Rone ready to leave legislative role behind

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — Missouri 149th District Rep. Don Rone readily remembers how he felt when he walked into the Missouri State Capitol as a newly-elected legislator.

Stepping onto the House floor to be sworn in, Rone said he looked around at the rows of wooden desks, marbled columns and stained-glass windows.

"I said to myself, 'There are only 163 of us who get to do this every two years,'" recalled Rone, a Republican. "It was such an honor to serve and be part of that for eight years."

Rone's work as a Missouri legislator was the culmination of a dream he had since high school. But as a young man, it was a dream he put on hold -- there was a family to raise, jobs to do and the opportunity to gain political experience on the local level.

However, when he retired, Rone decided it was time to run. His motives, he said, were simple.

"I thought I could help the people of the county. So I decided to run," he said. "My favorite thing about being a representative is serving the people and fixing problems that they have."

The district was facing big problems then.

Noranda Aluminum Co. had just shut its doors in New Madrid County, resulting in the loss of more than 900 jobs. It was a loss felt not only throughout the county but across the Bootheel and beyond.

"So when I first went up there, I had two things in mind. They were the ports and bringing back jobs to the Bootheel of Missouri. Those were my objectives," he said.

While much of the learning process was by trial and error, Rone also got some good advice.

"I was told by Caleb Jones, an old senior rep, when I first went up there, that if you don't care if your name is on it, you can get a lot done. Well, I'm not an egotistical person. Out of the 16 bills that I passed, only two have my name on them. The rest of them were amendments to other bills, but it got the job done," Rone said. "In my mind, we have been successful."

Don Rone, who has represented the 149th District, works at his desk in his home in Portageville, Missouri. Rone said he used his four terms in office to help bring jobs to the Bootheel and improve Missouri's ports.Jill Bock ~ Standard Democrat

The 149th District ranges across New Madrid, Mississippi and Pemiscot counties, and Rone pointed out that of Missouri's 16 ports, the 149th District has four. Describing it as a group effort, Rone said the state has increased funding for all Missouri's ports.

"Ports are going to be the future of transportation in the Bootheel," Rone said, explaining plans are underway for a $250 million investment to build a container port at Cairo, Illinois. Cairo will be a port of destination where containers are brought directly up the Mississippi River, go through customs, then dispersed throughout the Midwest.

"We have to learn to be a part of that. When you go up and down Interstate 55, you don't see just one or two exits, you see multiple exits, and they all funnel into each other. It ties the area together," Rone said. "That is what we are going to have to do with the ports."

According to Rone, the state is building a container port at Kimmswick, Missouri. The New Madrid County Port is planning to add the ability to unload containers at its new slack water harbor.

Jobs are returning to the region, Rone noted. With the reopening of the aluminum smelter at the St. Jude Industrial Park by Magnitude 7 Metals, 600 jobs were brought back to the region. Since then, the plant's rod and wire mill was purchased by Alubar, adding 130 jobs. The Carlisle plant, under construction in north New Madrid County, will bring jobs for Southeast Missouri residents, as well.

"And the big one, and I probably won't see the end of this, is CST-New Madrid. It is going to end up in five to eight years to being a big deal," Rone said about the waste-to-renewable chemicals facility to be constructed in New Madrid.

A member of the Agriculture Committee for eight years, Rone served the past four years as chairman. He said he is pleased with the major legislation passed during the recent special session.

"We got everything done the ag community has asked us to do up until that date. So we have done quite well for Missouri agriculture," Rone said. "There is some technical stuff we have to get fixed, but that is left up to the new legislature to take care of that."

While he has enjoyed success, there were disappointments as well.

He described some of those in office as putting their own interests before those of the people and the state.

Also, he often found himself at odds with the Senate.

"The State of Missouri has a terrible problem with a dysfunctional Senate. And that is talking about my own party," Rone said. "We have put up with four years of absolutely no movement because of petty vindictive people in there. They just don't like each other and that causes some problems."

He recalled that in 2017, as the session wound down, he stood on the House floor and gave a speech about the need for aluminum and steel producing plants to be able to negotiate with power companies.

"And I absolutely blasted the Senate. But I made a real error when I called out senators by name. I tell the freshmen (legislators) today, you can call out the Senate, you can call out the senator, but never, ever call out his name on the floor. I did that multiple times in this speech," Rone said.

While he regrets calling out the senator's name, Rone added it also resulted in a highlight. As Rone finished his speech, he was called off the House floor by then-Gov. Eric Greitens. Shaking Rone's hand, the governor promised to join his effort to pass the legislation. In a special session, the bill passed.

There were good times as well. Rone said he often enjoyed dinners with House Speaker Rob Vescovo, Speaker Pro Temp John Weimann and fellow representatives Dan Shaul and Jared Taylor. He said they would discuss legislative issues and how to move them through the House and Senate.

There were rewarding moments when he would be thanked by residents of his district for his help.

Having served the maximum of eight years as a legislator, Rone admits he is ready to leave politics behind. Moving legislation through to benefit his constituents and the citizens of Missouri was fun, but being away from his family was not.

He described Donnie Brown, who will serve as the next 149th District representative, as a good choice who will work hard on behalf of Mississippi, New Madrid and Pemiscot counties. He said that while they have talked about the legislative process, he hesitated on giving too much advice.

"He is going to be way ahead of the curve but he has got to meet these folks and see what they are made of with his eyes, not my eyes," Rone said. "And he knows if he needs something or wants some advice, my phone is always open to him."

Rone said he looks forward to more time at home in Portageville with his wife of 56 years, Myra. There will more time to be with sons, Trey and Kevin, and their families, too.

Leaning back in his chair in the office that contains only a few pieces of memorabilia from his eight years in Jefferson City, Rone said it was an honor to serve the people of the district.

"It's been a good life for an old farm boy," he said, pausing and adding, "I don't know what I did to be so blessed. God has been good. God has been good."