Lemay resident Kenneth Abram and South County business owner Cijo Mathews will vie in the Republican primary on Aug. 6 for the Missouri House of Representatives 92nd District. The winner will face incumbent Michael Burton, D-Lakeshire, in the General Election on Nov. 5.
Abram, 64, has worked for Boeing. He previously sought office in 2022 for the 93rd District but was defeated by Rep. Bridget Walsh Moore, D-Lemay, in the General Election that year.
When previously asked why he is seeking office, Abram said, “(A) desire to make a difference in Missouri.”
The candidate gave the following answers to The Call’s candidate questionnaire. Mathews did not return the questionnaire.
Editor’s note: These answers appeared in the July 25 print edition of the St. Louis Call, and were edited for print.
What do you perceive to be the 92nd District’s greatest challenges? How will you address these challenges?
Abram: “I believe the biggest challenge for the 92nd District is winning back the trust of the people. Many areas in the county have been neglected for years, with leadership that has divided the people, and continued to overtax everyone – citizens and businesses, big and small. As the next state representative, I will bring experience and leadership to fill the void between St. Louis County and Jefferson City. I will strive to build a better business community, create new jobs and work with the state on building an education system that better prepares our students to enter the workforce.”
What do you perceive to be the state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Abram: “I believe the greatest challenge is rebuilding a better education system. Our schools should focus on basic skills: reading, writing, math, science, social studies, etc. Our students must be prepared for the future, especially if the global climate for manufacturing and rebuilding America brings jobs back to the U.S. Today, students lack many of the basic skills to enter the workforce, and it is the responsibility of state and local educators to fill the void. I believe building a future on skilled labor and better jobs starts with a better education system.”
How will you advocate for the needs of your district in the legislature?
Abram: “I have worked over 40 years in a large corporation, and I know how to collaborate with others to accomplish common goals. I believe that this is what is hurting government today. The inability to negotiate, debate and communicate the needs of the people. Lobbyists and private interest groups deter the interests of the people, and I can guarantee that I am here to work for the better interests of the taxpayer and businesses of the 92nd District.”
Are changes needed to the state’s foundation formula for funding education?
Abram: “Our system should not continue to require more money. Many schools are spending higher amounts per student, but still facing a declining performance in test scores.”
What do you propose to generate revenue for infrastructure and road and bridge improvements?
Abram: “I would first need to better understand the current expenditures for infrastructure and road improvements. I can identify many areas that have not had any improvements for 25+ years but are paying taxes that allocate funds for improvements. More transparency is needed and these projects must have better controls by administrators.”
What will you do to improve Missouri’s economy?
Abram: “With over 40 years experience, I would work hard with federal and state entities to rebuild Missouri as a manufacturing base. Automotive, aviation, manufacturing and fabrication all provide higher-paying jobs that our community needs. Rebuilding this sector with new and existing businesses will be the future of St. Louis and Missouri.”
Would you support legislation to facilitate a merger of St. Louis County and St. Louis City?
Abram: “No, I am against any merger between St. Louis City and St. Louis County. I believe we should strive to make government smaller.”
Do you support the changes the Legislature made to the Sunshine Law in 2019, including exempting some legislative records?
Abram: “No.”
Should police departments be defunded?
Abram: “Absolutely not. I believe that all communities need to support law enforcement. This is vital to the safety of the community. Fighting crime should be at the top of the list for St. Louis and the state. We continue to rank high on the national list of high-crime cities, and this must be corrected to improve the image of the city, county and state.”
What do you think of the leadership of Gov. Mike Parson?
Abram: “Solid leadership.”
Do you support right-to-work legislation?
Abram: “I support a unionized workforce because contracts between business and labor keep everyone working to a common goal.”
What changes should Missouri make to its health care system?
Abram: “Laws to break the conflict of interest between insurance and health care providers.”
Should the Legislature oversee, authorize or regulate the use of emergency powers?
Abram: “Undecided.”
What will or have you done to work across the aisle in Jefferson City?
Abram: “Communication, debate and negotiation is required to work across the aisle. Understanding that we work for the people of our district and state, and we must improve government leadership.”
Keep reading for web-exclusive responses from the candidate
Editor’s note: The majority of these responses have not been edited other to ensure appropriateness.
What do you perceive to be the 92nd District’s greatest challenges? How will you address these challenges?
Abram: “I believe the biggest challenge for the 92 nd District is winning back the trust of the people. Many areas in the county have been neglected for years, with leadership that has divided the people, and continued to overtax everyone, citizens, and businesses big and small. As the next state representative, I will bring experience and leadership to fill the void between St. Louis County and Jefferson City. I will strive to build a better business community, create new jobs, and work with the state on building an education system that better prepares our students to enter the workforce.”
What do you perceive to be the state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Abram: “I believe the greatest challenge is rebuilding a better education system. Our schools should focus on basic skills, reading, writing, math, science, social studies, etc. Our students must be prepared for the future, especially if the global climate for manufacturing, and rebuilding America brings jobs back to the U.S. Today students lack many of the basic skills to enter the workforce, and it is the responsibility of State and local educators to fill the void. I believe building a future on skilled labor, and better jobs, starts with a better education system.”
How will you advocate for the needs of your district in the legislature?
Abram: “I have worked over 40 years in a large corporation, and I know how to collaborate with others to accomplish common goals. I believe that this is what is hurting government today. The inability to negotiate, debate, and communicate the needs of the people. Lobbiests and private interest groups deter the interests of the people, and I can guarantee that I am here to work for the better interests of the taxpayer, and businesses of the 92nd district.”
Would you support placing a constitutional amendment before voters that, if approved, would repeal the supermajority requirement for school-district bond issues?
Abram: “Undecided.”
Are changes needed to the state’s foundation formula for funding education?
Abram: “Our system should not continue to require more money. Many schools are spending higher amounts per student, but still facing a declining performance in test scores.”
Are changes needed to the state’s current Open Meetings and Records Law? If so, what would you propose?
Abram: “No changes.”
What do you propose to generate revenue for infrastructure and road and bridge improvements?
Abram: “I would first need to better understand the current expenditures for infrastructure and road improvements. I can identify many areas that have not had any improvements for 25+ years but are paying taxes that allocate funds for improvements. More transparency is needed and these projects must have better controls by administrators.”
What will you do to improve Missouri’s economy?
Abram: “With over 40 years experience, I would work hard with federal and state to rebuild Missouri as a manufacturing base. Automotive, aviation, manufacturing and fabrication all provide higher-paying jobs that our community needs. Rebuilding this sector with new and existing businesses will be the future of St. Louis, and Missouri.”
Would you support legislation to facilitate a merger of St. Louis County and St. Louis City?
Abram: “No, I am against any merger between St. Louis City and county. I believe we should strive to make government smaller.”
Do you support the changes the Legislature made to the Sunshine Law in 2019, including exempting some legislative records?
Abram: “No.”
Should police departments be defunded?
Abram: “Absolutely not. I believe that all communities need to support law enforcement. This is vital to the safety of the community. Fighting crime should be at the top of the list for St. Louis and the state. We continue to rank high on the national list of high-crime cities, and this must be corrected to improve the image of the city, county and state.”
What do you think of the leadership of Gov. Mike Parson?
Abram: “Solid leadership.”
What will or have you done to work across the aisle in Jefferson City?
Abram: “Communication, debate, and negotiation is required to work across the aisle. Understanding that we work for the people of our district and state, and we must improve government leadership.”
What bill would you sponsor as your first legislation post-election?
Abram: “Education reform, skilled trades development program.”
Do you support right-to-work legislation?
Abram: “I support a unionized workforce because contracts between business and labor keep everyone working to a common goal.”
What changes should Missouri make to its health care system?
Abram: “Laws to break the conflict of interest between Insurance and health care providers.
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Abram: “Economic development, and education reform.”
Should the Legislature oversee, authorize or regulate the use of emergency powers?
Abram: “Undecided.”