This evening in Independence former state representative and House Minority Leader Paul LeVota (D) held a kickoff event for his 2012 11th Senate District campaign.
Former state representative and House Minority Leader Paul LeVota (D) speaking at his state senate campaign kickoff event in Independence.
The transcript of Paul LeVota's remarks:
Paul LeVota (D): [applause] ...Thank you for being here. I appreciate it. I do have some prepared speech because I really want to set out the question, what am I doing here? And tonight, um, I am officially launching my campaign for state senate to represent you, the people of Eastern Jackson County.[applause]
Since two thousand and three we have been honorably and effectively served by our State Senator Victor Callahan. And due to term limits he will be leaving this position at the end of two thousand and twelve. This is a loss for our community because now more then ever we need strong public officials.
But, the election for the next senator is almost a year a way. And now is the time to begin talking about who can best fill that position. And I am running for this office because we need a strong Democratic State Senator who will stand up for common sense accountability. I know I'm the right person at the right time for this job. My past experience as House Democratic Leader, my commitment to the people of this community, and my profound belief that public officials must be accountable to the people they serve is what lead me to seek this position.
I learned a great deal in Jefferson City. I've seen when the legislature has worked and when it didn't work. And I think it's clear that we need a better legislature. It is [voice: "Amen."] become, the state capitol, a profit center for special interest run by a super majority Republican Party who seem to have forgotten about the middle class. Now it can work again when we in state government deal with issues from a common sense approach. Issues are too compartmentalized in Jefferson City. We need leaders who know that issues are interrelated...
Former state representative and House Minority Leader Paul LeVota (D) will be running for the 11th Senate District seat in 2012. The seat is currently held by Victor Callahan who will vacate the seat due to term limits.
A video from Paul LeVota's campaign:
Hi, I'm Paul LeVota, candidate for Missouri state senate.
To kickoff this race we are launching paullevota dot com, the official website of this campaign.
I want to be your senator in order to stand up for common sense accountability in government. Over the past decade I have championed the cause of public education, introduced government accountability measures, and increased constituent outreach. Now, I want to serve you as your state senator.
I need you to be involved with this race. This website is only one way that I plan on keeping you informed and involved.
Running for state senate is a large undertaking. It will take a lot of time, energy and money to be successful. But I want you to know that I'm working very hard to win and I'm asking for your early support.
So, check out the website, sign up for a newsletter, and donate to our effort. But, most of all, I need your feedback. I want your participation in order to be successful.
Thank you again for checking out paullevota dot com. Check back often, we'll have a lot of updates. I appreciate your friendship and support. Stay in touch.
A state senate campaign is a tough and complicated enterprise. You can't decide to run on the last day of filing in 2012 and expect to be successful in a primary or the general election.
You've got to lay the groundwork well in advance. Paul LeVota appears to be doing just that.
In addition to the union members who attended yesterday's rally at the IBEW complex a number of area public office holders addressed the rally or were in attendance, including Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders (D), Jackson County Legislator Theresa Garza Ruiz (D), Missouri State Senator Victor Callahan (D), Cass County Prosecutor Teresa Hensley (D), among several others.
Toward the end of the rally we spoke with former Missouri State Representative and House Minority Leader Paul LeVota (D):
Show Me Progress: ...What's the importance of stopping, uh, the so called, uh, "right to work" Senate Bill 1 for workers in Missouri.
Former Missouri State Representative and House Minority Leader Paul LeVota (D): Well, it's important to create jobs in Missouri and this is gonna go the wrong way. It's gonna reduce wages, it's gonna reduce, uh, money for education and the teacher, it's gonna reduce, really, the middle class standard of living. And, and that's the point. It's why they want to try this legislation.
Show Me Progress: So, you know, in, in, in sort of the real world what's the, you know, you try to think what's the motivation for people to, to, to literally propose something that will do that in Missouri. What, what's their, their whole thought process?
Paul LeVota: This is so these big businesses can make more money. It's simply that. They don't have to pay workers as much for their skill set. Um, they reduce the number of, uh, skilled workers and then they don't have to pay 'em as much so they get to keep more money in their own pocket...
American Federation of Teachers: "This is what a Union Thug looks like."
House Minority Leader and Representative Paul LeVota (D) was the featured speaker at the Thursday night meeting of the Johnson County Democratic Club in Warrensburg.
Representative Paul Levota (D) speaking at the Johnson County Democratic Club meeting in Warrensburg on Thursday night.
House Minority Leader and Representative Paul LeVota (D): ....I'm here to give a little bit of background about what happened this, this session and the real need to, I'm going to try and tell you the facts that happened this session which will make you take that extra step for Courtney [Cole]...and for Zac [Maggi] and really try to win back some seats. Because what we saw this session in Jefferson City, we can do a heck of a lot better. And we're so close in getting these two people elected. So, I'm hoping to tell you a little bit about what happened and then maybe you'll be a little bit more motivated....
Last night House Minority Leader and Representative Paul LeVota (D-52) released a video on his assessment at the end of the legislative session:
...Representative Paul LeVota (D): Well, uh, we're calling this the non-binding legislative session. The Republican majority decided to spend most of the time on non-binding resolutions telling the federal government what to do, not really dealing with the issues that the state should be dealing with. The biggest issue that was not done this session was dealing with our ongoing budget. House Democrats have continually said that we need to have a balanced approach. Cuts are necessary, but we need to look at tax credit reform and also other ways to bring in revenue. And, that simply wasn't done, so next year we're gonna have an even tougher budget year and no forward thinking on behalf of the, um, House leadership, the majority party. That's a shame because all we did is kick down, kick down the road, uh, the issues that we have in our state.
Um, we're glad that there's an autism bill done. Hose Democrats worked very hard on that. Um, a, a little disappointed that ethics reform wasn't stronger, but we know without House Democrats that never would have happened in the first place. But the, maybe the, besides the budget, maybe the biggest disappointment is we didn't work enough on jobs for the people of Missouri. So, um, they're going to continue to have to struggle without any action from, uh, this General Assembly. And it is my hope that all these issues get out over the summer and in the fall, um, we elect a new legislature and next January, finally we have a little more focus, we deal with some of the issues that the people of Missouri, uh, need to deal with. I'm optimistic that will happen and, uh, I'll continue to believe in the people of Missouri.
I drove an hour and a half through steady rain and arrived at the Capitol a little after 9:15 a.m. I made my way to the House Communications Office and checked in with the director. Shortly before the start of the day's session he escorted me to one of the side galleries on the floor and later introduced me to one of the doorkeepers. I set up my camera on a tripod and then watched and photographed the proceedings.
Representative Luke Scavuzzo (D-124) (center, seated) in conversation on the House floor while other representatives (standing in the background) wait to be recognized by the Speaker.
Over the course of the day I was able to have a number of brief conversations with representatives and longer conversations with others. At this point in the session votes can come fast and furious. There is a constant hubbub of conversation and activity taking place barely below the debate and action on the floor.
Representative Mary Still (D-25) (center, standing at microphone) in debate on the "sexually oriented businesses" bill - HCS SS SCS SBs 586 & 617.
HCS SS SCS SBs 586 & 617 [pdf] on "sexually oriented businesses" was originally sponsored by Senator Matt Bartle (r). A earlier iteration of this bill in a previous session was killed in a House committee and those circumstances have been the subject of a federal investigation and grand jury.
The tally on one of several votes on the "sexually oriented businesses" bill - HCS SS SCS SBs 586 & 617.
Curiously, during today's proceedings (and reportedly during yesterday's, too), debate on the "sexually oriented businesses" bill was not subjected to a previous question vote (a parliamentary procedure designed to end debate and move to a vote) as quickly as other bills.
Speaker Ron Richard on the dais (center, right) and Minority Leader Paul LeVota (D-52) on the floor (right, standing). The press gallery is directly above the dais.
....So the bill foundered. Frustrated, Democrats went to their trick bag and pulled out a little-used maneuver to force the bill out of committee without a vote and directly onto the House calendar.
Republicans, who are in the majority, didn't like that. And that led to last week's sudden flurry of activity around the bill by Republicans who, some said, were eager to punish Democrats for playing tricks with the bill....
Well, okay, but you neglected to mention this from Speaker Ron Richard (r) on January 6, 2010:
....Question: Senator Shields has proposed a ban on contributions from lobbyists during the session. Is that something that you would support?
Speaker Richard: I will support whatever comes out of our bipartisan committee. Whatever comes out.
Question: What is the advantage [inaudible] the ethics proposals [inaudible]?
Speaker Richard: Uh, I want to make sure that both sides have the ability to, uh, have a dialog. And we go to the House, the floor, for [inaudible], you know as well as I do there'll be several hundred amendments from all different sizes and shapes. Um, but I think that dialog is necessary and we'll have an open dialog and, uh, we'll get something to the Senate, uh, in a prompt basis....
"...I will support whatever comes out of our bipartisan committee. Whatever comes out..."
Question: Why is it a problem for the republican majority and a sign of Democratic Party partisanship to old media if there's discharge petition on a bill from a "bipartisan" committee which Speaker Richard said he would support? Just asking.
"...I want to make sure that both sides have the ability to, uh, have a dialog. And we go to the House, the floor, for [inaudible], you know as well as I do there'll be several hundred amendments from all different sizes and shapes. Um, but I think that dialog is necessary and we'll have an open dialog and, uh, we'll get something to the Senate, uh, in a prompt basis..."Well, that didn't go very well.
...As too often is the case with what should be a straightforward piece of needed legislation, the shameful bill that came out of the House is a perversion of ethics twisted by partisan politics to the detriment of good government.
And how did Representative Denny Hoskins (r - noun, verb, CPA) - in the 121st Legislative District, representing Warrensburg - vote on this bill?:
...On motion of Representative Jones (89), HCS#2 SB 844 was adopted by the following vote:
AYES: 087
Hoskins 121
[emphasis added]
"...the shameful bill that came out of the House is a perversion of ethics twisted by partisan politics to the detriment of good government..."
House Minority Leader and Representative Paul LeVota released a video of a press conference this evening in the immediate aftermath of the republican majority's actions in gutting bipartisan ethics reform legislation:
Representative Paul LeVota (D): ...sham omnibus bill that had nothing, that the, uh, bipartisan committee on ethics reform included. They loaded it up at eight o'clock in the morning in one committee, at nine o'clock the next committee, in the Rules Committee. Then on the floor at one o'clock with the supplemental calendar, 'cause they know all the stuff in here is bad. The things in here, the provisions of, uh, requiring a voter ID, uh, disenfranchises people, allows, uh, intimidation of workers that want to organize, uh, all these provisions are just bad provisions. In the, additionally, the thing I'm most frustrated about, it has no campaign finance limits for the members who run for the General Assembly. It has a twenty thousand dollar limit for statewide officials and local officials but it doesn't deal with, um, the general Assembly. So, I think [crosstalk]...
Question: That was deliberate or [crosstalk]...
Representative LeVota: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely it's [inaudible]. The language is completely different from every other limit that we've seen, the old limit that was reversed, the bills that were, um, passed out of that committee. Very frustrating, it was deliberate.
Question: Was any Democrat allowed to actually get up and speak on this bill (inaudible)?
Representative LeVota: No, no Democrat was allowed to speak on heir own behalf or offer any of the amendments to make the bill better. I mean, it happens all the time. This is the process. The process is, if you don't like a bill then you have amendments in order to change it. We did that. We were ready to offer those amendments and make this a better bill, but instead of allowing us to do that, they wanted to cut our voice off.
Question: [inaudible] your time in the House when, when, when your party was blocked from speaking or offering amendments on a major issue?
Representative LeVota: Well, yeah, my, my first couple years here tort reform was one, um.
Question: Really.
Representative LeVota: Yeah.
Question: So it's not a [crosstalk][inaudible]
Representative LeVota: Yeah, yeah
Question: Oh surely you guys were allowed to speak.
Representative LeVota: We weren't allowed to speak on that one, but this is even, maybe even more, uh, heinous 'cause they choreographed and went after, uh, required random members of the caucus on their opinion, but didn't deal with the provisions that should be in there. They're trying to skirt the issue. That was the [inaudible] today. And I think the people of Missouri deserve more.
Question: You angry?
Representative LeVota: Um, yeah, I, I'm angry and I think the people of Missouri should be very frustrated at, um, they are demanding ethics reform and they are demanding accountability in their government and instead they got a show here and a sham.
Question: Do you feel gagged?
Representative LeVota: Um, you know, that, that's a good question. I guess I, I'm not so surprised because it was supposed to be the number one priority of the Speaker and here we are the, uh, last, second to last week and then we have a sham. So, if it was really a true priority we would have dealt with it in January and got it over to the Senate, but, uh, we knew, we knew when they didn't move on it it wasn't a priority for 'em.
Question: Throughout that whole debate you were standing, you were [inaudible], you were raising your hand to be recognized and speak. You were not recognized. Do you feel gagged?
Representative LeVota: Uh, I, I think that people in Missouri and their voice were gagged out, 'cause, uh, they didn't allow members to have a free and open debate. Um, as far as me, they don't want me to add the accountability things that I sat to them, so they've done it to me before, so...
After the opening of the legislative session on Wednesday the House Democratic caucus held a press conference in the House Lounge in the capitol following the earlier republican press conference.
The House Democratic Minority Floor Leader, Representative Paul LeVota, at the podium in the House Lounge.
Representative Paul LeVota: Thank you very much for, uh, the time today with you guys as the House Democrat [inaudible] prepare for this next session. Um, I'll be very brief and I'd be interested in your questions and, uh, what we think is the priorities for this session. Um, as I stated on the floor I do agree with the Speaker about some of the priorities that he outlined. And I'm proud to say the House Democrats have been championing these things for many years. First, when it comes to creating jobs, we need to get our economy going again, we need to do those tangible things that make sense for small businesses and the growth and expansion of, of new businesses, uh, in the State of Missouri. We should be focused on that, what we can, to create jobs. That's challenging. And a separate point that we're gonna focus on is the budget. As revenue is, has been a downturn we're gonna have a very challenging session. We look forward to working very closely with the majority and with the administration to really identify what are the top priorities in this budget cycle. We've always, we've always done that. Uh, third, ethics reform. House Democrats, for seven years, have introduced ethics reform measures and those ethics reform measures now have the attention of the majority. The things that we'll be pushing for are, are things that've been outlined. But number one on that list is the reinstating of campaign finance limits. We believe that comprehensive ethics reform has to include the reinstation of campaign finance limits. You look about what the people of Missouri wanted, in nineties they voted, about seventy-five percent, that they wanted the limits. Now in the State of Missouri it's perfectly okay to give a candidate for state representative a hundred thousand dollar donation where you can't give a candidate for President of the United States. That has [inaudible] limits. We think the money that comes through needs to be stopped, it needs to go back to what the people of Missouri think, and that has to be included in anything that was gonna be called comprehensive ethics reform. And finally, we're gonna be very well aware of this, the Federal government and Congress is working on a health care reform bill. We have been the champions of increasing access to health care for years. We will be waiting for Congress with that bill and we will be prepared to do what we need to do to implement it in Missouri. My fear is that we're gonna have a idea that the federal government's gonna do something [inaudible] pass a bill and all the work is done. We know to really make sure that we're helping people in the area of health care, helping small businesses reduce their, um, costs on that, that we need to make sure that we're doing, um, our part to implement the Federal program. I don't know what the Federal program will be, but I'm pretty confident that there will be something. So, with that, I agree with the Speaker, I'm glad that he's picked up on some of the priorities that we've been pushing for years. It's gratifying when years ago we've been pushing some of these things and, with no response, but, uh, persistence, persistence, persistence. So with that I'll, um, be glad to answer your questions, or any of my members of my caucus....
Yesterday afternoon, during a recess after the capitol power outage, I had the opportunity to talk with Representative Paul LeVota (D-52) in his office. Representative LeVota is the House Minority Leader. We spoke about the legislative session to date:
Representative Paul LeVota (D-52), House Minority Leader, in his office in the capitol building.
Show Me Progress:...This has been a remarkable session in many ways. How do feel about how it's been going so far?
Representative Paul LeVota: Well, there's been a lot of promise at the beginning of the session, to get some things done with the new governor and added numbers in the House. To me the Republicans haven't been focusing on the issues that we need to get done. They haven't passed the economic development bill. They thwarted efforts to have a restoration of some of the health care cuts. And in this last week we'll, we'll be talking about a big education bill, big health care bill, but really, none of the things that really the people in Missouri wants to do...
The top Democrat in the Missouri House has made a bold prediction: Democrats will take back the majority in the House this year.
Rep. Paul LeVota (D-Independence) foresees a great election year for Democrats and says he has the numbers to back him up. LeVota believes Democrats can pick up 13 seats, which would give them the majority in the 163-seat chamber. He says the numbers favor Democrats. Only seven incumbent Democrats have Republican opponents so far; only one in what Democrats consider a vulnerable seat. In contrast, Democrats have fielded opponents against 34 Republican incumbents.
....................
There are currently 91 Republicans and 70 Democrats in the House with two vacancies. Republicans took control of the House for the first time in 48 years in 2002, picking up 15 seats, turning an 88-to-75 Democratic majority into a 90-to-73 Republican majority. Democrats made their first gains since then the last election cycle. In 2002 (sic: should read 2006), Democrats picked up five seats in the House.
In fact, those five seats we picked up in 2006? Those represented the first time since 1976 that Democrats had posted a net gain in House seats. But this year may make that important five seat gain look like small potatoes, with LeVota predicting a gain of 13 seats. Hey, I'd settle for a mere 11: that's the minimum number for retaking the House.
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