Morse selected as Republican candidate for state rep

Thursday, August 24, 2017

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Republican 151st Legislative District Committee met Monday and chose Herman Morse of Dexter as the Republican candidate for state representative in District 151 (all of Stoddard County and a small portion of Scott County) in the Nov. 7 special election. Four potential candidates spoke to those present and answered questions before the committee went into executive session to cast their ballots.

The four potential candidates were Morse, Alan Mc- Queen of Bloomfield, Torrey Patterson of Dexter and Brent Stidham of Dexter.

The seat is vacant after former Rep. Tila Hubrecht (R), of Dexter, resigned on June 2, 2017. Hubrecht cited "personal reasons" for her decision to resign. Committee Chairman

Wayne Jean welcomed the 35 people who attended the meeting. He noted that the decision for a candidate was just for the remainder of the unexpired term, and a regular election would be held in 2018.

"If you do not receive the nomination, you can run in the regular election," said Jean. He added that there would be some county positions on the 2018 ballot as well the state representative position for those who wanted to serve.

Jean told the four potential candidates they would be provided an opportunity to speak and answer questions.

The names of those interested in filling the position were put into a container and drawn randomly as to the order they would address the crowd.

Morse was the third person to speak.

Morse told the committee he is a life-long resident of Stoddard County and has been a member of the Dexter School Board for five terms. He is an Air Force veteran. His background is in education, having served as a teacher, counselor, assistant principal and principal.

Morse said for 20 years he managed the school credit union. He is also pastor of the Church of Christ in Essex.

"I have been elected to the school board in Dexter five times," said Morse. "I have been treasurer for every organization I've been in."

Morse said he likes to read and his interests are religion, politics and baseball.

He said he has the ability to "identify with all kinds of people."

When asked why he wanted to be a legislator, Morse responded, "I was intrigued with the opportunity."

Jean reminded Morse he was also treasurer of the Dexter Tree Board, and remarked,

"We still have trees and money." Morse was asked his stance on Common Core.

Morse said there were some good and bad things about the federal program overseeing public education. He said it was important for students who move from one district to another to have continuity in their education.

He said the downside was that Common Core was an "overreach of the federal government." He said "education is a function of state government."

Morse, responding to a question about school vouchers, voiced concerns about vouchers as well a charter schools. He said public schools have become the "great equalizer and socializer" which has had an impact on the quality of education.

"If you could cut public education a little slack (in terms of regulations), we could do better, too," said Morse.

Jean asked Morse, "Are you in for the long haul?" Morse said he did not want to become a career politician, but would hope to serve as long as the people elected him.

Alan McQueen

McQueen told those present he was "a Christian conservative." He said he has lived in the Bloomfield area for many years, and is the teacher of the green diesel program at Three Rivers College Dexter Center.

He owns and operates his own welding shop. He is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He has four children and five grandchildren.

"I want to be your representative," said McQueen.

McQueen pointed to the difficulty of veterans' obtaining government contracts, and expressed his desire to work with the Missouri Veterans Commission to change regulations.

Asked about right-to-work legislation, McQueen responded, "I think it is a good thing."

McQueen said education is the key to a better life. He explained that he would like to see high schools return to offering more vocational education, like they did when he was in school. He said schools no longer offer welding, but he learned the skill in high school.

"I want us to develop our education," stated Mc- Queen.

Jean stated, "We need some continuity in this spot." He asked McQueen if he would commit to the position.

"I want to be representative as long as I can," stated McQueen.

Torrey Peterson

Peterson said he has been a resident of Stoddard County for five years, but felt conservative Christian values were needed in politics across the country. Peterson is Director of Media at the First Baptist Church in Dexter.

He received his bachelor's degree in Tennessee before coming to Dexter. He and his wife have two young children with another one on the way. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. Peterson said he became interested in politics when he saw his hometown "decimated by progressive liberalism."

"I am super conservative," said Peterson.

Peterson commented that Missouri leaders have done a better job than some states, but a cultural war is underway and conservatives need to do better "to keep the country free." He said he was pro gun rights.

Jean asked again about stability in the position and whether he had considered the time he would be away from his wife and young family if he were elected as legislator.

Peterson said his wife and he had discussed it and it would work out. He said he wanted only to serve a prescribed period of time, and then return to his career.

He said the government was designed to be run by working people who did their service and then returned to their career.

Brent Stidham

Stidham said he was a native of Dexter and graduated from Dexter High School. He graduated from the Law Enforcement Training Academy at Southeast Missouri State University.

He worked as a full-time deputy before taking the position of Economic Development Director with the Bootheel Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission. He still works part-time as a deputy in the county.

Stidham became interested in politics at an early age when he went door-todoor working in his father's (Mark Stidham) campaign for alderman in 1997. He became more involved when he worked in the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney in 2012. He said he was disappointed with the outcome of the election, but he learned it was important to "stay informed."

He outlined three qualities he believes are essential for public service: 1) energy and a passion to work hard, 2) being available all the time to the people they serve, and 3) commitment, which means serving until the term is completed.

Jean asked him about is feelings of tax credits, which he said "drains a lot of money."

Stidham said tax credits can be an important tool for farmers and small business owners, but it should be considered on a case by case basis. He said each tax credit should be evaluated on its own merit.

Stidham was asked about Common Core.

"While government provides the primary funding for education, decisions should be left to local personnel," said Stidham. "It should be by local control only."

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: