Senate District 19 candidates James Coyne and Stephen Webber found an area to agree on in a campaign forum Thursday: Legislative processes need to change.
How to achieve those changes revealed some differences between them at a League of Women Voters forum held at the Columbia Public Library.
While they disagreed on Amendment 3, gun control and charter schools, the candidates saw eye-to-eye in their dissatisfaction with the legislature's internal balance of power and legislative process.
Coyne, the Republican, highlighted his foremost campaign promise to push the General Assembly to reform its rules and distribute power more evenly among legislators and committees.
"Very simply, you need two things. You need a plan, and you need a spine," Coyne said. "I got the plan, and I hope to help my fellow senators and the folks in the House to get the spine."
Webber said that while he was unfamiliar with and did not endorse Coyne's plan specifically, he agreed that Missouri's legislative process is restrictive and skews power toward leadership.
"When I was in the House, it was really frustrating when there was a bill that had wide support and the speaker could just sit on it," Webber said. "I think that's philosophically something we agree on, although the details we may not."
Webber argued that electing strong representatives and protecting the initiative petition process will best protect equitable representation.
On other matters, the candidates largely disagreed.
Webber said he supported Amendment 3 and would "fight the hardest" to protect it in the next legislative session. Coyne said he believes the issue of abortion should be discussed and voted upon by the legislature.
On guns, Coyne said he that while he is in favor of background checks for purchasing firearms, he strongly supports protecting the Second Amendment.
Webber said he supports red flag laws, keeping handguns away from criminals and domestic abusers, and preventing the criminalization of law enforcement enforcing gun laws.
Webber also said he would advocate against charter schools in Columbia. Coyne said he supported competition among educational institutions and parents' choice for their children's schooling.
A new law this year allows charter schools to operate in Boone County despite the objections of various school districts in the county.
