. We’re going to need to make sure we have our land. We’re going to need to make sure that we have our freedoms. These things are being stripped away and it feels kind of opaque. We have artificially intelligent solar-powered systems. We have our cameras all over our county now; I don’t know how many people know that. It wasn’t told to the people. Those were put up in the dark on purpose. Our properties are being audited for taxes by drone technology now–again, opaquely, in the dark. These things are done on purpose. I would vote against all of this. I would vote against taxes and infringements on our rights, all of our rights. I’m Ryan Cooper and I’d appreciate your vote on August 6th.”

Dale Wright is currently serving a third term as State Representative for District 116 and would like to continue with a fourth. He expressed his appreciation to the Conservative Club for sponsoring the event and for the audience who filled the seats in the library’s conference room.

“This is how it’s supposed to be, where we’re all involved with our government, to have a say in our governance,” he said. “I am actually running for my last term, and a lot of people have asked if I have enjoyed it. I can’t say I’ve enjoyed it, but it’s been an honor and a privilege to represent you, to be your voice, to be your advocate, to try to do what I can for you. A very smart man once told me when I started my career in politics, you need to consider every bill in this sequence. Does it meet your conscience test? Does it meet your constituency test? And then lastly, does it meet your caucus or your party test? And Mike [Henderson], thank you for giving me that good, good, good counsel because I’ve tried to live by that. I can only say that there’s probably been two conscience votes that I’ve had to take in the last six years. And I’m proud to say that it was one of my favorite years. It was one of my first votes, and that was a pro-life bill.”

Wright said the real reason he serves, and “the thing that really got me to agree to do this, is the subject of being pro-life. I think that we need to protect the unborn, protect the innocent, protect the disabled, protect those who don’t have a voice for themselves.”

He said many in Jefferson City enjoy writing bills, but the thing he likes to do is help people.

“That’s what I’ve tried to do, tried to help as many people as I can, no matter what status of life they’re in or not. I’ve always tried to put their needs ahead of anything that I’ve wanted to do. I’m really pleased with some things and Representative Henderson mentioned a couple. We’re helping Bismarck, which is sometimes kind of the forgotten group in the county. We’re about to help them create about 80 new jobs. These are $50,000 plus jobs. Through some of our actions and some of the statutes that we’re able to get passed in the budget, that’s going to be a reality now.

“A bonus to that, we found out later, is IKO that he [Representative Henderson] mentioned is an international company from Canada that that’s coming in and they have factories all over the world and plants all over the world. They’re going to invest $150 million in the Bismarck area, actually, Trap Rock. Unbeknownst to us, the day that we went over with Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe to tour that, we found out that Beelman Trucking from Ste. Genevieve is going to invest another $150 million in our area, creating 75 jobs.  So that’s over 150 jobs that are high-paying jobs that are going to really help our area.”

Representative Wright expressed his particular satisfaction with being a part of an effort to bring support and assistance to the financially challenged city of Iron Mountain Lake.

“It’s probably the last place you think about in the county. Several of us were over there, met with them in a town hall. Their city has $27,000 to their name, that’s all they have. Again, what I like doing is helping people and we’ve been working with them. I’ve been able to work with Representative Henderson in getting a police car for them. The City of Farmington donated a police car [a decommissioned 2011 Crown Victoria sitting in surplus inventory] and the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department donated the equipment for it. Now they have a police car, but can’t afford to get a policeman, so we are fighting for them, trying to get some money for them so they can hire a policeman. They have problems with a lot of drugs and squatters, but they also have a new administration over there that they’re really trying to clean up the place, so we want to help them do that.

“I’ve served on quite a few committees, a health care committee for six years. I’ve been exclusively endorsed by Missouri Right to Life as the only person in the race that they will work with. I’ve also been endorsed by Missouri teachers, Missouri education administrators, the Chamber. It goes on and on and on. I’m honored to get to serve you and to get to be your representative. And again, my name is Dale Wright, and I’d like to ask for your vote for this, my last term.”

Candidate Chad Brown, candidate for State Representative of District 117, spoke next and said his situation was different than that of the other speakers, and because he wasn’t accustomed to speaking about himself he was hopeful he didn’t sound cavalier or boastful. Unexpected circumstances brought him to a career in law enforcement and forged a path with valuable education and experience that eventually led to his quest for office.

“Some of you know me, some of you don’t, so I’ll go into a little history of myself. When I was 17 years old, my wife and I found out that we were having a son. I decided I knew exactly what I would do: I would enlist in the United States Army, and that would solve all of our problems. It was good thinking as a teenager, but it didn’t work out and I was medically disqualified. I came back home and didn’t know what I would do. School was ending, I had all my credits and didn’t have to go my senior year. Sheriff Ronnie Skiles of Washington County called me, He asked if I wanted to work for the sheriff’s department.  Of course I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He said, ‘Be there Monday. You start in the jail.’

That started my career in law enforcement and it’s spanned over two decades so far.

“When I turned 18 years old, I attended the Mineral Area College (MAC) Law Enforcement Academy while I was still working for the Sheriff’s Department. By 19, I’d been promoted to jail administrator; I was the youngest ever, and I ran dispatch and the jail at the same time. I went back to attend MAC, upgraded to my Class A license and went for my Associate in Criminal Justice. I got a job offer with the Bonne Terre Police Department, and at 25, I went to work there as a narcotics canine handler, and I worked there for some time. At that time, we were becoming a young family of four with a daughter on the way. I had an opportunity to work in St. Charles–double the salary, triple the benefits, and I couldn’t pass it up–so I went to work there in 2009. I eventually worked my way up to a patrol sergeant. From patrol sergeant, I was assigned to the St. Louis Greater Major Case Squad working homicides and large investigations in both Illinois and Missouri. After that, I worked my way up to command staff where I took control of the entire day-to-day operations of the department.”

Brown said he went to countless trainings, learned how to do budgets and run things, and learned how to write grants.

“During that time, I graduated from the USDA Academy and attended Lindenwood University’s accelerated program for a BA in criminal administration. I was able to travel the country, work on narcotics interdiction, and train in places such as the Mexican border. I was truly grateful for the time and experience I was given there.

“In 2012, I played a vital part in getting the department unionized with the Laborers Local 42. I know it’s not typically a big Republican thing, but we had great results and great benefits for our officer is and department at that time. I went to supervise the St. Charles County Multi-Jurisdictional DWI Task Force while I was recognized by MADD four consecutive years in a row. I wrote the department budget and planned and implemented grants. I attended more training for many investigation leadership and supervision schools. At this time, my wife and I opened our first business, which was a family restaurant in Wentzville. In 2015, we moved back to St. Francis County to stay. I continued to branch out with small businesses in the area, including another restaurant and hotel in DeSoto, a $3 and Below store in Bonne Terre, an auto shop at 221 and Bray, and CB’s here in Farmington. I continued to work as a detective during that time, too.”

Brown said everyone knows that COVID hit in 2020, and as a law enforcement officer, he saw the devastation firsthand.

“As a small business owner, I led the fight against our government mandates and shutdown orders. If we would shut our business down, our employees would possibly be out of work, families struggling to make it, and our businesses would probably close. I’m way over on things, guys, sorry. I’m not a politician, I’ve never wanted to be a politician. I haven’t had years of political experience from the inside like others. I’m not politically correct often. I don’t hide what I feel. I’m someone who calls out and says things exactly as I feel. Some people appreciate that, some people can’t handle it, but everyone needs that. Of course, I’m pro Second Amendment. I probably own more guns than most people. I have received the Missouri Right to Life endorsement. I’m against more laws and especially higher taxes. I know we need IEP reform. We need to eliminate foreign land ownership. We need to get rid of DEI and CRT and combat all woke liberal ideas. I’m sure we all share these views, otherwise, I question why you’re in this room.”

Candidate Mike Miller is seeking election as State Representative for District 117 and began his time at the podium by highlighting his recent activities and experience. A Hillsboro High School graduate, he is a veteran who served his country with distinction and honor.

“Over the last eight years, I have been a member of the St. Francis County Republican Central Committee, where I served one term as Secretary, and currently serving as Treasurer. I was one of the founding members of this, the St. Francis County Conservative Club, including serving as Treasurer for the first two years of the club’s existence. I was Chairman of the 117th Legislative District Committee, and I was elected to and served a three-year term on the Territorial Act Board of Directors.

“Even at an early age, I understood that freedom wasn’t free, and I felt we all owed a debt to those who came before us. So I enlisted in the United States Army, where I spent eight and a half years. In the Army, I served as an Intelligence Analyst with special training in Russian language, counterterrorism, and counterinsurgencies. I was stationed in multiple bases here in the U.S., as well as Germany, Korea, and Southwest Asia during the first Gulf War. I received numerous letters of commendation, an Army Achievement Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, a Meritorious Service Medal, along with several other individual and unit citations. Having successfully finished my military career, I entered the private sector as a dock foreman for a national freight carrier. Over the next nine years, I worked for three different freight carriers, moving up in management as I went.

“I was good at my job, I enjoyed it, and I thought it was going to be my lifelong career until late in 2004 when I was offered the opportunity to own my own business. After much deliberation, despite the fact that I had no savings and no lifeline to fall back on in case I failed, I seized that opportunity. It was touch and go as I learned the industry, learned how to operate a business, all while trying to expand quickly. For the several years, it was seven days a week, 10, 12, 16 hours a day, often feeling like I was on the verge of failure. But I kept plugging away, and eventually, my feet were on solid ground, and the businesses took off. Twenty years later, I made the best career decision I could have ever made. I would also say that it is absolutely what I would consider to be my American dream come true. To risk my entire future on an endeavor to improve my quality of life, to be my own boss, and to have more quality time with my family.”

Miller said he embraced that endeavor in the same spirit as the country’s founding fathers in laying the nation’s foundation.

“They wagered much more than I did, as they famously and courageously pledged their lives, their fortune, and their sacred honor to achieve their American dream, the original American dream. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness without government intrusion. However, over the last nearly 250 years, our government has grown out of control, in size, in scope, and in spending. We’ve gone from a country who believed in God, self-reliance, and self-determination, to a country who looks at the state as its savior. Government has become intrusive to the everyday lives of Americans through regulation, red tape, and obstructive policies and procedures from departments and agencies ran by unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats. Departments and agencies that rarely, if ever, make life better or easier for the citizens of this state or nation.

“If elected, my priorities are to use common sense to push back against government overreach, to reduce the size of state and federal government, to responsibly cut taxes when possible, to improve education, and to make this state and this nation a freer, more inviting place for manufacturing. I want to re-spark the flame of the original American dream, where this nation and its citizens are self-determined and self-reliant and free to pursue life, liberty, and whatever your happiness might be. I want to return us to a time when people look to us as the shining city on a hill and help usher in another century of American leadership in this world. My name is Mike Miller, and because of these things, I humbly ask for your support for my campaign and for your vote on August 6.”

The last speaker of the evening was executive director of the newly renamed Monarch Family Resource Center (formerly Parkland Pregnancy Resource Center) of Farmington, Becky Laubinger, offered a different perspective in her background and political aspirations in her run for election as State Representative for District 117.

“I grew up in rural Missouri. I’m number four of five kids. My father was an electrical engineer, and my mother was a homemaker. My dad would drive us slowly to school counting utility poles, looking for maintenance that needed to be done, and talking to us about power grid issues. My mother taught us about putting others’ needs first and having strong family values. My family also had a cattle hobby farm and a small construction business. Growing up among these opportunities to work, learn, and serve gave me an appreciation for American entrepreneurship and for the hardworking middle class. I’m married to Pastor Bradford Laubinger who’s served at the First Baptist Church of Desloge for 15 years, and we have four kids, ages 23, 21, 17, and 13. And this year, just a few months ago, we added a daughter-in-law. She’s amazing.

“For the last 10 years, I’ve served as the executive director of the Parkland Pregnancy Resource Center and Health Clinic, who recently changed her name to Monarch Family Resource Center. I work there with the board of directors to plan and manage a nonprofit budget, which means cutting wasteful spending, considering the most effective ways to use our dollars to spend or to save, and as the executive director, I also create and implement policies. I ensure the center avoids mission drift. I believe our country, as well as our state, has experienced some mission drift. Our nation and state were founded on freedom. Which once meant the opportunity to be responsible for yourself. But we’ve drifted away from responsibility, and now we want freedom from responsibility.”

She said we’ve traded independence for dependence on others, but like each generation before us, we have the opportunity to change our course.

“We do this by focusing on foundations. There are many foundations needing maintenance, including water systems, funding volunteer fire departments, my dad’s favorite, the power grids. But for now, I will focus on a couple of key foundations that are key to our success as a state. First, we have to crack down on crime, from violence to theft to illegal drug use to child abuse, human trafficking, and the list goes on and on. One of the foundational roles of government is to protect citizens from those who would do criminal harm to the community. To effectively address crime, we need to prioritize funding for law enforcement, training, gear, prisons, drug rehab, and effective mental health treatment.

“So why should law enforcement be a priority? Just for practical application, have you guys shopped at the Deloge Walmart and you tried to buy something from the health and beauty department? Everything is locked up. Seriously though, I’ve spoken with many officers who are discouraged by some catch-and-release policies. I know we’re trying to crack down on that as a state. But it’s hard for those officers to know that they’re making a difference, to risk their lives, when the people they catch then re-offend the next week. I know as the director of the Resource Center that I work with a lot of people who come to classes as part of the rehabilitation process. They come for parenting classes, anger management, even some general life skills. It’s important for us as those referral agencies for rehabilitation that there is accountability for those who refuse to take the steps to get safe or healthy and that they are held accountable for their refusal.”

She spoke about the need for a secure border and the importance of making families a priority.

“We need to know that our border is safe, that terrorists are not free to walk in, that those who are truly living within the law, working hard, living responsibly, are free to continue to live responsibly. So my second priority, I’m going to cram this in real quick. As I have stated, I serve at the Pregnancy Help Agency, and my second priority is family. We work hard to help families get stable, eliminating the crisis and saving the child. As a culture, we must stop treating children as the enemy to adult success. We should see family as the foundational structure of a successful society. So in office or out, I will continue to value human life, both born and pre-born. It’s more important today than ever, just today, the Republican National Committee took the right-to-life language out of our national platform. We as a state need to protect life, and we have the opportunity to do that this November. I would appreciate your vote for state representative.”

Following the candidate presentations, there was a question and answer session with audience members expressing their opinions or asking questions to get clarification on campaign platforms. At the conclusion of the meeting, candidates spent time with individuals who wanted more attention or additional informational resources.

Lisa Brotherton-Barnes is a staff writer for the Daily Journal. She can be reached by email at lbarnes@dailyjournalonline.com.