Wheeler has a full resume

Charles Wheeler, who says his only vice is politics, is back in the fray.

He has accomplished much in life, but rather than settle in to a comfortable retirement, Wheeler is seeking the Democratic nomination for state treasurer. Every candidate, no matter how large the odds against him, when speaking to a reporter says he expects to win. Wheeler says it with conviction.

Wheeler, of Kansas City, feels that fortune has smiled upon him in that his three opponents in the Aug. 5 primary election all hail from the St. Louis area. He is surprised that the state Democratic organization let that happen, he said during a campaign visit at The Democrat last week.

He believes that he can follow Sen. Claire McCaskill’s example and win by  coupling his support in the Kansas City area with a strong showing in outstate counties.

Geography aside, “My main claim is that I’m better educated than my opponents,” he said. He wins that argument. And though he didn’t mention it, none of the other candidates can match his experience in government and politics.

Andrea Danine Simckes is a lawyer who is married to a doctor. Wheeler has a law degree and is an M.D.

Mark Powell has a degree in accounting, 24 years of banking experience and describes himself as a “business owner and income tax professional.” He is also the mayor of Arnold, a small town near St. Louis.

Wheeler is a former bank president, a registered stockbroker and served two terms as mayor of Kansas City in the 1970s.

Clint Zweifel, the third of Wheeler’s primary opponents, has a master’s in business administration and is a state representative.

Wheeler served in the Missouri Senate from 2003 to 2007.

Plus he has an airfield named after him, the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City.

Wheeler discussed his campaign platform in an almost offhand manner.

He would seek legislative authorization to serve as the state omsbudman on juvenile justice, an issue he became involved in near the beginning of his political career, in 1966, when he was elected to the Jackson County Administrative Court. Dr. Wheeler, a forensic pathologist, was elected Jackson County coroner in 1964.

He applauds State Treasurer Sarah Steelman, a Republican running for the gubernatorial nomination, for factoring social responsibility into the state’s investment portfolio and says he would continue that practice.

Wheeler would revamp the MOST program, Missouri’s Section 529 plan that allows tax-free investments for a child’s college education fund, along the lines of the Kansas fund, which he says “is a step or two ahead” of the Show-Me State’s.

He would expand the state tax credit program and involve Missouri mayors in it, although he did not provide details of how that would work.

Wheeler describes himself as a progressive Democrat whose political hero is Harry Truman. He even dresses like Truman.

He arrived for his meeting at the newspaper dapperly attired in a blue-gray striped seersucker suit and a shirt with french cuffs and red-white-and-blue Democrat donkey cuff links.

Wheeler has worn bow ties all his life, in emulation of Truman he says. Thursday he wore a patterned tie, not the polka dot bow ties favored by G. Mennen “Soapy” Williams, the governor of Michigan throughout the 1950s and the late Sen. Paul Simon, of Illinois, both liberal Democrats.

Wheeler says he is a big fan of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“I watch his efforts to be progressive with great interest,” he said.

At 81, Wheeler’s age is no doubt an issue with voters. But Wheeler, who takes the Amtrak to Jefferson City — “I get a lot of work done” on the train, he says — brushes aside any concerns.

“I try to set an example that if you take care of yourself and don’t overdo it, you can continue to do a good day’s work,” he said. “I’ve got a lot to contribute.”