Politically Speaking

St. Louis Public Radio's Julie O'Donoghue, Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll talk about the news that matter during the week of Sept. 30, 2019. We also talked with St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Jeremy Kohler on his latest story about St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson conversed with a Centene business executive about fighting crime.

Sen. Bill Eigel is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Julie O’Donoghue and Jaclyn Driscoll about the future of the Conservative Caucus in the Missouri legislature. The St. Charles County Republican is a member of a six-person Senate faction which has questioned GOP proposals involving transportation spending and economic development.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry spokes with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum ahead of his Oct. 1, 2019, speech in St. Louis. Kerry is taking part in Maryville University's St. Louis Speakers Series.

Missouri House Rep. Ian Mackey is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The Democrat from Richmond Heights talked to St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue and Jason Rosenbaum. Mackey won his first election to the state house in 2018. His district includes Richmond Heights, Clayton and University City.

The latest edition of Politically Speaking takes a closer look at what’s historically known as the Board of Freeholders, a 19-person body that could present a plan merging St. Louis and St. Louis County to local voters. Earlier this week, the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis submitted its last batches of signatures in St. Louis and St. Louis County to jumpstart the freeholders process. St. Louis County Board of Elections Democratic director Eric Fey said the county’s signatures will likely be certified on Monday.

State Sen. John Rizzo is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The Democrat from Independence talked to St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue and Jaclyn Driscoll. Rizzo has been a state senator since 2017 and previously served as a House member from 2011 to 2017. His district includes parts of Kansas City.

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll and The Kansas City Star’s Crystal Thomas review this past week’s special session. Gov. Mike Parson wanted lawmakers to deal with a vehicle sales tax technicality as they gathered for veto session. Legislators ended up following through on that request without too much trouble.

Sen. Lincoln Hough is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The Springfield Republican talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll about the upcoming special session — and what to expect when lawmakers come back to Jefferson City in January. Hough represents Missouri’s 30th Senatorial District, which takes in a big chunk of Springfield and Greene County. He was sworn into office in early January for a four-year term.

St. Louis County Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The Chesterfield Democrat talked to St. Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Julie O’Donoghue about her childhood in rural Illinois and her first month in office. Dunaway’s district includes Creve Coeur, Maryland Heights, Overland and Hazelwood. She joined the St. Louis County Council in after a special election to replace Sam Page in August.

The latest episode of Politically Speaking takes stock of how political and community leaders are responding to St. Louis children getting killed in an outbreak of gun violence this summer. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Julie O’Donoghue, Rachel Lippmann, Chad Davis and Andrea Henderson look into how city and state leaders are feeling the pressure to act — especially when it comes to implementing more stringent gun laws.

State Rep. Hannah Kelly is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The Mountain Grove Republican talked to St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Julie O’Donoghue about some of the important issues for her rural Missouri district. Kelly represents portions of Wright and Webster Counties. She has served in the Missouri House since 2017.

The latest episode of Politically Speaking explores the state of the Missouri Democratic Party — and what some of the party’s leadership feels needs to be done to reverse its decline. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies, Julie O’Donoghue and Jaclyn Driscoll chart out why Missouri Democrats went from dominating the state’s politics to being nearly completely out of power. Many Democrats believe that state Auditor Nicole Galloway’s 2020 gubernatorial bid is the first big step towards engineering a comeback.

St. Louis County Councilman Mark Harder is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Julie O’Donoghue about the titanic changes in county government. Harder represents the council’s 7th District, which includes Ballwin, Chesterfield, Ellisville and Wildwood. With recent departures of council members, the Ballwin Republican is now the most senior member of the council.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis County Councilwoman-elect Rita Days talks with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Julie O’Donoghue about her impending service on the St. Louis County Council. Days was elected to fill out the rest of Hazel Erby’s term in the 1st District, which takes in more than 40 cities in central and north St. Louis County. The Bel Nor Democrat’s term goes until the end of 2022.

On this edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue, Jo Mannies and Jason Rosenbaum reflect on the rise and fall of former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger. The Democratic official was sentenced to 46 months in prison last week for his role in a pay-to-play scheme. He’s been the subject to public scorn after a sentencing memo detailed vulgar and boorish comments about his political enemies. But there’s more to Stenger’s story than just his rapid departure from office. A number of interest groups, such as organized labor, business leaders and top elected officials, played a key role in his rise to power. After entering office with the power to radically change St. Louis County government, most of Stenger’s tenure devolved into heated confrontations with the St. Louis County Council.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Julie O’Donoghue and Rachel Lippmann take a look at how politics and policy has changed in five years since Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson. This show looks at how the slow progress picked up last year with the election of Wesley Bell as St. Louis County prosecutor. That ushered in a new political coalition that’s affecting other parts of county government. But progress has been slower in state and national politics.

St. Louis Alderman Bret Narayan is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked to St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about his first few months on the Board of Aldermen. The 24th Ward Democrat represents the neighborhoods that encompass Dogtown in southwest St. Louis. He won election to the seat earlier this year.

State Rep. David Wood is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The Versailles Republican spoke with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jaclyn Driscoll and Jason Rosenbaum Wood was elected to Missouri’s 58th House District in 2012. He’s currently serving his final term in the General Assembly’s lower chamber, where he’s chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Health, Mental Health and Social Services.

The latest episode of Politically Speaking features state Rep. Doug Clemens talking to St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue and Jason Rosenbaum about his first impressions of legislative life. The St. Ann Democrat represents the 72nd House District, which takes in portions of Maryland Heights, St. Ann and Breckenridge Hills. He was first elected to his post in 2018.

State Rep. Derek Grier is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about how Missouri is approaching economic development policy. The Chesterfield Republican represents the 100th District in the Missouri House. That St. Louis County-based district takes in parts of Chesterfield, Town & Country, Winchester and Ballwin. Grier is a St. Louis County native who first entered the local electoral scene in 2011 when he won a seat on the Chesterfield City Council. Aside from his political pursuits, Grier has spent time working in the real estate industry. When Rep. Sue Allen departed from the Missouri House due to term limits, Grier jumped into the GOP primary for the 100th District House seat. He ended up defeating Allen’s husband, Michael Allen, by roughly 1,000 votes — which was tantamount to election since no Democratic candidate filed to run for the seat.