Chimene Schwach declared her candidacy for House District 46 in the Aug. 2, 2022, election in a news release Monday. This comes after the announcement that Representative Martha Stevens will not be seeking reelection for the seat.
“I would hope that as a legislator I could continue to put forth legislation that represents all Missouri families and occasionally be able to reach across the aisle and find common ground on issues we can find common ground on,” said Schwach.
According to the news release, Schwach currently serves as a Boone County Advocate Supervisor for Heart of Missouri Court Appointed Special Advocates. She grew up in Kansas City and has lived in Columbia for 12 years. She has taken an active part in the community as a parishioner at St. Thomas More Newman Center, a board member of the Missouri Family Health Council and Blue Thunder Track Club and a member of the Planned Parenthood Advisory Committee.
In the news release, Schwach expressed her frustrations with local legislatures criticizing public school teachers for “educating children about our history” and the legislature’s decision to delay expanded access to health care despite Missourians’ vote to pass Medicaid expansion.
She also advocated for caseworkers to be paid a livable wage. Schwach said her experience with CASA has shown her that, despite the efforts of people who work at the agency and go above and beyond the call of duty, the group is losing employees because of pay.
“These are signs of a legislature that has forgotten its primary responsibility — to legislate in the best interest of all of Missouri’s citizens. As a state legislator, this is a responsibility that I will not forget,” Schwach said in the news release.
Schwach said she has always thought about running for this position but didn’t expect an opportunity to arise this early, as she expected Stevens to seek reelection.
“I fundamentally believe the foremost responsibility of the legislature is to represent all Missouri families, no matter what they look like or where they reside. Right now, it doesn’t feel that way,” Schwach said in the release.
