COMMENTARY
By Trey Swaggart
NCH intern
Election 2024 is in full swing and after months of campaigning for the hearts and minds of voters, local and county residents will have the opportunity to select from an array of candidates at the polls on Tuesday.
County races such as commissioner, assessor, and sheriff are just some of the key races, with other high-stakes races including state representative and state senator.
Since the end of May, I have interviewed 14 candidates, all from different backgrounds but who have a common passion for public service. The interviews, which were published in weekly editions of the North Cass Herald, provided a snapshot into the personal and political lives of the candidates. While none of these races are alike, they go a long way in influencing life for your friends, family, and fellow community members.
The race for state representative in House District 56 features a compelling Republican primary. Incumbent Rep. Michael Davis is a young millennial who, while short on life experience, is long on conservative activism. Since coming to the area after law school, Davis has participated in helping Missouri elect conservative candidates up and down the ballot.
While Davis is the incumbent, he faces stiff competition from current Cass County North Commissioner Ryan Johnson and former educator and football coach, Todd Berck.
Johnson, who declined to participate in an interview ahead of the Aug. 6 primary, has positioned himself as someone who can deliver conservative leadership. His military background and religious background is attractive; however, it can’t be ignored that Johnson has shied away from the spotlight.
Regardless of Johnson’s reasons, voters deserve to know who their potential nominee is and where he stands on the issues. Johnson’s rebuffing of the many requests for interviews should cause voters to think long and hard about him, especially given that being a state representative requires elected officials to be front-facing and public.
Former Summit Christian football coach Todd Berck offers the exact opposite. Berck, who credits his mother with a drive and focus on education, is a political newcomer. After spending several years in St. Charles in public education, Berck moved to the area where he now resides with his wife and family. Of the three, Berck has pitched himself as the common-sense conservative with a strong evangelical identity. Despite Berck’s attempt to create a name for himself, lack of name recognition remains his biggest barrier. Running in a primary against two elected officeholders will require Berck to stand out, which he has yet to do.
The winner of the state representative primary will face local businesswoman and real estate broker Pam Jenkins Hatcher. Hatcher, a tough and savvy businesswoman, got her start in politics while the planned landfill in Raymore was being debated. Multiple trips to the state capitol and significant lobbying efforts crystallized Hatcher’s desire to replace self-serving politicians with community-first politicians. Hatcher’s strategy of appealing to the “80 percenters” comes from her belief that most voters don’t reside on the far left or the far right.
While she is competing on her home turf and has broad support, the demographics and ideology of the district make her an underdog. However, she is an underdog who has more than a puncher’s chance of winning.
The other race that will send someone to Jefferson City is the state senate campaign for the 31st District. Incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Brattin of Harrisonville is seeking to extend his tenure in Jefferson City with a victory over challenger Mike Haffner.
Brattin, who has served in the state House; county government; and now in the Senate, is certainly the conservative firebrand.
Brattin supports the deployment of troops to the border and cutting wasteful spending and is unabashedly pro-life. His tactics, on the other hand, have earned him criticism.
Brattin belongs to the Freedom Caucus, a grouping of very conservative lawmakers who have been labeled as obstructionists. It’s one thing to stand up for your convictions, it’s another thing for them to stymie even the basic functions of government.
His other primary opponents are state representatives Mike Haffner from District 55, and Dan Houx from District 54.
Haffner, who has an extensive background in military and national security, hails from the mainstream conservative wing of the party. Haffner represents the best of the old Republican guard with a commitment to conservative and national security principles, while also providing space to forge cooperation with the other side of the aisle.
Houx, who comes from Warrensburg is termed out and also comes from that side of the party. A concern for both Haffner and Houx is the risk they split the moderate conservative vote, leaving Brattin the winner.
If the goal is to beat Brattin and get the Senate moving again, which both men have expressed is their interest, Haffner would seem like the better choice.
The winner will face uncontested Democrat and former Army Master Sergeant Raymond James. While James will certainly make the race interesting, the winner of the Republican primary is almost assuredly going to win in the fall.
The local primary contests covered by the paper feature interparty races with no general election candidate from the Democratic Party. The winners of these races will win the general election in November.
The big local race is the Republican primary for sheriff in Cass County. This is the third time that current incumbent Jeff Weber and former police officer Terry Dotson have squared off.
Voters might remember how competitive this race was four years ago; this round does not seem nearly as nasty. Weber has a three-decade career with the Cass County Sheriff’s office. He has climbed the ladder, and is looking to continue serving the county and residents he calls his friends and family.
Dotson, who has spent four decades in law enforcement wants the same thing. Weber has the advantage of strong relationships both inside and outside the department. His widespread knowledge of the county will be tough to overcome. Dotson is banking on voters wanting a change of scenery and a fresh perspective.
Cass County Assessor is a compelling race as well. Roger Raffety has been in the Assessor’s office since 2005 and has served as the County Assessor since 2019.
He comes from Drexel and is a friendly and open person when it comes to how he runs the office.
His opponent, Jessica Levsen, is a conservative who lost four years ago in a race for the 62nd District House seat to Sherri Gallick, then served an embattled term on the Library Board after her appointment was championed by Ryan Johnson.
When I interviewed Levsen last month, she expressed frustration with how the assessor values properties, an argument Raffety says has nothing to do with him.
Raffety says the state decides the process and county assessors are tasked with following the rules.
While Levsen has connections through her work in real estate, her lack of overall experience in county government and a desire to restructure the way the assessor’s office does its job does pose risks. Voters should keep the debacle that’s happening in Jackson County in the back of their heads when it comes to the assessor race.
The final local race is the North Commissioner race. Incumbent Johnson is stepping down to run for state representative, and current Cass County Clerk Jeff Fletcher is running in the Republican primary against former Pleasant Hill substitute teacher Debbie Descombes-Griggs.
Fletcher, who is a known commodity in Belton, is a small businessman who owned Fletcher Forms on Main Street in Belton with his wife, Karen, who serves on the Belton School Board.
When I spoke with Fletcher in early June, I asked him what qualities he had to be commissioner. Fletcher responded by saying that his “experience in county-wide government, my ability to work well with others, and a conservative-minded approach” provided him with a leg up over his opponent.
As for Griggs, she’s done a lot of things in her adult life, though politics was never a thought until recently.
While she conceded that she doesn’t have a lot of knowledge on what the commission does, much less what a commissioner does, her priorities include trying to address budgetary issues to ensure taxpayers aren’t paying for unnecessary projects.
There is certainly a time and place for political newcomers, and with mounting debates about how Congress doesn’t represent America, Griggs could tap into the fresh-face narrative.
However, her lack of knowledge and experience in politics and county government is concerning. She also believes that voting machines are “corruptible.” When asked to provide evidence of the claim, Griggs was unable.
It’s concerning that Griggs could not provide any evidence for her claim. Regardless of one’s political ideology, a general rule of thumb should be to avoid making claims or arguments unless you can provide sufficient evidence.
As the primary campaign comes to an end, I want to comment on the state of our democracy. Whether your candidates win or lose, we should cherish this process. As more and more people become unsure about whether democracy is still the right system of government, these primaries serve as an important part of that democracy.
Our system is flawed, money sloshes through a system that makes the spoils system look like amateur hour, politicians hold on to elected office well past the point where they should step down, and there is a general belief that no matter who we vote for, nothing will ever change.
That cynical attitude must not become commonplace. While you may have a different ideology or political preference than I do, we are all Americans which means we should act in accordance with the phrase that is written on the seal of our state flag, “united we stand, divided we fall.”
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