Candidate Letters: Lieutenant Governor

By Phil Cobb | October 24, 2024 |

Rep. Richard Brown, D-Kansas City State House Asst. Minority Leader

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Republican Dave Wasinger’s campaign did not respond to multiple invitations to send a letter. The Missouri Green Party did not respond to an email seeking contact information for candidate Danielle Elliott.

Richard Brown, Democrat

I am running for Missouri Lieutenant Governor for one simple reason. I want to do the job. It is a job that requires experience, responsibility, and accountability. I have demonstrated all three.

I am a retired public-school teacher. I am not a politician. I am a public servant that has served eight meaningful years in the Missouri House of Representatives. I am not just another member of the legislature. I serve as the Assistant Minority Leader and ex-officio of all House committees. I work to bridge gaps and foster unity across the aisle with my Republican colleagues. I stand for fairness, trust, and transparency to the public in my role as Vice Chair of the House Ethics Committee. I serve as a Missouri Tourism Commissioner. My leadership does not stop at titles. It is about action, integrity, common sense, and real Missouri values!

As a state legislator, I have worked quietly for the betterment of people in Missouri. I did not come to Jefferson City to become self-important. I came here to do important things to help people in communities around our state that are just like the people in my home community.

For several years, the Grain Belt Express was a source of controversy in Northwest Missouri. I understand the value of land and property rights. I stood against this legislation in favor of the landowners. I understand the concept “you can’t grow no more land.”

My legislative wins include:

Creation of the First Time Home Buyers Savings Program;
Easier healthcare access for patients by lifting restrictions on how APRNs practice;
Protected the pensions of teachers, first responders and local/state government employees;
Established a multi-employer statewide retirement savings plan for small businesses;
Changed the statute to allow retired teachers to return to the classroom to alleviate critical teacher shortages without losing retirement benefits;
and Official State Recognition for Chillicothe’s Sliced Bread Day.

I will be focused on the statutory obligations of the job and being an ambassador for Missouri. The statutory provisions for Missouri’s lieutenant governor include serving as a member of several state boards. Having served on various boards and commissions prior to and during my time in the legislature, I know how to move a body’s work forward. As previously mentioned, I already sit on one of the commissions — the Missouri Tourism Commission.

I am just a guy from the neighborhood that came to Jefferson City to do a job. I am someone who cares. I did not come to Jefferson City to become self-important. I am ready to go to the next level. I am prepared to lead Missouri into the future with common sense and Missouri values. Missouri is the Show Me state. Let me show you.

If you want to learn more about me or my candidacy, please visit my website at RichardBrown2024.com.

I am Richard Brown, and I am asking for your vote and your support to be your next lieutenant governor. God Bless you and thank you for your time and consideration.

Ken Iverson, Libertarian

Hello, I’m Ken Iverson, candidate for lieutenant governor.

I’m not a politician. I’m a Navy veteran, engineer, and retired defense analyst from Lake Saint Louis. I’m also a creative problem solver who wants the brightest future for all Missourians. I can no longer idly watch our state and nation both deteriorate into an overextended social experiment that cannot balance its budget without extreme cuts. Having studied economics and political philosophy most of my life, I’ve concluded that government works best when it promotes and does not impede the natural, peaceful interactions of individuals, all seeking the same general betterment for themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. I found that liberty is the only moral political philosophy that meets this standard.

Most people don’t realize they could be living happier, healthier, safer, and richer lives by abandoning socialistic tendencies and embracing liberty. Here in Missouri, we live with an oversized government that thrives on what would otherwise be our disposable incomes. We have accepted as normal: high taxes, high rents, high crime, low pay, and a huge wealth gap between rich and poor. Roughly forty percent of our citizens are considered financially at risk, and the next rung on the prosperity ladder seems out of reach.

Therefore, I propose ending state tax on income and personal property. Besides saving time and money, these transformational changes will substantially increase employment, business opportunities, and take-home pay, while reducing crime by lifting the at-risk young and unemployed out of poverty. To pay for it, I’ll remind everyone that state programs that conflict with private charities and common sense should be abolished.

An example is the group of state programs dealing with addiction and self-destructive behavior. In many such programs, the state collects and analyzes volumes of data on citizens before dictating their treatment plans. Economic development programs at the state level is another such area of expenditures that should be canceled. Missouri taxpayers hand over roughly $500 million per year just to subsidize pet projects that are narrow in scope and typically show a poor return on investment. I believe Missourians would rather spend their own money in charitable and enterprising ways than provide charity to wealthy corporations through their tax dollars. The vast majority of state social and economic programs can be, or already are, covered by charities and business organizations.

Missouri voters may want to redirect their compassion for expensive state programs to compassion for real people in dire need. So instead of sending your hard earned tax dollars to Jefferson City, you would finally be able to keep your money to save, invest, or provide to charities and causes you hold dear. Together, let’s make Missouri the tenth state to reject the income tax and the 49th to terminate the personal property tax!

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