Four Dems vying to replace Steelman

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Most people's experience with the state treasurer begins and ends with cashing an income tax refund. That's something the four Democratic candidates want to change with promises to turn the office into an engine for economic growth and an impetus for college saving.

Missouri's state treasurer is responsible for investing the state's money, serves as the custodian for state funds and holds unclaimed property. The office also administers a state college savings plan and manages special tax incentives for development-stage companies.

Bob Holden in 1996 was the last treasurer to seek re-election before setting sail for a higher office.

State Treasurer Sarah Steelman beat Democrat Mark Powell in 2004, but she is skipping re-election to run in the Republican governor primary. The move has created a void in the treasurer's office to be filled by a characteristically wide-open race and crowded primary that has received minimal attention.

The Democratic primary also features Rep. Clint Zweifel of Florissant, former Kansas City mayor and state Sen. Charles Wheeler and lawyer Andria Danine Simckes of Creve Coeur.

Mark Powell

A banker and accountant who founded and runs Mark G. Powell Investments, he hasn't stopped campaigning since he lost to Steelman in 2004. Powell said the five-year campaign has burned out an answering machine and cost him $12,000 in gas but should help close a significant fundraising gap.

The centerpiece of Powell's campaign calls for strategically investing the state's money in local banks to trigger small-scale economic development. He contends investing state money in the banks is a nearly cost-free way to trigger local job creation by increasing the pool from which the banks can loan money to businesses.

"I want to focus on creating jobs through placing deposits in community banks throughout the state," he said. "It's not something glamorous and glitzy -- a lot of treasurer candidates are promising lots of things, but they have nothing to do with the treasurer's office."

Andria Danine Simckes

A former staffer for Gov. Mel Carnahan and the Department of Economic Development, Simckes wants to focus on economic growth.

"One, it's a way to stimulate our economy, and two, it is so critical to a state's prosperity," she said. "It is very essential to have a statewide elected official to have a focus on economic development."

Her plan calls for creating a universal state 401(k) retirement plan geared toward small business employees and increasing hospital funding by linking public and private money sources.

Simckes said hospitals provide a lot of jobs and that setting up public-private partnerships would help health centers in rural and low-income areas stay open, keep quality doctors and improve their equipment and facilities. The universal 401(k) plan would link small businesses and their employees to one joint pool to make providing workplace retirement plans and other employee benefits less costly.

Charles Wheeler

He has a downtown Kansas City airport named in his honor, has held local, county and state offices and is the only candidate who can remember when Harry S. Truman was president.

And when it comes to deciding where to invest the state's money, the doctor, lawyer and stock broker isn't fazed by current financial uncertainties -- he lived through the Great Depression.

Wheeler served two terms as Kansas City's mayor, ran his own medical laboratory company, served in the state Senate for one term and lost a bid to be Jackson County executive.

Wheeler said one of his main priorities is college affordability. He suggests "fine-tuning" Missouri's existing college savings program while offering few specifics.

Clint Zweifel

The fundraising leader with the most tenure in state government, Zweifel wants the state treasurer to take a more active role in public policy debates by offering advice and analysis for how legislation will affect Missouri's fiscal health.

For example, Zweifel said if he were state treasurer he would have warned against the 2005 Medicaid cuts because of lost federal money for the program. And in 2007, he would have advised against selling some of the assets from the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority to fund college construction.

"Statewide officials should be more than caretakers, they should stand up and contribute to public policy decisions that affect people," he said.