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With the December deadline passed, the rosters of candidates for Grain Valley’s Board of Aldermen and Board of Education openings have been set.
Only one of the City’s three wards will have more than one candidate. In Ward I, incumbent Tom Cleaver will face former mayor Chuck Johnston in April. In Ward II, incumbent Darren Mills is running unopposed. In Ward III, Brian Bray is running for the seat currently held by alderman Shea Bass. Voters will have more options to consider for three Board of Education seats currently held by incumbent candidates Jeff Coleman, Tisha Homfeld, and Jan Reding. Four additional candidates have filed: Lance Pollard, Michael Hackett, Julie Taylor, and Sarah Swartz. The election will be held April 4, 2023. The last day to register to vote in the April election is March 8, 2023. For more information on registering to vote, visit Registration | Jackson County Missouri Election Board (jcebmo.org). Valley News will have complete coverage of candidates and issues on the April ballot, and will once again host a candidate forum in spring 2023. Filing began this week for open Board of Aldermen seats and Board of Education seats in Grain Valley.
Filing for aldermen seats has been fairly quiet, with just two candidates filing as of Wednesday evening. Darren Mills has filed for re-election in Ward 2, and Tom Cleaver filed for re-election in Ward 1. The other open seat, currently held by Shea Bass in Ward III, had no candidates as of Wednesday evening. Filing has been more robust for three school board openings, currently held by Jeff Coleman, Tisha Homfeld, and Jan Reding. Seven candidates had filed as of 11:00am Wednesday: Lance Pollard Michael Hackett Tisha Homfeld Jan Reding Jeff Coleman Julie Taylor Sarah Swartz Candidate filing closes at 5:00pm on December 27th. The municipal election will be held April 4, 2023. Correction: A prior version incorrectly listed the deadline for aldermen candidates. The correct filing closing date is 5pm on December 27th. With 56.1% of Jackson County voters turning out at the polls on November 8th, Republican candidates had a predictably good night on election night. Incumbent District 32 State Representative Jeff Coleman defeated Democrat Janice Brill with 69% of the vote. Incumbent State Senator Mike Cierpiot defeated Democrat Antoine Jennings with 56% of the vote.
Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. retained his seat, defeating Republican challenger Theresa Cass Galvin. In Grain Valley, residents are represented in the Jackson County Legislature by an at-large District 1 legislator and a District 5 legislator. At-Large District 1 legislator Jalen Anderson retained his seat. Republican Jeanie Lauer ran unopposed and retained her seat as County Legislator for District 5. Jackson County voters overwhelmingly approved Question 1 which continues funding for the Community Children's Services Fund through a countywide sales tax, at a rate of one-fourth of one cent. Additional statewide reporting from Missouri Independent: Missouri voters amend state constitution to legalize recreational marijuana • Missouri Independent Eric Schmitt defeats Trudy Busch Valentine in Missouri U.S. Senate race • Missouri Independent Democrats prevail in hotly contested Missouri legislative races • Missouri Independent Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, November 8th. Polls will be open 6:00am - 7:00pm on election day. To confirm your polling location, use the Voter ID Lookup tool on the Jackson County Election Board's website: On the Ballot | Jackson County Missouri Election Board (jcebmo.org). Under a new law that went into effect this September, Missouri voters must now present a government issued ID when voting. The Secretary of State's office has provided guidance on the new law. At the polling place, voters must now show one of the forms of acceptable identification and sign the poll book to obtain a ballot:
Your provisional ballot will count if: (1) you return to your polling place on Election Day with a photo ID; or (2) the signature on your provisional ballot envelope is determined by your local election authority to match the signature on your voter registration record. If you cast a provisional ballot, you will receive a stub from your provisional ballot envelope with instructions on how to verify that your provisional ballot is counted. Additional reporting: Jackson County Question #1: Quick News - Grain Valley News Missouri Judges: Quick News - Grain Valley News Candidate Profile - Janice Brill: Quick News - Grain Valley News Candidate Profile - Jeff Coleman: Quick News - Grain Valley News The sample ballot provided here is for residents in Grain Valley, north of I-70. To look at issues on the ballot for your address, visit On the Ballot | Jackson County Missouri Election Board (jcebmo.org).
This is an editorial: An editorial, like news reporting, is based on objective facts, but shares an opinion. The conclusions and opinions here have been derived by the guest contributor and are not associated with the news staff. Coleman’s Election Information:
Please find below a detail summary of the amendments that will appear on the ballot on November 8, 2022, General Election Ballot. I encourage everyone to review and research these amendments, and to vote the way their conscience dictates. We live in a blessed country where we have an active role in what we want to see and demand from our leaders and constitution. Constitutional Amendment 1 This constitutional amendment, if approved by the voters, modifies the powers of the State Treasurer. Specifically, the State Treasurer is required to invest certain state moneys in: Missouri banking institutions selected by the State Treasurer and approved by the Governor and State Auditor; or Obligations of the United States government or any agency or instrumentality thereof maturing and becoming payable not more than seven years from the date of purchase. The amendment additionally authorizes the State Treasurer to invest in: Municipal securities possessing one of the five highest long term ratings or the highest short term rating issued by a nationally recognized rating agency and maturing and becoming payable not more than five years from the date of purchase; and Other reasonable and prudent financial instruments and securities as otherwise provided by law. Constitutional Amendment 3 This constitutional amendment makes various modifications to the regulation of marijuana. See the below summary for a more detailed description. Constitutional Amendment 4 Under current law, the General Assembly cannot require a city to increase an activity or service beyond that required by existing law, unless a state appropriation is made to pay the city for any increase costs. This constitutional amendment, if approved by the voters, provides an exception to allow for a law that increases minimum funding, if increased before December 31, 2026, for a police force established by a state board of police commissioners to ensure they have additional resources to serve their communities. Constitutional Amendment 5 This constitutional amendment, if approved by the voters, creates the Missouri Department of the National Guard, which shall consist of the Adjutant General and shall administer the militia, uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of Missouri, and provide for other defense and security mechanisms. Question on Convening Constitutional Convention Every 20 years, the Missouri Constitution requires a question be submitted to the voters inquiring whether a constitutional convention shall be held for the purpose of revising and amending the state constitution. A "yes" vote would support calling a constitutional convention. A "no" vote would oppose calling a constitutional convention. Amendment 3 modifies the state's current medical marijuana program in several ways, including: Permitting nurse practitioners to determine if a patient has a qualifying medical condition for medical marijuana use; Modifying existing definitions for the various licensed facilities and medical marijuana products; Repealing the existing scoring system for facility applicants and replacing it with a lottery selection process in cases when more applicants apply than the constitutional minimum; Limiting regulations governing medical marijuana product advertising to those no more stringent than comparable regulations for alcohol sales; Modifying provisions relating to public records retained under these provision; Adding a reasonable cure period of at least 30 days prior to a suspension or revocation of a license or certificate; Limiting an entity or entities under substantially common control, ownership, or management to not more than 10% ownership of the total marijuana facility licenses in each category of license for both medical and comprehensive (non-medical) facilities; Modifying the number of marijuana plants a qualifying patient or primary caregiver may have for personal use to include non-flowering plants and clones, as well as increasing the limit on purchased medical marijuana from 4 ounces to 6 ounces of dried, unprocessed marijuana in a 30-day period, with exceptions as specified in the amendment; Modifying the offense of purposeful possession in excess of twice the legal limit from a year in prison and a fine of up to $2,000 to an infraction; Modifying the qualifying patient and primary caregiver identification card fees and renewal requirements; Modifying language relating to the collection of a retail sales tax on medical marijuana, including adding a provision modifying certain taxpayers' state adjusted gross income as it relates to medical marijuana; Permitting non-resident patients to purchase medical marijuana if authorized by that patient's state or political subdivision of that state; Modifying provisions relating to disciplinary actions against attorneys involved in medical marijuana businesses; Adding provisions relating to medical marijuana patients and civil and criminal procedures, including search and arrest warrants, pre-trial release or probation, family courts, child custody, and the right to bear arms; Modifying penalties relating to violations of these provisions; and Adding provisions relating to the applicability of this language in the event of federal legalization of marijuana. Comprehensive (non-medical) marijuana This amendment establishes a framework for the legal cultivation, production, sale, and use of non-medical marijuana for Missouri adults 21 years of age or older. The Department of Health and Senior Services shall grant licenses or certificates for comprehensive marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensary facilities, testing facilities, and microbusiness wholesale and dispensary facilities, as specified in the amendment. Licenses for such facilities shall be established by a lottery system, except that any entity holding a medical marijuana facility license shall have the right to convert such medical marijuana facility license into the equivalent comprehensive facility license. Such converted licenses shall be the only licenses granted, excluding any microbusiness licenses, within the first 548 days after the Department begins to issue comprehensive marijuana licenses. If the number of comprehensive licenses falls below the constitutional minimum, the Department shall award by lottery at least 50% of any new licenses to microbusiness license holders who have been in operation for at least one year and who are otherwise qualified. Comprehensive license holders licensed to distribute marijuana to non-medical consumers may also distribute marijuana to qualifying patients and primary caregivers. The Department may limit the amount of marijuana that may be purchased in one transaction by a non-medical marijuana consumer, provided that the limitation shall not be less than 3 ounces of dried, unprocessed marijuana or its equivalent. Additionally, individuals may apply for and receive a registration card with the Department for personal cultivation of marijuana in accordance with the limits set forth in the amendment. Entities seeking a microbusiness license may only obtain one license, either a dispensary or wholesale facility, and may not hold a comprehensive or medical facility license at the same time. Microbusinesses may only do business with other microbusinesses or qualified patients, primary caregivers, or consumers, as specified in the act. Applicants for microbusiness licenses shall meet at least one of several specified qualifications, including those of net worth, disability, region, or education. At least 6 microbusiness facility licenses shall be granted initially, with that number expanding over time and in accordance with demand. Non-medical marijuana sold to consumers shall be subject to a 6% sales tax, which shall be used to fund the regulatory program, expungement proceedings relating to marijuana offenses, and programs for veterans, drug addiction treatment, and public defenders. A local government may prohibit dispensary facilities from operating in that jurisdiction through a ballot question to the voters. Additionally, local governments may impose an additional sales tax on adult use marijuana of not more than 3% upon voter approval. This amendment establishes an expungement process for marijuana offenses, in addition to other provisions relating to warrants and searches, product labeling and advertising, and penalties for violations of this amendment. Finally, this amendment prohibits conduct permitted under this amendment from being the basis of detention, searches, or arrests; denial of eligibility in public assistance programs; denial of the right to keep and bear arms; and denial of parental rights, custody, or visitation of a minor child. Please let me know If you have other concerns and suggestions. If you would like to schedule a specific time to meet locally, please call my office at 573-751-1487, or email my office at jeff.coleman@house.mo.gov. On November 8th, Jackson County voters will be asked to extend a 1/8 sales tax to support the Children's Service Fund. Voters approved the sales tax to establish the fund in November 2016. Since its inception, the fund has awarded nearly $85 million to nonprofits and schools in support of childhood mental health and well-being and safety initiatives for Jackson County youth and families. In 2022, the fund supported 102 projects with $19.9 million in funding. The ballot language states: Shall Jackson County, solely for the purpose of continuing its Community Children's Services Fund to provide services to protect the well-being and safety of children and youth nineteen years of age or less and to strengthen families, be authorized to extend its countywide sales tax, at the rate of one-fourth of one cent? This Fund will continue to be transparently administered in a manner independent of Jackson County government, by a diverse, geographically representative, nine-member citizen board appointed by the County Executive, with at least one member residing in each County legislative district. Revenues will be solely used to benefit the residents of Jackson County. For more information on the Jackson County Community Children's Services Fund, visit Children's Services Fund of Jackson County | Home (jacksoncountykids.org). The deadline to register to vote in the November election is October 12th. For more information and instructions on how to register, visit Registration | Jackson County Missouri Election Board (jcebmo.org). The Childrens Service Fund focuses on 10 strategic initiatives: Image credit: Childrens Service Fund
In advance of the November 8th election, Valley News will look at the issues voters will see on the ballot. Up first, the retention of a number of Missouri judges.
Missouri operates under a nonpartisan court plan, which provides for both partisan and retention judicial elections. Partisan-elected judges run under a party label against challengers, unless no one chooses to oppose them. Voters elect their local judges during regular elections. Elected judges must run for reelection at the end of each term. Nonpartisan judges do not run against challengers, and voters are asked to vote for or against them based on the strength of their performance on the bench. Nonpartisan judges are forbidden to campaign for retention under the Code of Judicial Conduct. To help voters gain insight as to the performance of judges seeking retention this year, the Judicial Performance Review Committee – a statewide panel of lawyers, non-lawyers and retired judges – reviews the performance of each nonpartisan judge appearing on this year’s general election ballot. To learn more about the judges up for retention on the November ballot, visit the Missouri Plan's website at Judges - Missouri Judicial Evaluations (yourmissourijudges.org). Absentee voting for the November election begins September 27th. Voters must be registered by October 12th in order to vote in the November election. For more information on registering and to view a sample ballot, visit On the Ballot | Jackson County Missouri Election Board (jcebmo.org). Under a new law that went into effect this week, Missouri voters must now present a government issued ID when voting.
The Secretary of State's office has provided guidance on the new law, and resources for voters to request free government issued IDs. At the polling place, voters must now show one of the forms of acceptable identification and sign the poll book to obtain a ballot:
Your provisional ballot will count if: (1) you return to your polling place on Election Day with a photo ID; or (2) the signature on your provisional ballot envelope is determined by your local election authority to match the signature on your voter registration record. If you cast a provisional ballot, you will receive a stub from your provisional ballot envelope with instructions on how to verify that your provisional ballot is counted. How do I get a free photo ID? If you do not possess an acceptable form of photo ID, you might be eligible for a free Missouri nondriver license for voting purposes. The Missouri Department of Revenue, through the license offices throughout the state, provides one (1) nondriver license at no charge to Missourians who wish to obtain a photo ID for voting purposes (and do not already have one). Call 573-526-VOTE (8683) or visit https://dor.mo.gov/ The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Records, can provide one (1) fee exempt copy of a certified Missouri birth certificate to an individual seeking to obtain one (1) free nondriver’s license in order to vote in Missouri if the applicant does not already have a current nondriver’s license or current driver’s license. Call (573) 751-6387 or email VitalRecordsInfo@health.mo.gov The Missouri Secretary of State will help voters obtain official documents needed to get a Missouri nondriver license. Examples include birth certificate; marriage license; adoption decree; U.S. Department of State naturalization papers; or court order changing one's name. The department will pay for official documents from other states or the federal government. For information and to request assistance, visit Voter ID (mo.gov). The last day to register to vote in the November election is October 12th. To register in Jackson County, visit Registration | Jackson County Missouri Election Board (jcebmo.org). 28.2% of Jackson County voters headed to the polls for a primary election on August 2nd.
In the race for Jackson County Executive, incumbent Frank White Jr. edged out challenger Stacy Lake for the Democratic nomination. White will face Republican candidate Theresa Cass Galvin. In the race for District 32 State Representative, both the Democratic candidate Janice Brill and Republican candidate Jeff Coleman ran unopposed and will face each other in the November election. For a full listing of unofficial results, visit Election Night Results (livevoterturnout.com). Representative Jeff Coleman is running unopposed on the Republican primary ballot for Missouri’s District 32. Recent redistricting resulted in District 32 incorporating more of Grain Valley than the prior map. Coleman previously served on the Grain Valley Board of Aldermen and currently serves on the Grain Valley School Board.
Valley News sat down recently for a conversation with Coleman, discussing recent national hot button issues as well as his priorities if elected for another term. The topic of social media and its ability to both connect with constituents as well as provide a forum where productive discussions can be difficult arose when Coleman raised the June 2022 decision by the Supreme Court to reverse Roe v. Wade. “I love to talk to people and hear their opinions on issues, but social media makes it difficult to have real conversations.” “I have my own story and my own reasoning about why I vote the way I do. When I voted for the heartbeat bill originally, I put it out on Facebook. One particular person hammered me all day, every day. I finally came online, and said that I’ve tried to tell people without telling people why I voted the way I did. I have my own reasons and I am not going to discuss them on Facebook. If you want to talk to me, I will talk to you in person. I will talk to you on the phone. But I’m not doing it on Facebook.” She said, ‘Nope. It’s got to be public. You’re a public figure and this is a public forum’. I get that part, but I’m not going to do it, and that was my last post on the thread.” “After about a month, I get a private message and ask if I would like to talk. I gave her my number and she called me. We got to talk about real things, and not just all the stuff on Facebook. And it was more personal, and that is what doesn’t happen on social media.” “I didn’t change her mind. And that’s not what I was trying to do. But I wanted her to know this is why it’s so important to me.” With Coleman raising one recent national hot button issue, the issue of gun control and Coleman’s views on the topic were discussed. Coleman was one of 45 Missouri House members who signed a letter in June 2022 urging Senator Roy Blunt to oppose a Senate gun deal that would give states incentives to enact “red flag” laws, which allow courts or law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who may be a danger to themselves or others. The effort to offer such incentives came in response to the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, which resulted in the deaths of 19 children and 2 educators. Additional information from Missouri Independent: https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/16/group-of-missouri-republican-state-lawmakers-push-blunt-to-oppose-senate-gun-deal/ “In reference to gun control, the problem for me is that no matter what we do, there’s not going to be anything that’s going to keep these guys from getting the guns if they want to do something. It’s like everything else…there’s always going to be the underground stuff you can get to whatever you want to get to.” “When you take away the opportunities for good people, it then opens the door for these other people. (With issues such as) red flag laws, when you start down a path, if there is an issue that you are against and you have something that sounds good and will make a difference, we call it the camel’s nose getting under the tent. It starts opening the door for other things.” “My position on the 2nd amendment is it states that your rights are not to be infringed upon at all. Regardless. The fact that we have people doing these things today I think is heightened by the media, meaning that we talk about it more, therefore it puts ideas in people.” “I believe that what we see on television, what we see on movies, what we see in our video games, is something that is taking our kids who are maybe going through a phase, and it desensitizes them.” “I think that if it hits somebody right at the time when they are going through something, like the kid in Texas or the kid in New York, (it can affect them). Something is happening to our mental health (as a society).” “Our society is changed from a family organized society, to ‘all is good’. Whatever you want to do is what you want to do. And I think that is part of our problem. We don’t have that family core to help our kids grow up in a world where they don’t have these issues.” Given Coleman’s position as a member of a local school board and the impact the threat of gun violence has on schools, staff, and students, Valley News asked how this shapes his perspective of how to best equip schools and teachers to address the issues surrounding safety and identifying students who may be in crisis. “I have taken a lot of heat because I don’t want the stickers (referring to “safe space” stickers) in classrooms, as you know. I voted against having a ‘listen and learn’. Not that I don’t care about what people think. First of all, I want people to know that the Board may have done things a little bit differently, had we been given the right information. We were under the understanding that those stickers were new – new within the week. We wanted that to be taken down right away.” “Had we known that they had been there as long as a year, we probably would have phased it out. This is the issue people need to understand. This is a political issue. Down at the bottom of that sticker is a website and they are supposed to be there for kids. But if you look at them deeper, you can see who they are contributing to. I don’t want politics – my side or the other side – in the school. That is not our job. Our job is to teach our kids. I don’t care who they are, what they identify as, it doesn’t matter. We are going to give them tools so that when they get out of school, they can go on and be good productive citizens.” “To your point earlier, how do we get kids the help that they need? If a teacher sees something going on in the child’s life. I don’t want the teacher taking on that responsibility. They can be there as a friend, but I want them to push that kid on to our counseling which have the credentials to help that kid through those issues. And then if they can’t help, then they can get them to the right people outside the school.” Looking to his priorities if elected to another term, Coleman points to his ongoing efforts to place a cap on property tax rates. The ongoing battle over redistricting in the state took much of the air out of the past legislative session, and many measures, including Coleman’s proposal to cap property tax rates ran out of time to be considered. “That was frustrating. One of my priorities, especially for Jackson County, was to cap how much the assessor can raise property values. A firm from Texas has been hired to look at every house in Jackson County to give them the ability to raise your property values by 15% or higher. Because they can’t raise it more than 14.9% unless they have seen your house in person. That gives me concern that there will be a big increase the next time around.” “The reason that was a priority for me and my biggest concern is lower income and fixed income folks, because their incomes don’t increase as much as their property values do, so they are afraid they are going to get taxed out of their homes.” Another priority for Coleman is human trafficking. The Kansas City area has proven a major hub for activity, with interstates 35 and 70 intersecting the region. Coleman is working with Restoration House, a local faith-based nonprofit in Harrisonville, that provides housing and programs for adult women and child survivors of human trafficking. “They do amazing things for victims,” Coleman said. “The way our laws are set up right now, the victims of traffickers are the ones who get thrown in jail. The johns only get a misdemeanor and a $1,000 fine if they get caught. We’re changing it to a felony, and I will get it through this year. The younger the victim, the bigger the felony. In addition, there will be a $5,000 fine if found guilty. Half of the money collected will go to law enforcement where the arrest takes place, and the other half goes to facilities like Restoration House who serve victims.” Coleman said his focus remains on the people he serves. “It’s not about me, it’s about helping people. Everything I’ve done to this point has been helpful to Missouri citizens, and it’s not about Jeff. If you’re going down there (Jefferson City) to try to make a big name for yourself, you’re going down for the wrong reasons.” “It’s all about service. That is what my whole life has been about.” Coleman is eyeing a State Senate run when he terms out in two years. Current Missouri Senator Mike Cierpiot will also term out in two years, and Coleman is likely to run for his seat. For more information on the August 2nd primary ballot, visit https://jcebmo.org/election-information/on-the-ballot/. See the profile of Democrat Janice Brill, who is on the primary ballot for the Missouri District 32 House seat: https://www.grainvalleynews.com/news/candidate-profile-janice-brill |
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