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"I am a common sense conservative who believes in the core values of Southwest St. Louis County."
-Brad Christ
BRAD'S BACKGROUND
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Married to Erin for 11 years
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St. Catherine Laboure Lector
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Mission St. Louis Volunteer
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Father of Vivian, Hazel, Olive, and George
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Graduate of Affton Public Schools, SLUH, and DePaul University
I have enjoyed an amazing life in St. Louis County and look forward to maintaining this quality of life for future generations. I grew up in Shrewsbury as the youngest of four children. I attended Affton Public Schools, Cure of Ars Catholic Parish, and St. Michael's for CYC sports. I then attended SLUH for high school and DePaul University in Chicago where I graduated with a degree in Finance. I married my beautiful wife, Erin, in 2010 and we have four incredible children Vivian, Hazel, Olive, and George. We currently live in and love our community of Sappington. We spend a lot of our free time carting kids around to various activities, at family events, or swimming. In between work and our busy schedule I volunteer at our parish, St. Catherine Laboure, with our men's club and as a lector for mass. I have also volunteered with Mission St. Louis whose vision is to empower individuals for social and economic growth through relationships and opportunity to break the cycle of poverty in our communities. As mentioned, I have four small children and my income-earning years ahead of me. I have a lot of skin in the game and have not been happy lately with the direction of politics and society. I am running for this seat to make a positive change for our families and community.
BRAD'S EXPERIENCE
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Marsh, VP, Business Insurance and Health/Benefits
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Ambassador for Association for Corporate Growth
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Capital Innovators Mentor
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Greater St. Louis, Inc. Chamber Investor
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HOA Subdivision President
Having the benefit of a robust professional life places me in an advantageous position as a future legislator. Coupled with my volunteer work, I have gained the skills necessary to serve others, while keeping colleagues motivated to achieve shared goals. While I'm not a seasoned legislator, I view this as a positive. Past legislative experience doesn’t necessarily translate into effectiveness in serving constituents. We've seen many examples of politicians with years of service, who, despite their practical experience, strive to be little more than a rubber stamp once in office. They nod along to get along and have poor voting records. Your support for my campaign obliges me to produce results, and I will use the passion I bring to my professional and volunteer endeavors to my service as your representative.
In my professional career, I helped launch a St. Louis branch for an advertising firm recognized by Inc. 1000 as one of the fastest growing advertising firms in the country, followed by managing revenue and operations for a $5M technology business in Maryland Heights. Currently, I manage risk and benefits for Fortune 500 companies, middle market companies, and small businesses. Throughout my career, I have created opportunities for clients and executives alike by listening intently to their needs and facing challenges head-on, all with the goal of producing effective solutions to those challenges. The professional references on my resume are a testament to the skills I have acquired in developing relationships with a broad spectrum of people. Appreciating the need to serve my community, I volunteer as an Ambassador for the Association of Corporate Growth, a Mentor for Capital Innovators, and am an Investor for Greater St. Louis, Inc.
Effective leaders share the same skills as effective legislators. Both depend on the ability to communicate an objective to people who don't always share the same viewpoint, and both know how to inspire and bring the best out of those whose support they need to achieve those objectives.
BRAD'S COMMITMENTS
Support law enforcement,
first responders, and
civility
When we act with civility towards each other, we help create an atmosphere where people feel welcome to express their views, even when those views differ. This is how a peaceful society is sustained, but as we have witnessed over the past few years, views can become hardened, especially when expressed in a social media environment that rewards and affirms extremes. When we fail to uphold the values of a peaceful society, we can be thankful that our law enforcement officers willingly place themselves in harm's way to protect and serve their communities. I am grateful for the endorsement of the St. Louis County Police Association and the Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters, and I will treat our first responders with the respect that their sacrifices demand.
Keep taxes low with
fiscal responsibility
The ability to distinguish needs from wants is at the heart of sound financial legislating, and I will commit to reducing government waste that leads to inflated budgets. Government has a never-ending appetite for our tax dollars – the more we feed it, the more it wants. Whether it's income tax, real estate tax, personal property tax, sales tax, or social security tax, the average citizen is receiving less and paying more. As a Republican majority we should be lowering or eliminating taxes where possible while also keeping a balanced budget. The road to a strong economy starts with low taxes and a sincere respect for your hard-earned tax dollars.
Accelerate economic
growth in Missouri
One of the biggest challenges facing our state is stagnation in population and business growth. If Missouri is to thrive and prosper like Republican-led states such as Texas and Florida, we need to capitalize on our strengths, including our low cost of living, quality of life, and, thanks to our top-notch conservation department, access to natural resources. Building on these assets, I will support legislation to create a business-friendly environment for forward-thinking industries, and collaborate with state universities to keep home-grown talent in Missouri.
Stop government
overreach in our lives
As the past two years have shown, the draconian measures adopted through public health policies had a drastic, cumulative effect on education, the economy, and mental health. Henry David Thoreau wisely observed “that government is best which governs least.” Perhaps his wisdom could be modified for current conditions to say “that government is best which intrudes the least.” We should always remember that the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are incompatible with authoritarian measures, no matter how well-intentioned. We should be free to take responsibility for our own health choices, and we should also be free to express our opinions without fear of censorship. We saw this freedom increasingly threatened as the government gave tacit approval to the suppression of free speech, and in some cases, supported those who wished to silence the voices of their fellow Americans. A healthy constitutional republic depends on freedom of thought, and a free press that serves as a check on government power. There has been an erosion in respect for freedom of thought, and for our right to exercise the pursuit of happiness without fear of reprisal. I am committed to reversing this trend.
Uphold core family
values in society
I cannot separate my worldview from moral and family values. What is at the heart of our republic? The values that inform our founding documents all have their roots in some type of moral/ethical system or religious belief, and as we have seen how well these documents have served U.S citizens throughout our short history, we should be proud of this heritage. Caring for one's neighbor, treating each other with respect, appreciating the uniqueness of each individual, these are all moral teachings that have been interwoven in our national fabric. I will proudly lead in the legislature from my core beliefs, which are a product of my upbringing. My personal worldview will be tempered by my colleagues in the legislature, all of whom bring with them their own core belief systems.
Establish quality education
for all students
Our country's founders understood that providing top quality public education for all underpins a healthy and vibrant civic life, and enables the continued viability of social and economic structures. To sustain these structures, we need to ensure that our public education system delivers education that is focused more on fundamental academics, and less on trendy ideologies that concentrate on student formation and social learning. Our state's teachers will play a pivotal role in ensuring that students of all abilities achieve an educational foundation upon which to build productive lives as adults. Making these investments now will yield prosperity and growth for our state in the future.
