Voss, Davis and Tlapek vie for voters' trust in Dictrict 147 state representative race

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Cape Girardeau voters will head to the polls to make their voices heard on several ballot initiatives and political races, including who will represent their district in Jefferson City.

Missouri House of Representatives District 147 Republican incumbent John Voss seeks a second term in office and faces two challengers, Democrat Michael Davis and Libertarian Greg Tlapek.

Voss

Voss said his campaign has been “going great”, and that his constituents are focused on “kitchen table issues” such as housing, health care, transportation and affordable groceries. Additionally, Voss said voters shared their desire for the country to go in a “new direction.”

“I'm encouraged by the conversations that I have with the great people of Cape Girardeau,” Voss said. “I’m grateful for their support and their encouragement and I'm feeling very optimistic about my race here at the general election.”

If elected, Voss said he will “continue to be a strong voice” for Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri as a whole, and hopes to continue to serve on the state’s Budget Committee to “provide oversight for how our tax dollars are spent.”

“This enables me to identify ways that we can reduce spending and ultimately reduce our taxes,” Voss said.

Additionally, Voss said he’s hearing from constituents that “we need to keep Missouri as a business-friendly state.” Other issues Voss expressed a desire to address include getting more people into the workforce, investing in transportation infrastructure, assisting the City of Cape Girardeau from the state level on upgrading its water system, finding ways to reduce crime, advocating for an additional judge in the 32nd Circuit Court and working to increase the qualifications required for coroners.

“I think I've done a good job these past two years in the state legislature,” Voss said. I have a proven record of serving this community as an elected official for eight years on the city council and as importantly, as a volunteer with many local organizations. I believe I have the skills to not only adequately represent the City of Cape Girardeau but to actually lead parts of our state for the benefit of the entire state.”

Voss is confident in his campaign and feels good about his chances of winning re-election on Nov. 5.

“I'm optimistic about the outcome of this race,” Voss said. “I'm focusing my energy on both winning this election and continuing to serve the people of Cape Girardeau.”

Davis

Davis has been going door-to-door discussing the issues with the area’s voters. Davis said he believes the people in District 147 are ready for a change in leadership.

“I think a vote for my opponent is a vote for the status quo,” Davis said. “I'm not saying he's a bad guy or anything, I just think that what we're seeing out of Jefferson City is a status quo thing. They're voting the party line, which does not address the problems that need to be addressed.”

In addition to door-knocking, Davis has received enough money from donations to run advertising campaigns through several platforms.

Throughout his campaign so far, Davis said voters have shown major concerns with regard to education. Davis, who holds two master’s degrees, said studies show Missouri is falling behind other states in education, and is ranked last in teacher pay.

“Obviously, I have some value in education, and it has helped me get the jobs that I've had in the past,” Davis said. “What I want to do is to make sure that our kids are not short-changed. I understand the value of education, and I believe in fully funding our public school education. I believe it's going to create lifelong learners who are prepared for the 21st century, and that will do nothing but help Missouri and help our district.”

Additionally, Davis’ policy positions focus heavily on reducing the crime rate by working to provide well-paying jobs, as well as affordable, accessible healthcare.

“People are talking to me about their safety,” Davis said. “We've had shootings here in the community, and people are reading that crime is going up and so forth in the state of Missouri, I support policies that will protect our families, and I know that in doing so, it will foster safer communities.”

Davis also said he supports an economy that works for everyone and supports local businesses.

“I'm a local business person myself, and I'd like to strengthen our region through our economy, to keep our community strong,” he said.

Tlapek

While the other two candidates have been focusing on running an active campaign, Tlapek hasn’t felt the need to do so. The Libertarian candidate said he believes voters in the region have been discouraged from participating in elections to the point of them no longer paying attention.

“It’s a foregone conclusion as to who’s going to win the state House of Representatives race in Cape Girardeau, and it’s all across the state,” Tlapek said. “Basically, people do not feel like their vote counts. They don't think that thinking about it and participating in it is going to make any difference, so they don't. People do learn that if what you do makes no difference, there are other things that people can do besides pay attention to a system that doesn't pay attention to them.”

Tlapek said he believes one of the ways to combat public dissociation is by changing the voting system itself, and urges people to vote against Amendment 7, which would ban ranked-choice voting.

“I think we should be doing like other states around the nation are doing and trying to improve our election systems, and ranked-choice voting is one improvement,” Tlapek said. “As far as the state House of Representatives, I think we should elect that body as a whole so that everyone's vote will count. No matter where you live, no matter how lopsided your district is, your vote is going to count if we change how we elect that body.”

In addition to election reform, Tlapek has strong opinions on education reform and healthcare deregulation. Tlapek said parents should become invested in their children’s education, and proposes charging tuition in public schools that’s scaled to parents’ pay. He has also called for the state legislature to “doggedly pursue health care deregulation until virtually every barrier to entry into the medical industry has been eliminated.”