Race for the presiding commissioner: Financial adviser Hutson wants county run like business

EDITOR'S NOTE: For the first time since the mid-1990s when Gerald Jones took office, Cape Girardeau County will vote in a new presiding commissioner. On Aug. 3, a primary election will pit Republican and Democrat candidates against one another to replace Jones, who is retiring. Profiles of each of the candidates will appear in alphabetical order in weekday editions of the Southeast Missourian.

This story has been corrected to reflect the accurate name of the subdivision where the candidate lives.

Chris Hutson believes Cape Girardeau County should be run like a business and hopes to use his financial knowledge and experience to do that if elected presiding commissioner.

As one of six Republicans on the the Aug. 3 primary ballot, Hutson is a new face in county politics with a familiar name. His father, Charles Hutson, a Democrat, is retiring at the end of the year after nine terms as Cape Girardeau County circuit clerk.

"I've got a few longtime supporters of my dad upset at me," Hutson said of his decision to run as a Republican. "Nationally, the Democratic Party left me a long time ago. It's just not in line with my values. I'm conservative, Christian, pro-life and pro-Second Amendment."

Now a financial adviser with Edward Jones in Cape Girardeau, Hutson has spent 14 years in financial management and is finishing up his master's in business administration through William Woods University. A graduate of Jackson High School, he also holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Southeast Missouri State University.

Hutson said he's always had an interest in politics and the presiding commissioner role seemed like a perfect fit with his business background.

"The commission is like the board of directors for the county. It has to be run like a business," Hutson said. "The citizens of Cape Girardeau County are the customers, and that's who the commission is supposed to be taking care of."

In campaigning door to door, he said people's biggest concern is the "commotion, circus and embarrassment going on at the current commission meetings."

"I want to bring respect back to commission meetings," Hutson said. "Anybody that comes up with a concern should be treated professionally and respectfully. Part of the ruckus that's going on now is a lack of respect commissioners have for each other."

Securing jobs for the future and recruiting new industry will be priorities for Hutson if elected.

"We have to make sure this is a place people want to move to, not move from, to see opportunities," he said.

Hutson said he feels fortunate to have been able to stay and work in Cape Girardeau County after graduating from college.

"Opportunities were here for me, and I want to make sure there are opportunities for my children so they can stay here if they choose to," Hutson said. He and his wife, Lindsey, live in the Whispering Oaks subdivision north of Cape Girardeau with their two children, Jack, 5, and Kate, 3.

Growing up in Jackson, Hutson learned about county politics by watching his father's campaigns. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout with a project that gave him an inside look at Cape Girardeau County. He created in inventory system and tagged everything the county owned inside its administration building.

"It took a couple of hundred hours to do that back in 1991," Hutson said. "Some of those tags are still on things today."

More recently Hutson served on the Shawnee District of the Greater St Louis Area Boy Scout Council Eagle Scout review board and was in charge of approving proposed Eagle Scout projects.

Charlie Herbst, a former Cape Girardeau City Council member who served with Hutson on the review board, described him as a man of "impeccable integrity."

"He was always very fair, wanted to make sure what was expected of one Scout was the same as what was expected of other Scouts."

Herbst also described Hutson as a careful observer.

"He's not right in the middle of a conversation or in your face, he's really good at overseeing what's going on and is a great listener. He is able to take that information and offer a real good solution."

Hutson's been using his website and Facebook to help reach voters, as well as traditional door-to-door campaigning.

"He comes from a family involved in public service and understands what it takes to serve." said his campaign treasurer, Jason Bandermann.

Hutson worked with Bandermann's father Rick at Bank of America Investments, and they attend church together at Lynwood Baptist Church. "Chris is very decisive yet mild-mannered," Bandermann said. "He is a small-business owner and has worked hard to progress to where he is."

Hutson's family business, Hutson Angus Farms, is on land near Burfordville that's been in his family for more than a century. Hutson is a sixth-generation Cape Girardeau County resident. He said he's also learned about the issues facing small businesses from his father-in-law, Don Osborn of Osborn Office Equipment in Cape Girardeau.

mmiller@semissourian.com

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