Suzanne Walker-Pacheco: Good afternoon. I'm Suzanne Walker Pacheco with Missouri State University, one of the nonpartisan organizations that make up the Informed Voter Coalition. Today, we are interviewing candidates for Missouri Senate District 30. They are Representative Betsy Fogle, Representative Melanie Stinnett and Mr. Cecil Ince. Candidates for Senate District 30 will be interviewed individually and asked the same questions. They will have one minute to introduce themselves and two minutes to respond to each question. Our first candidate is Representative Betsy Fogle. Thank you very much for joining us. Let's begin by having you introduce yourself and tell us why you decided to run for this office. You have one minute.
Betsy Fogle
Betsy Fogle: Okay. I am State Representative Betsy Fogle. I was born and raised here in Springfield. A proud graduate of Springfield Public Schools. Went to Parkview, got my undergraduate degree here at Missouri State, and then had the opportunity to teach here on campus for a few years, and then spent my professional career at a place called Jordan Valley Community Health Center, helping to address all the non-clinical needs of our patients, including things like housing, transportation, food insecurity. That is, those are the experiences that made me want to jump in and run for office. I put my name on a ballot in 2020, flipped a House seat, and spent the last six years serving in the Missouri State General Assembly, advocating for improved educational opportunities in our public schools, access to health care, lower cost of health care, and then making sure that we're not shifting the burden of who's paying taxes to working families and retirees. So, it's been an absolute honor to serve the last six years. I decided to run for the state Senate seat, because right now in Missouri, a bill can be filed in the House, into the Senate and signed by the governor without needing a single vote from the minority party. And I'm an absolute firm believer that balance is a good thing and we should work across the aisle. And right now, in Missouri, we just don't have the opportunity to do so.
Walker-Pacheco: What role should citizen led initiative petitions play in Missouri's policy making process, and what, if any, reforms would you support regarding how voter approved measures can be changed or overturned by the legislature.
Fogle: We are lucky to live in a state where citizens have a right to direct policy in and around the General Assembly. When you look at things that have passed in Missouri through the initiative petition process over the course of the last few years, those are all things that I think are very important to me and most importantly, important to constituents. Things like increasing access to hundreds of thousands of Missourians through Medicaid expansion. Obviously, we saw some very significant ballot initiatives this year. I don't support anything. I will never support anything that increases the power of elected officials in Jefferson City and decreases the power of constituents. I think the more power that constituents can have over politicians and elected officials is a good thing. We have spent a lot of time debating how to water that down in Jefferson City. And if elected to the state Senate, I would make sure I was one more voice advocating for the right of citizens of Missouri to bring about change in their state, in and around the legislature.
Walker-Pacheco: What is your position on proposals to reduce or eliminate Missouri's state income tax. And how would you address the potential impact on state revenue, services and other sources of taxation?
Fogle: So, this one, thankfully, my voting record is very clear. We debated Amendment 5, which was the elimination of the state sales tax or the state's income tax, which I think everyone agrees would eliminate about 8 to $9 million or billion dollars of general revenue funds to the state. I had the fortune of leading the charge in Jefferson City to fight against that, knowing that that proposal gave unchecked power to the General Assembly to increase the sales and use tax on Missourians across the board for five years. So right now, we have constitutional protections that make sure that we can’t increase the sales tax, we can’t increase what's called the use tax, so taxes on services, that amendment or that initiative would have completely wiped away those constitutional protections and created a very significant hole in our state budget. The budget is just numbers on a spreadsheet until it impacts real lives. And already here in Missouri, we've had to see significant cuts to our education, to our public schools. This was the first year in six years that we didn't fully fund our foundation formula. Imagine how much worse that gets if we eliminate $9 billion of economic activity to the state. And more importantly, shift the burden of who's paying taxes from the upper few percent to the backs of working families and retirees. Here in Springfield, my average constituent makes just over $40,000. People can't afford a cost of living increase. And that's what that initiative would have done. Of course, that went to the ballot in August, and voters rejected that proposal in every county in the state. I think it ended up being roughly a margin of 83% of people said, no, that's a bad idea. My job in Jefferson City is to make sure that my constituents voices are heard, and that proposals that would eliminate the income tax and increase taxes in other forms on families don't go anywhere.
Walker-Pacheco: What do you believe the results of the August election indicate about the priorities or concerns of Missouri voters, and how would those results influence your approach if elected?
Fogle: The results of August told me what I already knew about Springfield voters and told me what I already knew about Missouri voters. They do not want to pay more for everyday living. They don't want to give the General Assembly unchecked power to increase the cost of going to the grocery store and buying groceries, going to the gas pump and filling up your car, on rent, on utilities. It also showed me what I already knew, which is constituents don't like when their elected officials try to take away power, and that's what Amendment 4 did. It would have made it a much difficult, much, much harder for constituents to have their voices heard. Both of those measures were defeated with resounding numbers, and I completely understand why Amendment 5 would have increased your cost of living, and Amendment 4 would have made sure that you couldn't do anything about it. And both of those initiatives are things I was very proud to oppose and would continue and commit to continue to oppose if elected to the state Senate.
Walker-Pacheco: As data center development expands across the country, communities have raised questions about their purpose, economic benefits, resource demands and local impacts. What role do you believe data centers should play in our region, and how should policy policymakers balance their potential economic and technological benefits with concerns about water use and quality, air quality, noise, electricity costs and demand, and the loss of agricultural land.
Fogle: I think the implementation of data centers is something that members of the General Assembly, including myself, still need to continue to learn about. What I do know is I support my local municipality to make decisions that they think is best for them. Right now, the city of Springfield has a moratorium on data centers, and I would never use my platform in Jefferson City to tell my local mayor or my local city council that they couldn't do that. I think when you looked at the results of the primary election in August, it became very clear to me that there are going to be people in Jefferson City who are pushing for a statewide approach to data centers. My response to that would be, those decisions are probably made as close to the people as possible, because there are some communities who want them and a lot of communities who don't. And I don't think it would be my right as a member of the General Assembly to tell those communities what they had to do.
Walker-Pacheco: And to conclude, please tell us what your top priorities will be if you are elected. You have two minutes.
Fogle: If I am elected to the Missouri State Senate, my top three priorities will remain the same as they were in my six years in the Missouri State House of Representatives. I ran for office to make sure that kids in our schools had a fair shot, that they could do better than their parents, that they could start school and educate with a world class education, that they could afford college tuition at places like Missouri State, that they would have classroom teachers that are well funded and well prepared to educate them. I am vehemently opposed to efforts to privatize education and to take away one of the things that I think makes this country the greatest in the world, and that is that all children have access to a free and quality public education. And the next thing I would say is increasing cost and, or decreasing cost and increasing access to health care. That was very clearly a passion of mine working in a community health center. And alongside that, making sure families have what they need to be successful, access to childcare. That's something I've been able to work on in the budget.
Putting money in the budget that increases access, decreases cost and working within our childcare subsidy program. The last thing would be, I think right now when I'm out knocking doors, something I hear is that the cost of living is just too high. I would be opposed to efforts in the General Assembly that would increase that, whether that's Senate Bill 4, that increased the cost of utilities, whether that was Amendment 5, that would increase costs of everyday living. I think right now, what my voters want from me is somebody who's going to go to Jefferson City and make sure that corporations and people in the upper few percent aren't reaping the benefits of things that are negatively impacting the single mom in my district who's doing everything right and, and struggling to make ends meet, or the family that had a car transmission blow and now they can't make rent. Those are the faces that I picture when I'm in Jefferson City, and that would be my commitment to continue to do so.
Walker-Pacheco: Representative Fogel, that concludes our interview. Thank you very much for taking time to talk to us. Again, I've been speaking with Representative Betsy Fogel, who is a candidate for Missouri Senate District 30.
If you're just joining us, we're talking to candidates running for Missouri Senate District 30. With me now is Representative Melanie Stinnett. Thank you very much for joining us. Would you please introduce yourself and tell us why you decided to run for this position? You have one minute.
Melanie Stinnett
Melanie Stinnett: Absolutely. So, as you stated, my name is Melanie Stinnett. I'm a State Representative. I've been serving in the House for four years. And before that I was a speech language pathologist and owned a private business here in Springfield, providing speech, occupational, physical and music therapy for kids in a medical setting, but also in rural public schools. And it was really through that experience that I saw a lot of challenges with the health care system and with services for children with disabilities, and I started advocating at the Capitol, and that's what led me to run for office originally. I see this role in running for the Senate as just another place to continue doing the important policy work around those issues.
Walker-Pacheco: What role should citizen led initiative petitions play in Missouri's policy making process. And what, if any, reforms would you support regarding how voter approved measures can be changed or overturned by the legislature?
Stinnett: Yeah, I've heard a lot of questions about this, and I think it's a really important topic. I think that there's a place for citizen led initiative petitions. One of the things that I've supported and talked about in other places, when I've been asked, is to strengthen the voice of the public by maybe putting an extension of time. So, if something's passed on the ballot, maybe the legislature can't immediately go in and change it, but maybe they would have to wait a certain amount of time. I think that that is something that, you know, then we can see the impact and then decide based on the impact if there might need to be changes. Sometimes things that are passed via the initiative petition process could have some unintended consequences. Just like when we pass a bill in the legislature, there could be some. And so, some tweaking may need to be done, but I think that pause might be a benefit.
Walker-Pacheco: What is your position on proposals to reduce or eliminate Missouri's state income tax. And how would you address the potential impact on state revenue, services and other sources of taxation?
Melanie Stinnett: I think we just had that on the ballot, and the voters spoke about how they felt about that specific proposal. Through conversations with people in our community, what I still heard is that there are still concerns about the amount of taxes that we collect. And so specifically, property taxes continue to come up, especially with our senior population, and things like that. I have been really sensitive to, because of my background in working with children with disabilities, the conversation around property taxes and the concern with decreasing property taxes, and that resulting in decreases in funding for disability services, other services like our library and fire, things like that. And so, I think it's a really complex conversation that we’ll probably continue to have, but deserves a lot of eyes on it. It deserves the voters being able to have that voice heard, and they did in August. And we'll see what those conversations continue to look like. But my commitment is that I will certainly be looking at it from the lens of what Springfield needs and what it needs revenue wise for those services to continue and make sure that we have those things available for our citizens.
Walker-Pacheco: What do you believe the results of the August election indicate about the priorities or concerns of Missouri voters, and how would those results influence your approach if elected?
Melanie Stinnett: Yeah, I think that when we put something on the ballot in August or and really any election, the voters have two options. They have A)stay with what we've been doing, and they have B) do something different. Sometimes when they choose to say, no, we don't want to do option B, that doesn't mean that they're not interested in the conversation happening still, and maybe another option. So, I think just continuing to talk with voters about what their thoughts are and what that looks like for them on a number of issues. We have a lot of initiative petitions in our state that come up on a lot of different issues. So, the conversations are what are really important to me with people. And what I've heard from people is that they, they want to have a legislator that really is open to those conversations. I think I've had an open door. I've been somebody who's been really accessible and available to people in our community, try and take meetings with everyone and have open conversations and dialogs, and I'll continue to do that.
Walker-Pacheco: As data center development expands across the country, communities have raised questions about their purpose, economic benefits, resource demands and local impacts. What role do you believe data centers should play in our region, and how should policymakers balance their potential economic and technological benefits with concerns about water use and quality, air quality, noise, electricity costs and demand and the loss of agricultural land?
Melanie Stinnett: Yeah, that's a wonderful question that a lot of people are bringing up. At the end of our legislative session this past year a lot of those conversations were coming up here back at home while we were in the legislature, so there were some town halls and things going on, and I was really anxious to get back home and hear from people what their thoughts were. We've had a couple of listening sessions here in Springfield that I think have brought up all of the points that you mentioned. This is a complex issue. It's not as simple as putting a business on a corner. There are a lot of things that go into what, what's going on around the data center. As you mentioned, with water usage, with utilities, all those kinds of things. I think ultimately a lot of it is local decisions, and we should rely on our local entities to determine what that looks like. But at the state level, I think there is value in the conversation around water usage, around utility rates, those things that can impact a broader region than just Springfield. Conservation is really important. We saw actually Amendment 1in August pass overwhelmingly, and I think that speaks to kind of the heart of Missourians and how they care about the environment, and they want to make sure it's protected. And so, I think those things are really important conversations that have to be had.
Walker-Pacheco: And to conclude, please tell us what your top priorities will be if you are elected. You have two minutes.
Melanie Stinnett: My background is in healthcare, as I mentioned, and I am really passionate about making sure that we have adequate access to healthcare and lower costs for healthcare. One of the things that's adding cost to our healthcare system is the overuse of prior authorizations by insurance companies. That's something that I have filed every year I've been in the legislature, and worked hard on trying to get reforms in. Today, if you go to your doctor and you are wanting to get a procedure done or you need a medication, your doctor then sends that, oftentimes, to the insurance company for approval, and they can either approve or deny that. When they deny that adds extra cost and time into the system, because the doctor's office has to have that staff to be able to do that work of prior authorization, insurance company has to have that staff to do that prior authorization, and that adds cost, but then adds time, and when there's a denial, then there's that additional time. And while someone's waiting for treatment, I really feel like we should be looking at lowering those prior authorization requirements and making sure that patients can access the care that they and their doctor decided was important. I also want to focus on the mental healthcare for our individuals in our community. I work diligently as chair of Health and Mental Health to hold additional hearings on the topic of mental health, and I think what we heard is that everyone throughout the state is really challenged with how to address these things. Out of those additional hearings, we did pass a bill this past year for assisted outpatient treatment that helps people that are interacting with our judicial system go to treatment instead of to jail. I think that's a really important thing that we should continue to focus on finding pathways for people to get treatment.
Walker-Pacheco: Representative Stinnett, that concludes our interview. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us. Thank you. I've been speaking with Representative Melanie Stinnett, who is a candidate for Missouri Senate District 30.
If you're just joining us, we're talking to candidates running for Missouri Senate District 30. I'd now like to introduce Mr. Cecil Ince. Thank you very much for joining us. Would you please introduce yourself and tell us why you decided to run for this position? You have one minute.
Cecil Ince
Cecil Ince: My name is Cecil Ince, and I decided that I was going to run for state Senate because Missouri, Springfield, needs a voice that represents all of the citizens of Springfield.
Walker-Pacheco: What role should citizen led initiative petitions play in Missouri's policy making process? And what, if any, reforms would you support regarding how voter approved measures can be changed or overturned by the legislature?
Ince: There's a lot in that question, that I would say that, you know, I'd like to see more citizens involved in the process. I think the way we have had initiative petitions and referendum petitions, I think that process has worked for so long and will continue to work the way that it is. I don't think there really needs to be any changes to that. I think we need to encourage more people to register to vote, to get involved, and the way to do that is to restore confidence and faith in the process. And we need more representatives that will restore that confidence.
Walker-Pacheco: What is your position on proposals to reduce or eliminate Missouri's state income tax, and how would you address the potential impact on state revenue, services and other sources of taxation?
Cecil Ince: Well, to quote Ronald Reagan, our tax system is outdated and desperately in need of reform. It's outdated and people are aware of this. We even have state legislators that are aware of this, and that's why this issue came on the ballot like it did. But the voice of the people reflects these concerns about government having control over their money, and they knocked it down by an overwhelming majority. And I think we need to sit down at the table. We need someone who can fill in the aisle and, and rather than just cross the aisle, and that's where I come in. The, my viewpoints on eliminating the state income tax is not a phase out process. This is something that needs to be done. It's been desperately needed for a long time, and the only viable solution to that is a consolidated flat income tax, excuse me, a flat consumption tax on all goods and services that originate out of the state of Missouri and within the state of Missouri. And it needs to be a flat tax that's basically reflects the current sales tax that we have now, and it's all for internet, a pen or an aircraft, and it's only can be increased or decreased by a vote of the people.
Walker-Pacheco: What do you believe the results of the August election indicate about the priorities or concerns of Missouri voters, and how would those results influence your approach if elected?
Ince: Well, the outcome for the Libertarian Party was a 127% increase in ballots cast for the Libertarian Party. We are seeing growth. We're seeing people that are getting tired of the same old Republican Democrat back and forth, and they're looking for true representation. They're looking for someone that's going to represent their true needs and concerns without it being politics as usual. And we're seeing that, we've seen that with the income tax elimination measure that was on the ballot. An overwhelming majority don't want government suspending the Hancock Amendment and having full control over increasing or decreasing how much money they're going to take from the citizens of the state of Missouri. And we need someone that's going to be a voice for that, and someone who will listen to not just the constituents or to party politics as usual, somebody that can listen to the common, everyday person in the state.
Walker-Pacheco: As data center development expands across the country, communities have raised questions about their purpose, economic benefits, resource demands and local impacts. What role do you believe data centers should play in our region, and how should policymakers balance their potential economic and technological benefits with concerns about water use and quality, air quality, noise, electricity costs and demand, and the loss of agricultural land?
Ince: That is a very good question, and I've heard the debate on all sides. There is new technologies out there for gel cooling for an internal system. I think that the state needs to regulate where we place these data centers. We need to make sure that they have their own self-contained power system. There's a lot of technologies. Tesla has a Powerwall. I believe it's the new mega Powerwall. There's all sorts of technologies that can solve these issues that people are concerned about. And the thing is, is that data centers are business. They create jobs. They, they provide storage space for people who run websites and to store their memory, store their data. And this is a growing need with the advancement of AI technology and other technologies, and I believe that our legislators should protect and preserve the rights of entrepreneurs and philanthropists that are going into this industry, and they need to protect that and allow for these businesses to exist without affecting our infrastructure, our power grids, or our water resources, and there is technology to solve that problem.
Walker-Pacheco: And to conclude, please tell us what your top priorities will be if you are elected. You have two minutes.
Ince: Top priorities are one, I want to reduce the taxation burdens on Missourians. I want to fill in the aisle between the Republicans and Democrats in the Senate to come up with more common-sense legislation that reflects the voice of, of Missourians. I want to look into reform for education. I want to look into elections reform. There's a lot of wording in, in our elections statutes that reflect party names, rather than just generalization of established or major political parties. And I also want to help break the stigma that the Libertarian Party is still a third party. We are an established party in the state of Missouri, and we are running electable candidates.
Walker-Pacheco: Mr. Ince, that concludes our interview. Thank you very much for taking time to talk to us. I've been speaking with Mr. Cecil Ince, who is a candidate for Missouri Senate District 30. This concludes our interviews with candidates for Missouri Senate District 30. I'm Suzanne Walker-Pacheco with Missouri State University. Thank you for joining us.
Ince: Thank you.
Nico Burasco was the videographer for the candidate interviews.
