WICKS CLAIMS MISSOURI CHAMBER SLIGHTS HIM IN VOTERS' PAMPHLET

State representative candidate Stan Wicks says he should have been listed in the Missouri Chamber of Commerce voters' guide.

Wicks is one of three Republican candidates on the Aug. 8 primary ballot for the 158th state House seat. The winner will face Democrat Tom Neumeyer in the November election.

Wicks said he filled out the state chamber's questionnaire. He said he mailed and faxed the form back to the Missouri Chamber of Commerce in April.

But the organization's recent voter guide only lists candidate Jason Crowell. The state chamber has endorsed Crowell, a Cape Girardeau lawyer.

Candidates Jay Purcell and Neumeyer didn't respond to the questionnaire.

The issue surfaced after Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III called attention to the voter guide in a letter to Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce members. In the Aug. 1 letter, mailed by the Crowell campaign, Spradling endorsed Crowell.

Kelly Gillespie, vice president of governmental affairs for the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, said chamber staff called candidates who didn't respond to the survey.

Gillespie said Wicks was called and reminded to turn in the form. Wicks said he never received a follow-up call.

"The bottom line is they didn't follow through," said Wicks. "They dropped the ball."

A Cape Girardeau businessman, Wicks has talked of business issues in his campaign. He said he filled out questionnaires from several business groups.

"I have been running this whole campaign based on being a business owner," Wicks said.

But Gillespie insisted the Missouri Chamber of Commerce didn't error in leaving Wicks out of the voter guide. "We don't have snafus like this because we take extraordinary care," he said.

As for endorsing Crowell, Gillespie said state Sen. Peter Kinder's endorsement of Crowell was a factor in the organization's decision. Kinder sides with the Missouri Chamber of Commerce on various legislative issues.

"We checked with local member businesses and looked at the political climate down there," Gillespie said in explaining the endorsement of Crowell.

Gillespie said the Missouri Chamber of Commerce planned to send Wicks a questionnaire. If Wicks wins the primary, the answers would be included in the chamber's general election voter guide, Gillespie said.

Wicks said that neither Purcell nor Neumeyer filled out the chamber questionnaire.

Wicks, Purcell and Neumeyer objected to Spradling's letter.

Neumeyer said the letter of endorsement addressed to chamber members violates the local chamber's rules about partisan politics.

Spradling pointed to the voters' guide in his letter. "Unfortunately, none of the other candidates bothered to even take the time to submit their positions on the critical issues that confront Missouri's small businesses."

Several businessmen called the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce out of concern that the letter suggested the local chamber had endorsed Crowell.

The local chamber's executive committee met by telephone Wednesday morning to discuss the issue.

Following the morning meeting, chamber President John Mehner said the chamber doesn't endorse political candidates.

Mehner said the chamber sells mailing labels with the addresses of chamber members to any Cape Girardeau chamber member and charges $100 for the mailing list.

"We realize that people want to buy labels to do mailings," Mehner said.

But he said the endorsement of Crowell wasn't done by the local chamber. Both Spradling and Crowell are chamber members and entitled to the mailing list, Mehner said.

Spradling, who has publicly endorsed Crowell, said the letter wasn't a chamber letter or a letter from the city. Spradling said he didn't use his "mayor" title in signing his name.

Spradling said the letter said "From the desk of A.M. Spradling III." The letter wasn't written on his law firm's stationary.