Governor hopeful Parson finds support in Cape

State senator and Republican governor hopeful Mike Parson received a warm welcome when he made a stop Wednesday in Cape Girardeau.

Parson, a Republican from Bolivar, Missouri spoke briefly about traveling the state and sharing his plans for Missouri in the upcoming weeks.

He stood on the steps of the Common Pleas Courthouse, surrounded by supporters, including state Sens. Wayne Wallingford, Doug Libla and Gary Romine, as well as Councilmen Victor Gunn and Joe Uzoaru.

Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, said he was proud to endorse Parson, whom he said stands for the same conservative moral values as the people of Southeast Missouri.

Parson said more details on his plan for the future of the state and legislative processes will be coming soon. He also took a moment to emphasize his promise not to run negative ads against other candidates in the governor's race. He's been outspoken against negative campaigning since Missouri Auditor and Republican governor candidate Tom Schweich fatally shot himself Feb. 26. Schweich had expressed concern about negative ads run against him, among other things, in the days leading up to his death.

Parson was a Schweich supporter.

"I'm going to run a campaign on who we are, and my best foot's going to go forward, and I'm going to talk about the positive things in my life," Parson said. "I am not going to try to destroy the candidates that run against me. I have not one negative thing to say about them, nor will I."

This break away from a habit that has become commonplace in politics is not the only area where Parson hopes to separate himself from other candidates. In his time in Jefferson City, Parson said he's noticed the answer to why the Legislature follows certain procedures is too often "We've always done it that way." That's not the way businesses work, and it's not a winning strategy for the state, either, he said.

"Take the budget process. We don't look past a year. We just do it a year at a time," Parson said. "That's because we've always done it that way. I think you need to do things like that where you actually take government in a new direction. I truly believe Missouri can be the starting point for a lot of other states on how we do business in this state."

Addressing the budget process is a top priority Parson said he would like to tackle, if elected governor. The state operates on a $26 billion budget, and Parson said to take meaningful steps toward greater efficiency requires analysis from a "professional point of view and not just the bureaucrat side of it."

Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, and Romine, R-Farmington, said Parson's willingness to put partisanship aside make him a prime candidate to lead the state and make progress on larger issues, including the budget. Romine said working with state leadership can be difficult because of unwillingness to cross party lines, but he's confident that wouldn't be an issue with Parson.

"One of the most important values he has, as far as I'm concerned, is he really knows how to work with all people involved in the legislative process -- team-building, dealing with issues based on the merits of the issues and not the politics of the issues," Romine said.

Libla also pointed to Parson's work as chairman of the Small Business, Insurance and Industry Committee. He said he's worked with Parson on efforts to encourage high-school graduates, after completing some form of continued education or entering the work force, to return to their hometowns to work and raise their families. That's a key goal for all of the senators present Wednesday, Libla said, and one that requires more work on economic development and business regulations.

"I feel like he's got a good handle on that," he said of Parson.

Parson was the third Republican candidate to join the race for governor when he announced his campaign in late April.

His background includes six years in the U.S. Army, former Polk County sheriff and a former member of the Missouri House of Representatives, to which he was elected in 2004. He was elected to the Missouri Senate in 2010.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

44 N. Lorimier St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.