Republican candidates for 158th District seat say longevity is their goal

When Cape Girardeau voters elect a new state representative this year, the new lawmaker will be the fourth person to hold the 158th District Missouri House seat in less than four years.

The turnover began when former representative Nathan Cooper resigned because of federal immigration charges and continued as Mary Kasten, a former representative, declined to seek a full term after winning a special election. Rep. Clint Tracy, elected in 2008, is now seeking the Republican nomination for Cape Girardeau County presiding commissioner.

In the Missouri House, seniority equals influence.

"You know as well as I do, with term limits it is a different ballgame," said John Mehner, president and chief executive officer of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce. "When people get elected they ascend to leadership positions faster due to term limits but they usually don't during the second year of their first term."

This year's Aug. 3 Republican primary pits Wayne Wallingford, a 64-year-old business executive and former Air Force officer, against Debra Tracy, a 57-year-old city councilwoman and administrative employee at the Cape Girardeau School District. Wallingford is making his second bid for the job; Tracy is the mother of Clint Tracy. The winner faces Libertarian Party candidate Robert Roland in the Nov. 2 general election. No Democrat filed for the seat.

158th candidate Debra Tracy

Neither candidate strays far from traditional conservative Republican themes. Both have been endorsed by Missouri Right to Life. Both embrace gun rights and list calls for lower taxes, business promotion and keeping schools strong.

And both said they intend to try to keep the office for the full eight years allowed by the Missouri Constitution.

"We were set back many years getting things accomplished for the city for that very reason," Wallingford said of Cooper's resignation. "Now we are starting from scratch again."

For her part, Tracy said, "I definitely see it as a commitment. If I am elected, then it is the right time and the right place and I will serve as long as I feel called to be there."

Important segments of Cape Girardeau -- business, city government and schools, among others -- need a lawmaker who understands the issues and the local impact of decisions. Mehner said businesses need someone who can recognize what bills help them compete in a fair marketplace and which ones effectively promote development and growth.

"We would look for someone who is open to and generally supportive of innovative economic development strategies and concepts," he said.

One of the most controversial tools to promote investment are tax credits. Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, is a leading critic of the current methods of awarding tax credits and Gov. Jay Nixon wants to curtail the amounts redeemed each year. The 60 tax credit programs on the books reduced state revenue by $585 million in fiscal 2009 and Nixon was forced to cut $900 million from the state's $23 billion budget.

The test for economic programs, Tracy said, should be whether they foster dependence on government or give a one-time boost to help a business succeed. "I would like to see everybody take a deep breath and evaluate closely what has been done, and determine what has been helpful and what has been hurtful," she said.

For Wallingford, the test of an economic program is whether the state recovers the tax money invested. Economic activity is one measure, but the state shouldn't lose money, he said.

"You can't put in $12 million and get $4 million back," he said.

For city hall, the important measure is communication, city manager Scott Meyer said. State decisions can impose burdens on the city. The best recent example, he said, is when the city council denied a liquor license renewal to Margarita Mama's, a bar at 710 N. Main St. that generated a lot of police attention. Cuts at the state Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control forced the city to be more proactive, Meyer said. "Nothing beats a real relationship with not only the representative, but the senator as well and their staff," Meyer said.

Wallingford said he wants to work closely with the city, listen carefully to what is important to city hall and make sure people know about important bills. He will hold weekly forums on Fridays during the legislative session, he said. Like in business, the best way to learn about concerns in politics is communication, Wallingford said. "In the business world, you can't over communicate."

Tracy said the council has discussed how to improve communication with lawmakers and that reports from her son, have been a step in the right direction.

"That is something that excites me, the relationships I can build, and see that as a plus," she said.

The two GOP candidates are running low-budget efforts compared to those in some other districts. Tracy has raised less than $10,000; Wallingford less than $2,000. Both said they have not solicited donations from Jefferson City interest groups.

Tracy is promoting her longtime ties to the city and her record in city hall to persuade voters that she will bring the right approach to issues.

"I have lived here 32 years and I want people to ask, 'has the job been done? Do people know me? If they know enough to vote for me, I will find that out."

Wallingford settled here in 2004 after a 25-year Air Force career that included four years from 1985 to 1989 at Southeast Missouri State University as an aerospace studies professor. He worked for Taco Bell for 11 years before starting an eBay service store here and then taking a job as "chief people officer" with McDonald's of Southeast Missouri.

Leadership experience in the Air Force and business is his strongest card in the race, Wallingford said.

Voters "need to look at who is the most experienced, who is the leader, the mechanic known to fix problems," he said. "If they want that kind of person to represent them, I think I can fill that bill admirably."

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, Mo.