State House hopeful visits

The race to represent the 116th House District in the Missouri Legislature is heating up as former the Warsaw school superintendent appeared in Sedalia this week to rally support for his campaign.

Mike Stevenson, of Warsaw, is running on the Democratic ticket for the House seat currently held by Cole Camp Republican Rep. Tom Self, who will be forced out of his seat after 2010 due to term limits. The 116th district includes all of Benton County and portions of Pettis and Morgan counties.

On Saturday, Stevenson held a reception at the Sedalia home of Charles and Mona McCormack, coming days after the announcement from former Lincoln School District employee Marlin Hammond that he will run for the seat on the Republican ticket.

Stevenson retired in May after working in public education for the past 30 years, including 19 years as a school district superintendent. Most recently, Stevenson served as superintendent of the Warsaw School District from 2001 to 2006. Before that, he was superintendent of schools in Buffalo and Appleton City.

Stevenson believes his years of experience as a superintendent equip him with the budgeting and leadership skills needed to represent the community.

“My whole life has been dedicated to public service in the public education field,” Stevenson said. “I just felt like I had more to give my community and state ... I thought this is a way I could give back to the community.”

He started mulling a campaign after his retirement in May. After his wife, Janice, and their four adult children encouraged his plan to run, Stevenson contacted the Benton County Democratic Club.

State Democratic Party leaders quickly took note of the race, throwing their support behind Stevenson’s candidacy early in the campaign.

Ryan Hobart, communications director for the Missouri Democratic Party, said party officials met with Stevenson last spring. Hobart said officials believed Stevenson’s experience as superintendent in the community would provide him with a distinct understanding of schools and the people in his district, making him a strong candidate.

The party also helped Stevenson establish an online presence early in the campaign in an effort to appeal to young voters.

“We often help candidates getting off the ground with Web sites and Facebook pages to help reach out to younger voters,” Hobart said.

Stevenson welcomed the support, but contends he is far from a partisan candidate. He said if elected, he would work across party lines to do what is best for the district, especially on issues related to education, children’s health care, and veterans affairs.

“I think I could work with most of the folks in Jefferson City regardless of what party they’re affiliated with,” Stevenson said. “As superintendent, I was there to do what was right and fair, and I understood that I was not always going to make everybody happy.”

Stevenson said he also looks forward to work alongside Gov. Jay Nixon in the ongoing effort to create jobs and revitalize the state economy. Stevenson believes his input could help bring new jobs and refocus the discussion of the economy to the rural parts of the state.

“I would like to think, with the fact that I worked in public schools for 30 years, that I would bring a different perspective,” Stevenson said. “I would bring a grassroots, common sense approach to things.”