Statute needs revision; candidates need support

By Ellen Dillon

There has been much said to me, about me (not always complimentary) and for me in the past week, and I hope Southeast Missourian readers will take a moment to consider my perspective on my aborted run for the District 27 seat in the Missouri Senate.

On the first of this month, I was informed by a Southeast Missouri State University administrator that it was university policy that, upon filing to run for a partisan, full-time position in government, a university employee is required to request and begin an unpaid leave of absence. In this case a candidate must file by March 26. I later learned this policy had been passed by the board of regents in December 2007, a full month and a half after my formal declaration of intent to run. This policy is poorly written, poorly considered and, at least, questionable in its timing. But that's not the worst of it.

A good friend of mine did some searching and found a little known and, perhaps, often ignored Missouri statute (Section 36.155). This statute, passed into law in 1998, states that no employee of the state of Missouri can "run for the nomination, or as a candidate for election, to a partisan political office." Although I understand this statute may have been pertaining to employees who would face a conflict of interest, as it is written it seems to apply even to those who wouldn't. I strongly urge our senators and representatives to revisit and revise this statute. It does not benefit the citizens of our state to discourage those with an already clear concern for and commitment to Missouri citizens from taking an active role in the government.

Finally, the good citizens in our country, state and local communities who step up and take the risk of running for office need your support. It's not the intent or the experience or the desire to make a difference in the lives of our citizens that the candidate has to focus on, but the money they can raise in order to seek election. No wonder so many have become dependent on money from special-interest groups. It is our responsibility as citizens to listen to and demand to hear what the candidates say about the issues that affect us in our day-to-day lives and what that candidate intends to do about those issues. A good candidate wants to do that.

It is also our responsibility to know what special interest money a candidate has received because, like it or not, it will influence how he or she performs in a particular elected office. It is our right to vote for our elected officials, but it is our responsibility to be well-educated voters. If we take our responsibilities seriously, we can all be part of the solutions for the multiple and complex issues that are facing us as citizens of such a remarkable country.

Ellen Dillon is a Cape Girardeau resident and a Southeast Missouri State University faculty member.