Call makes endorsements for South County contests

The Call endorses Ernie Trakas for 6th District County Council and Sam Page for county executive.

1st District Senate

Voters have two viable, energetic candidates running for the 1st District Senate seat currently held by Scott Sifton, who is term-limited.

Doug Beck, a Democrat, is the candidate most in the mold of Sifton, having held a legislative seat representing Affton for six years after serving on the Affton Board of Education.

David Lenihan, a Republican, is CEO of a medical university and has the background to bring unique ideas to how the state handles health care, which takes up more of the state budget than anything else.

But we believe that voters in this district, which runs from Oakville to Richmond Heights, will find Beck’s ideas more appealing, including his commitment to ensuring that Medicaid expansion is enacted along with a focus on support for unions and the police.

The Call endorses Doug Beck.

92nd District House

Voters in Affton are lucky to have two candidates with integrity running in this race. We have appreciated Republican Bill Heisse’s earnest approach to issues and willingness to think outside the box since he ran against Beck two years ago, and we appreciate his perspective as a teacher. Affton residents would be well represented with Heisse in the House.

But Michael Burton, a Democrat, has proven to be a committed activist for Affton’s best interests, spending a full 16 months attending nearly every St. Louis County Council meeting to oppose the redevelopment of Tower Tee into a subdivision. Despite seemingly great odds, Burton led a movement that inspired a local group to purchase and reopen Tower Tee.

In this race, we give the nod to Burton for his ability to inspire people to get involved and his unwillingness to give up even in the face of great odds.

The Call endorses Michael Burton.

94th District House

This race is a rematch of November 2018, when Jim Murphy, R-Oakville, edged Mehlville school board member Jean Pretto in a heartbreaker for Pretto, a Democrat. As we said last time, we think that voters would be well served in the state House by both of these candidates, but in this case we give the tip of the hat to Murphy, who has proven effective as a legislator during his two years in office.

He was named the Freshman Legislator of the Year by the GOP and even more impressively, got two bills passed in this shortened COVID-19 legislative session — two of the 15 total bills passed. With GOP supermajorities in both the House and Senate, it’s difficult for any Democrat in Jefferson City to make a significant difference while facing those odds to pass any legislation.

We think Pretto would be an exciting and passionate defender of the 94th District’s values in the House and would love to hear what we’re sure would be her very colorful floor speeches — but we also can’t deny that by any measure, Murphy has proven his worth as a bipartisan legislator in the last two years. Because he’s accomplished more in two years than some legislators accomplish in eight and has proven himself to be a successful lawmaker, The Call endorses Jim Murphy.

95th District House

In this race for the 95th District seat representing Oakville, we believe Oakville residents also have two good candidates in Republican incumbent Rep. Michael O’Donnell and Democratic challenger Ann Zimpfer, a retired Mehlville teacher.

We applaud Zimpfer’s focus on education, but we also believe O’Donnell brings important experience to the Missouri House as a municipal bonding professional. We feel better about significant bonding legislation like that passed to improve roads and bridges last year when professional eyes like O’Donnell’s are watching it.

The Call endorses Mike O’Donnell.

93rd District House

Voters also have two good candidates in the 93rd District race between Gabriel Jones, a Republican, and Bridget Walsh Moore, a Democrat. Both candidates are young, enthusiastic, qualified and eager to serve: Jones was busy knocking on doors pre-COVID-19, while Walsh Moore has been busy making phone calls (see Page 19A and Page 26A).

But in this race, we believe Walsh Moore would better represent residents, especially with her emphasis on health care and her own experience with cancer. With health care taking up more than a third of the state’s budget, she would be a leader on this issue.

The Call endorses Bridget Walsh Moore.