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Published July 26, 2008 07:32 pm - MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Don Ruzicka and Mark Peters, the candidates who want to be the Republican nominee for Missouri House District 132, have been hearing a lot of talk on the campaign trail of late in advance of the Aug. 5 primary. First-term state lawmaker facing challenge for GOP nod By Wally Kennedy
wkennedy@joplinglobe.com MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Don Ruzicka and Mark Peters, the candidates who want to be the Republican nominee for Missouri House District 132, have been hearing a lot of talk on the campaign trail of late in advance of the Aug. 5 primary. Both candidates say the voters are concerned about high gasoline prices, high food prices and the status of health care in Missouri. Ruzicka, 51, of Mount Vernon, is seeking re-election to a second term. Peters, 51, of Pierce City, is the challenger. The winner of the primary will face conservative Democrat Charles Dake, 69, of Miller, who held the seat for one year after winning a special election in February of 2006. He pulled off an upset over Republican Eric Seifried, an insurance agent from Aurora, to complete the term of Rep. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, who was elected to the state Senate in a special election in November 2005. Dake, a veterinarian and resident of Miller since 1969, was only the second Democrat in 70 years to win the seat. Ruzicka said, “We’ve accomplished a lot in the last two years, but we must strive to do better. Transportation will have to be addressed in the Legislature this year due to federal funds being cut off. Our roads are so vitally important to everybody.’’ Ruzicka, whose wife is a teacher, said he was disappointed the teachers’ pay-raise bill did not pass in the last days of the legislative session. He said he wants to visit that issue again if re-elected. Ruzicka said Missouri’s budget had grown over the past two years without new taxes. He said he would cautiously watch the new budget to make sure the state’s resources meet all obligations. He said he favors renewable energy beyond corn ethanol to include cellulose. “We need to promote investment and growth in those areas,” he said. “Energy is on everyone’s minds. It is really the most-asked-about thing right now, but we are limited about what we can do in Missouri. This is something Congress should handle and stop the manipulation of prices so we don’t have to dance to somebody else’s tune.’’ Peters said the people he has spoken to in the 132nd District are being pressured by the increasing costs of gasoline and food. Another key concern, he said, is health care and “how the lack of universal health care has deformed so many lives. Many people live in a wasteland because they can’t go to work because of pre-existing conditions.” “When it comes to health care,” he said, “we need to be straightforward in addressing that at the state level and how we handle the federal money that is coming our way for those programs. It is a very important issue.’’ 
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