JOPLIN, Mo. —
Those in the area who know state Sen. Ron Richard, R-Joplin, won’t be surprised at how the former Joplin mayor was described in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article about his selection as the new Senate majority floor leader.
A column by Virginia Young, Jefferson City bureau chief for the Post-Dispatch, noted that Richard “is known for being accessible and unpretentious.”
She quoted state Sen. John Lamping, R-Ladue, who said members of the Senate Republican caucus “just felt that people have tremendous confidence in Ron.”
“They don’t think he can be influenced, he’s open to everybody’s ideas and they trust him, inherently,” Lamping said. “And he’s for the team, and the team has to do better.”
Gary Burton, a longtime local legislator who now is a lobbyist, noted that Richard was asked by the Republican caucus leadership to run for the job rather than having to campaign for it.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen them actually go recruit someone they want,” Burton said. “It shows the respect his fellow senators have for him. They believe he can get the job done and not be sidetracked.”
Burton said he didn’t disagree, adding, “Ron can be very focused.”
Senate and House leaders for several years have made job creation the top priority of legislative sessions, but for the most part they have been unable to agree on measures to bring more jobs to the state. Job creation has been a priority of Richard’s since he was first elected to the Missouri House in 2002 and even before, when he was Joplin mayor and was involved in attracting a number of new businesses to the area. Before being elected speaker of the House in 2008, he was chairman of the House Committee on Job Creation and Economic Development. In the Senate, he is vice chairman of the Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee.
He also has accompanied governors — both Democratic and Republican — on prospecting trips aimed at bringing more jobs to the state.
More leadership posts
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., on Wednesday was re-elected as vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. Blunt was nominated by Sen. Jeff Sessions, of Alabama.
“Our nation is facing critical challenges today,” Blunt said in a statement. “I will continue to work with my colleagues at the leadership table to advance pro-growth, pro-jobs policies in the United States Senate to help jump start our economy and put more people back to work.”
Blunt was county clerk in Greene County, then served eight years as Missouri secretary of state. Before running for the Senate two years ago, he served 14 years in the U.S. House, where he also held leadership positions.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas was selected as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which oversees fundraising for U.S. Senate candidates. Moran was elected to the Senate in 2010, and he served in the U.S. House for 14 years before that.
In the House, U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins of Kansas was elected as vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, which is the media arm of the House Republicans. Jenkins previously was Kansas state treasurer.
Both Moran and Jenkins served previously as Kansas legislators.
Correction
Apparently calendars are not my strong suit. I’d like to argue that the mistake occurred because the date was many years before my birth. Alas, no.
A Neosho reader called to remind me that Democrat Charlie Brown’s tenure as representative of Missouri’s 7th District in the U.S. House was in the Eisenhower administration — not the Kennedy administration as I reported last week. Brown was succeeded by a continuous line of Republicans starting in 1961, which was the beginning of the Kennedy administration.
SUSAN REDDEN is a staff writer for the Globe. She can be reached at sredden@joplinglobe.com or 417-623-3480, ext. 7258. Follow her on Twitter @Susan_Redden.
Local News
Susan Redden: Ron Richard advances in Senate leadership
- Local News
-
-
Joplin sends team to help Moore
A team of public safety workers from Joplin were deployed Monday night to assist in Moore, Okla.
-
Two plead guilty to post-tornado wire theft
Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to stealing copper wire from utility poles in the wake of the May 22, 2011, tornado that struck Joplin. Timothy M. Silveria, 45, of Joplin, and Nycoa K. Kracht, 32, of Laurel, Ind., entered open pleas of guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft from a public utility.
-
Vandals cause $37,000 in damage at Joplin business
A Joplin business owner was the victim of a weekend vandalism spree that resulted in an estimated $37,000 in damages and theft, in addition to putting the company out of service for at least two days.
-
Mike Pound: My wife hid the clutter so well, I may be missing
OK, now I’m worried. Late Sunday afternoon, my wife announced that she was going to clean up our kitchen and our family room. When she made that announcement, our 15-year-old daughter, Emma, and I laughed because, at the time, our kitchen and family room were sort of cluttered.
-
Joplin council meeting canceled due to storm forecast
Storm forecasts have caused the Joplin City Council to cancel its meeting tonight.
-
Carthage School Board meeting is postponed
The Carthage School Board meeting set for today has been postponed for due to threats of severe weather.
-
Storms cause damage throughout the Four States
Four-State Area residents hunkered down twice Monday to ride out tornadoes and powerful spring storms, then went to work cleaning up. The worst damage from Monday night’s storm was being reported in Ottawa County, Okla., near Wyandotte. That followed a report of an EF-1 tornado early Monday morning near Carthage.
-
Alan Marble, Crowder College president, to retire
After 27 years with Crowder College, President Alan Marble has announced his plans to retire on June 30, the formal end of the academic year. “It’s just the right time,” Marble, 58, said in a telephone interview Monday morning. “I’ve enjoyed, I think, every minute of these 27 years, but it’s time to move on to the next challenge.”
-
EF1 tornado hit Carthage early Monday morning
Clean-up was underway in Carthage after winds estimated at 90 to 100 miles an hour damaged buildings and toppled trees and power lines in the Carthage area just after midnight early Monday.
-
Federal agency proposes adding two Missouri mussels to endangered species list
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will host a public meeting in Joplin Tuesday and another meeting later in the week in Southeast Missouri to provide details and answer questions about adding two freshwater mussels to the endangered species list.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Joplin sends team to help Moore
