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November 23, 2009

Joplin lawyer announces plans to seek House post

By Susan Redden

sredden@joplinglobe.com

A third candidate has announced plans to seek the Missouri House of Representatives post from the 129th District in 2010.

William “Bill” White met Monday with a large group of backers for a campaign kickoff event at Columbia Traders in downtown Joplin.

Earlier, Shelly Dryer and Adolfo Castillo, both of Joplin, said they also would seek the Republican nomination for the House seat now held by Rep. Ron Richard, of Joplin. Richard, who also is speaker of the House, is serving his final term in the House because of term limits. The 129th District takes in parts of Jasper and Newton counties.

White, 56, is an attorney in private practice in Joplin.

White said he views the legislative post as “an opportunity for service, not personal advancement.”

He said he is anti-abortion, supports the right to bear arms, and favors education that would allow “teaching our values” and focus on school curriculum rather than state or national testing.

White is a former volunteer instructor at McAuley Catholic High School in Joplin. He said he would work to ensure that public schools are adequately funded, and would support the rights of parents who wish to home-school their children or enroll them in private or parochial schools. He said he would not support higher taxes, and would favor measures that make the state an environment for new and expanding businesses that create good jobs and benefits for workers.

White, whose wife, M. Ellen Nichols, is a Joplin neurosurgeon, said he would support measures that maintain current high quality health care that is not rationed or nationalized. He said he also would work to provide expanded access to health care and benefits.

White and his family have lived in Joplin for 14 years. He has worked as a guardian in the juvenile court system and served as counsel for the Jasper County juvenile office from 1996 to 1999. Before receiving his law degree, he worked as a computer analyst from 1981 to 1990 for Commonwealth Edison in Chicago.

White received his law degree in 1993 from Washburn University in Topeka, Kan.; a master’s degree from the University of Chicago; and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas. He is a veteran of the Marine Corps.

He is a member of the Joplin Park Board and president of the Tri-State Swim Conference. He has volunteered with groups including the Ozark Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the Southwest Missouri Arthritis Association.

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