By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The candidates for the 12th Missouri State Senate District fielded a range of questions during a candidate forum sponsored by the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.
Republican State Representative Rusty Black of Chillicothe defended the tax cuts enacted by the legislature in the recently concluded special legislative session, saying that it will have a positive impact on the state.
"I keep track of general revenue that comes into our state, each and every day there's a report that comes out, and we're over $500 million above where we were at as of two days ago, a year before," Black tells a crowd gathered at the forum.
Democrat Michael Baumli however, opposed the tax cuts and compared the move by the Missouri legislature with the failed tax cut policies of former Kansas Governor Sam Brownback.
" They found out it didn't work and they raised taxes," Baumli tells the crowd. "Unfortunately, Missouri has the Hancock amendment, I think that was passed in 1980, so there is no way to back out of this we're committed to any tax cuts we might make."
The candidates also discussed economic policy, education, and abortion during the forum.
On the question of how to best reignite the population Baumli suggested that, among other ideas, investing in schools would help.
"We could turn our rural schools, this small class sizes, and make that attractive to people to remote work and come to our small communities to help grow our small communities," Baumli says. "We can invest in broadband so that more people can work from home if need be."
Republican State Representative Rusty Black said emphasizing rural broadband has already been paying off.
"Internet and trying to get that fiber there, my children moved home, one of them in the medical field super important to them where she lives at that's available etcetera," Black says. "So, I do believe that's going to stop it."
Baumli and Black appeared together during the forum held at the Stony Creek Hotel and broadcast live on KFEQ.
Candidates also discussed how best to help agriculture in the sprawling rural northwest Missouri district.
Black said improving infrastructure would be the best way to help agriculture.
"That's roads, we also see the Missouri River and I think more and more importance is being put on ports," Black says.
Baumli, on the other hand, promoted more restrictions put on large agricultural operations.
"I think that we should regulate and if they do dump manure in the streams then we probably should increase the fine level and not allow that to happen," Baumli says. "I think by doing that we could probably help bring some people back into this area."
You can hear the full candidate forum HERE.