I have enjoyed an amazing life in St. Louis County and look forward to safeguarding this quality of life for future generations. I grew up in Shrewsbury as the youngest of four children and attended Affton Public Schools, Cure of Ars Catholic Parish, and St. Michael’s for CYC sports. After graduating from St. Louis University High School, I went on to earn a degree in Finance from DePaul University in Chicago. 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. Much of our free time is dedicated to our kids, driving them to various activities and family events and enjoying the opportunity to watch them grow and flourish. In between work and our busy schedule, I volunteer as a Mass lector and a member of the men’s club at our parish, St. Catherine Laboure. I have also volunteered with Mission St. Louis, whose vision is to empower individuals for social and economic growth through relationships, and to foster opportunities to break the cycle of poverty in our communities. Supporting a young family requires that I make the most of my income-earning years. Like many individuals in my position, I have a lot of skin in the game but have been concerned about some of the current social and political trends. I am running to maintain this seat so that I can draft and support legislation that creates positive changes for our families and community.
In my four years as a representative, leveraging common ground with others who express differing views has been essential to my success as a legislator. Principles and ideals shape candidates who run for elective office, but once in office, a necessary component of drafting legislation is compromise. Missouri residents should expect the best effort from their legislators – standing on principle means you’re not moving forward. My approach to legislating is practical. I can only accomplish the best for you, my constituents, when I bridge the political divide.
Having the benefit of a robust professional life places me in an advantageous position as a legislator. Coupled with my volunteer work, I have gained the skills necessary to serve others, while keeping colleagues motivated to achieve shared goals. 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
Our country’s founding documents are rooted in moral values, and have served U.S. citizens well throughout the nation’s short history. Caring for our neighbors, treating ourselves and each other with respect, and appreciating the worth of each individual are necessary for a healthy society. While my core values guide the decisions and objectives I pursue in the legislature, it also allows me to communicate respectfully with fellow legislators who don’t always share my viewpoints or beliefs. In my experience as a legislator, I’ve learned that fostering conversation and cooperation with colleagues on both sides of the aisle allows for more productive discussions around challenging issues. With this approach, respect and purpose unify our efforts to deliver the best legislative solutions for you – the people we serve.
As legislators, it’s our duty to ensure the social fabric holding our communities together can withstand the forces that threaten it. When we treat each other with respect, we help create a community where people feel welcome to express their views, even when those views differ. Despite our efforts, opposing views can become hardened, and social divisions can deepen. When we fail to uphold the values of a civil society, we can be thankful that our law enforcement officers willingly place themselves in harm’s way to protect and serve our communities. I am grateful for the endorsement of the St. Louis County Police Association and the Missouri State Council of Firefighters, and I will treat our first responders with the respect that their sacrifices demand.
One of the biggest challenges facing our state is stagnation in population and business growth. If Missouri is to compete successfully and thrive financially, 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.
Our economy thrives when you keep as much of your hard-earned income as possible, freely choosing where you believe that income is best spent, saved, or invested. When governments reach into your pockets to fund an ever-expanding appetite for revenues, the free-market system is disrupted, and the first casualty is affordability. Since government spending fuels inflation, the most effective remedy is to cut government red tape and reduce taxes. Affordability matters, and I will continue to pursue opportunities to reduce government spending so that you can enjoy your income as you see fit.
The ability to distinguish needs from wants is at the heart of sound financial legislating, and I am committed to finding government waste and eliminating it. Governments have a never-ending appetite for our tax dollars – the more we feed them, the more they want. Whether it’s real estate tax, personal property tax, income tax, sales tax, or social security tax, the average citizen is receiving less and paying more. The road to a strong economy starts with balanced budgets, low taxes, and sincere respect for your hard-earned tax dollars.
Every Missouri student should have access to a quality education – one that will enable him or her to have the opportunity to succeed. Parents and guardians should have the freedom to choose the best school for their child, whether public or private. I will take every legislative measure to ensure that students and families are not deprived of educational opportunities due to lack of choice. Strong public schools can coexist with strong private schools. Our state’s teachers will play a pivotal role in ensuring that students of all abilities receive 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.
