158th District candidates Wallingford, Tracy want state to review all spending

The Republican candidates for Cape Girardeau's legislative seat called for a complete review of state government spending during a 45-minute forum Thursday at the Southeast Missouri Pachyderm Club.

Wayne Wallingford, chief people person at McDonald's of Southeast Missouri, and Debra Tracy, a Cape Girardeau City Council member, also sought to sway the party faithful as they discussed taxes, economic development and state retirement systems. About 45 people attended the special meeting of the Republican club at Dexter Bar-B-Que.

Wallingford is making his second bid for the 158th District Missouri House seat. Tracy is seeking to take over the seat her son, state Rep. Clint Tracy, has held for two years. Clint Tracy is running in the Republican primary for Cape Girardeau County presiding commissioner.

The winner of Tuesday's primary will face Libertarian Party candidate Robert Roland in the Nov. 2 election.

Both candidates said constituents they have met during the campaign are worried about the growth of government spending and the intrusion of government into business and personal lives.

"The most resounding thing I have heard is stop spending, stop growing government and do not raise taxes," Tracy said.

The only way to do that, Tracy said, is for people to stop asking government to do things they should do on their own. "Government is not our daddy, and it cannot take care of all of us," she said.

Wallingford said government needs to pull back from its increasing role in the economy. "We don't need government in our lives, we don't need a nanny state telling us what to feed our kids, when to feed them, what kind of car to buy and what kind of house to live in."

The forum was set up with opening statements by each candidate, followed by eight questions and closing remarks. In his opening, Wallingford talked about his 25-year military career in the U.S. Air Force that included 600 combat missions over Vietnam and won him the Silver Star. After retiring from the service, he said, he has embarked on a business career in which he has been given increasing responsibility over 17 years.

"I have answered your call to me to use that experience in the 158th District," he said.

Tracy said her entry into the contest was to help the community that has been her home for 32 years. She said her current role as an administrative assistant at the Cape Girardeau School District gives her insight into education and her family's timber exporting business provides understanding of small business needs.

Three questions focused on state tax and spending policies. The candidates were asked if they favored a "Fair Tax," which would eliminate the income tax and find the revenue from increased sales taxes. They were also asked what they would cut to close state budget deficits and what they would exempt from cuts.

Tracy said she was unsure whether the Fair Tax plan would work as promised. She said nothing would be exempt from cuts but that she would be protective of spending on education, transportation programs and Medicaid.

"There must be no sacred cows, and each and every program must be looked at," she said. "It will be quite a culture change."

Wallingford, too, would not commit to the Fair Tax proposal but said the tax system needs to be simplified to help small businesses cut red tape. State spending programs should be evaluated on the value they provide, he said. Programs that are efficient and worthwhile should be spared cuts, he said, but otherwise nothing is off-limits.

"I like running a lean, efficient operation, and that is the way we are going to run government in Jefferson City," he said.

Neither candidate voiced support for a casino in Cape Girardeau, but neither said they were adamantly opposed, either. The issue will go before voters Nov. 2 and will determine whether the city stays in the hunt for the state's only available casino license.

"In my opinion, we can maybe find better uses than a casino," Wallingford said.

Tracy said she voted twice in 1993 against allowing a casino in Cape Girardeau. The second vote approved gambling.

Tracy said she is concerned about whether money spent on gambling would hurt the profits of small businesses. "Our small businesses and our quality of life and our natural heritage is a gem that needs to be developed," she said. "I am not sure I want to give that opportunity to one big business that would have so much control on our quality of life."

rkeller@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

236 S. Broadview St., Cape Girardeau, MO

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