Politically Speaking

State Rep. Nick Schroer joins Politically Speaking to talk about his legislation that would substantially restriction abortion in Missouri.

The St. Charles County Republican's bill ended up passing the Missouri House earlier this week. It's expected to face a Democratic filibuster when it hits the Senate floor.

Among other things, Schroer’s bill would ban abortion if a doctor can detect a heartbeat is detected, which can happen as early as six weeks. It would also ban almost all abortions if Roe versus Wade is overturned.

The legislation does have exceptions for medical emergencies, but if a woman becomes pregnant because of rape or incest. Doctors could face criminal penalties if they run afoul of the legislation's provisions.

State Rep. Phil Cristofanelli joins Politically Speaking for the first to talk about some of his key priorities for the 2019 legislative session.

The second term Republican lawmaker represents Missouri’s 105th House District, which takes in portions of St. Charles County.

A graduate of Washington University, Cristofanelli was elected as a Republican committeeman when he was 21. He later served on the Missouri Republican Party state executive committee. Before getting elected to the House in 2016, Christofanelli was press secretary for U.S. Congressman Dan Benishek, R-Michigan.

Since entering the legislature, Christofanelli has zeroed in an array of fiscal issues. He sponsored legislation requiring the Missouri Department of Revenue to map out the state’s special taxing districts, which was signed into law last year.

St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger joins Politically Speaking to talk about Better Together’s proposal to merge St. Louis and St. Louis County.

If statewide voters approve the plan next year, Stenger will become the unified government’s first “metro mayor.”  That office was designed to be powerful: A mayor in the new government can make key appointments, use a line item veto, and help appoint whoever is in charge of drawing districts for a 33-person council.

Stenger and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson are backing the Better Together plan, which was formally unveiled late last month.  It comes as Stenger has lost some of his power as county executive after voters approved a charter amendment giving the St. Louis County Council more authority over financial matters.

Among other things, Stenger believes the reorganized government will allow for greater efficiency — and better services for roughly 1.3 million people. He’s also enthusiastic about having one police department and one municipal court serve the region, as opposed to dozens of smaller ones.

Alderwoman Megan Green, D-15th Ward, has done a lot of campaigning over the last 29 months.

Between October 2014 and April 2017, Green ran in three elections to secure a full term representing the ward, which covers parts of the Tower Grove South and Tower Grove East neighborhoods. Pretty soon after that last election, she set her sights on higher office. In the race for president, her main opponents are incumbent Lewis Reed and State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis. (You can find Reed’s episode of Politically Speaking here, and Nasheed’s episode here.)

“I’m running for president of the Board of Aldermen basically because I feel like the status quo in our city is not working, and our city in order to move forward desperately needs some different leadership at the top of the board,” Green said.

State Rep. Raychel Proudie is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where she talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about her first year in the Missouri House.

Proudie represents the 73rd House District, which takes in St. Louis County municipalities like Ferguson, Berkeley, Kinloch, St. Ann and Hazelwood.

Proudie is a Ferguson native who received her undergraduate degree in elementary education from Grambling State University and her master’s degree in mental health counseling from Southern University and A&M College. She also is a doctoral candidate at Grambling State.

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. The Columbia Republican talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about the lay of the land for the 2019 legislative session.

Rowden was first elected to the Senate in 2016, winning one of the most expensive legislative races in history against Democratic Rep. Stephen Webber. He represents Boone and Cooper Counties in the Missouri Senate.

After the 2018 election cycle, Rowden was elected by his fellow Republicans as majority leader. He’s responsible for deciding which bills are brought up for debate — making him one of the more powerful lawmakers in the General Assembly.

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed is latest guest on Politically Speaking.

The St. Louis Democrat is running against three other candidates in the March 5 contest for Board of Aldermen president. Episodes with incumbent Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed and Alderwoman Megan Green will be posted throughout the month of February.

St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. He joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann to talk about his re-election bid.

Reed is squaring off against three other Democratic candidates in the March 5 primary, including Sen. Jamilah Nasheed and Alderwoman Megan Green, D-15th Ward. Both Nasheed and Green have recorded Politically Speaking episodes that will air later this month.

A native of Joliet, Illinois, Reed first appeared on the local political scene in the 1990s when he was elected alderman for the 6th Ward, which includes the Midtown and Lafayette Square neighborhoods.

In 2007, he successfully challenged Board of Aldermen President Jim Shrewsbury. As board president, Reed joined the powerful Board of Estimate and Apportionment that makes most of the city’s financial decisions. He also appoints aldermanic committees and presides over meetings.

St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum to talk about his first few weeks on the job.

Butler was elected to the citywide office in November 2018 after defeating longtime incumbent Sharon Carpenter in a Democratic primary. His office is responsible for issuing birth and death certificates, as well as filing real estate deeds.

Before jumping into the recorder of deeds race last year, Butler served for three terms in the Missouri House. He was a member of the House Budget Committee and captured a leadership position as the Democratic Caucus Chairman.

State Rep. Dottie Bailey joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum to talk about her first few days as a member of the Missouri House.

The Eureka Republican represents parts of St. Louis and Franklin counties, including municipalities such as Wildwood, Pacific and Eureka.

A native of Belleville, Illinois, Bailey’s professional history is in the banking industry as an accounts manager and loan buyer. She’s been active in local politics for some time, becoming a part of the St. Louis area Tea Party movement.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum as the latest guest on Politically Speaking.

The Springfield Democrat was elected as minority leader late last year, succeeding former Rep. Gail McCann Beatty of Kansas City. Quade was first elected to the House in 2016 to represent part of Springfield.

After the 2018 election cycle, Quade is the only Democrat to represent a district that’s south of Interstate 70. She’s noted that her district is relatively competitive, as much of the terrain was represented by a GOP lawmaker from 2010 to 2012.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about what to expect during the 2019 legislative session.

The Springfield Republican was elected as House speaker on Wednesday. His caucus will have a chance to accomplish a lot, since the GOP holds commanding supermajorities in both of the General Assembly’s legislative chambers.

An attorney, Haahr was first elected to his post in 2012 to represent a part of Springfield in the Missouri House. He quickly rose up the ranks, eventually being selected to chair the House General Laws Committee and being elected as House speaker pro tem.

St. Louis County Councilwoman Lisa Clancy joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies to talk about a slew of issues affecting county government.

Clancy was sworn in last week to represent the council’s 5th District, which takes in more than a dozen municipalities in eastern and central St. Louis County.

Clancy has a master’s degree in social work and has worked for about a decade with nonprofit groups. She also has been president of the Hadley Township Democrats, which includes Richmond Heights, Maplewood, University City, Clayton and Shrewsbury.

With a revolutionary year in Missouri politics winding down, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann decided to reflect on what happened and why it matter.

And what better way to do that than a list of the five biggest stories of 2018?

You’ll have to listen to the final Politically Speaking to find out which event topped our list. But it’s fair to assume that the startling descent of Eric Greitens and the Missouri U.S. Senate contest made the cut.

Other developments that were contenders including the repeal of right to work, which bars unions and employers from requiring workers to pay dues as a condition of employment. And big political developments out of St. Louis County also caught the Politically Speaking team’s attention.

Senate President Pro Tem-elect Dave Schatz joins Politically Speaking to talk about issues that may arise during the 2019 legislative session.

Schatz is a Sullivan Republican who represents all of Franklin County and most of western St. Louis County. He won a contested race for president pro tem in November, meaning he’ll appoint committee chairs and direct legislation to certain committees.

Schatz’s family owns a utility contracting business. He successfully sought a vacant House seat in 2010. He then filed to run for the 26th District Senate seat in 2014, which was occupied at the time by Sen. Brian Nieves. Nieves ultimately decided against running for re-election, while prominent GOPers like former House Speaker Tim Jones and former Sen. Jane Cunningham chose not to challenge Schatz in the primary. This effectively handed the election to Schatz, since winning the Republican primary in the 26th District is tantamount to election.

Councilman Sam Page and Councilwoman Hazel Erby join the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast to talk about the tumultuous year in St. Louis County government.

Page, D-Creve Coeur, and Erby, D-University City, are the chair and co chair of the St. Louis County Council. They’ve held those positions for two years amid tensions with St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger.

Since the beginning of 2017, Page and Erby have been part of a bipartisan coalition that’s clashed with Stenger on a multitude of issues. Earlier this week, the council passed a budget with roughly $35 million in cuts from what Stenger recommended. They also overrode his veto numerous times, including on removing a requirement that bidders for construction contracts be linked to apprenticeship programs.

St. Louis Alderman Terry Kennedy is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he spoke with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann about his 30-year tenure on the Board of Aldermen.

Kennedy represents the 18th Ward, which takes in nine neighborhoods in central and north St. Louis — including the Central West End, Vandeventer and JeffVanderLou neighborhoods. He’s planning to resign in early January to become clerk of the Board of Aldermen.

A second generation alderman, Kennedy joined the board in 1989. He succeeded his father, Sam Kennedy, who served on the board for 21 years. During his time in office, Kennedy helped create the North Sarah development — a state, federal and private partnership that brought about new housing in his ward.

Kennedy was also the key backer of a Civilian Oversight Board for the St. Louis Police Department. That idea languished for years, until aldermen ended up passing legislation after Michael Brown’s shooting death in Ferguson. After the Jason Stockley protests, aldermen ended up giving that board subpoena power.

Sen.-elect Eric Burlison, the latest guest on Politically Speaking, talked about the upcoming legislative session  — including his bill that would implement “right to work” in Missouri.

The Greene County Republican served for eight years in the Missouri House before hitting term limits. He successfully ran for a state Senate seat this year that includes part of Greene and all of Christian County.

Burlison is a computer programmer who has been active in GOP politics for some time. He first ran for the Missouri House in 2008, winning a seat that took in part of the city of Springfield with about 57 percent of the vote.

During his tenure in the Missouri House, Burlison became chairman of the House Professional Licensing and Registration Committee. While that committee doesn’t attract a lot of attention, it’s arguably one of the most important legislative committees since it places regulations on a host of industries.

Veteran Democrat Mike Jones – who has played significant roles in St. Louis and St. Louis County government – joins Politically Speaking to offer his take on how best for Democrats to regroup after their generally poor showing.

Jones also talks policy, particularly in his current role as a member of the state Board of Education.

Jones began his political career more than three decades ago as a St. Louis alderman in the city’s 21st ward. Since then, he’s become a go-to person for state, city and county officials.

Most recently, he’s been tapped as a consultant in the city’s deliberations of whether to privatize St. Louis Lambert International Airport.

State Rep.-elect Mary Elizabeth Coleman joins Politically Speaking to talk about her big win in Missouri’s 97th District House seat — and her expectations about the upcoming legislative session.

Coleman is a Republican from Arnold who defeated Democratic state Rep. Mike Revis in this month’s election. She will represent parts of St. Louis and Jefferson counties when lawmakers return for the 2019 session in January.

Coleman is an attorney who previously served on the Arnold City Council. She was one of three Republicans who signed up to take on Revis, who took over a seat that Republicans had controlled for roughly eight years.