Justin Aldred is sitting in a partisan position as the current District I Boone County commissioner, but he doesn’t view it as such.
“I don’t think that the pothole on the road cares if you’re voting red or blue. It’s still going to jerk your car when you hit it,” he said.
When it comes to local politics, Aldred believes his purpose is to make sure his constituents’ basic needs are met — a goal that he hopes to continue to work toward during a second term.
Aldred, a Democrat, is running for a second four-year term as commissioner. After running unopposed for the Democratic seat in Missouri’s August primary election, he is gearing up for a challenge from Sam Turner, a Republican, in November’s general election.
The district Aldred represents generally encompasses west Columbia and the southern portion of Boone County, including Ashland, Hartsburg and Rocheport. Although he serves a diverse part of the county, he said the needs of all of his constituents are generally the same.
“I don’t necessarily believe in an urban-rural divide,” he said.
Throughout the past four years, Aldred has focused on infrastructure growth and funding due to what he identifies as significant growth in every area of the community. He is running for reelection because his work is ongoing, he said.
“We can’t get everything done all at once,” Aldred said. “‘Why am I running again?’ Because there’s still things to do.”
A career of ongoing service
Aldred first found himself in Boone County while serving as an officer in the 175th Military Police Battalion of the Missouri Army National Guard. After years of military service at various army bases throughout the country, he said he chose to make his home in Boone County in 2014. He then pursued a degree in political science from the University of Missouri, which led to an interest in politics.
While in school, Aldred interned for then-Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway, which sparked “a vested interest in local government,” Aldred said.
Laura Cutts, Aldred’s campaign treasurer and girlfriend, said she was not surprised that Aldred ran for public office in 2020, especially due to his military experience.
Aldred agreed, saying, “I really do see my current role in the county as an extension of my public service from when I was in the army, when I was in the National Guard.”
He said his understanding of the veteran’s perspective sets him apart from other commissioners.
Aldred said he chose to run for the commissioner position specifically because the office lends itself to shaping the community. There’s a tendency for voters to focus on items at the top of the ballot, he said, but local government can have a tangible impact.
“A lot of politics is personal, and local politics especially is personal, and I took that to heart,” Aldred said. “I wanted my community, the place that I chose to live, to be a better place.”
Aldred’s upbringing has also affected his policy goals and work, Cutts said. She said that he grew up outside of a village of less than 400 people in rural Illinois as the adopted child of a prison guard. In his childhood town, he did not have access to many of the similar resources that are available in Boone County, Cutts said.
“Being able to provide food and childcare and access for working-class families and workers’ issues are all things that he was passionate about from a very young age because he saw how they affected him,” she said. “Those are obviously issues close to his heart.”
Growing and learning
Cutts said that when they met nine years ago in downtown Columbia, she was not involved in politics. Cutts was working at the Missouri Theatre, and Aldred attended a show.
When he initially ran for commissioner in 2020, they had been dating for a few years, and Cutts helped with Aldred’s campaign in the ways she could — going door-to-door, dropping off literature and attending campaign events. Four years later, she is the campaign treasurer in his bid for reelection in November.
“I’m a townie. I’m from Columbia. I grew up here,” Cutts said. “I have learned more about Columbia and ... Boone County in my time with Justin, with him being commissioner, going to the different communities, talking to the different people, than I have in my 28 years prior.”
Cutts cited Aldred’s diverse life experiences as a contributing factor to winning over a diverse set of voters, as well as his efforts to meet people where they are on specific issues and build relationships with constituents.
Even with a military background and rural upbringing, his policy values align with the Democratic party. The District I Commissioner position had previously been held by a Republican incumbent, prior to Aldred flipping the seat blue in 2020.
“I want people to come to Boone County where they know they can work, where they can thrive, where they can grow,” Aldred said. “And I think that is stronger than any Republican-Democrat partisan divide.”
Major policy priorities
Aldred has made an effort to fund policy efforts that support the basic needs of Boone County residents.
This includes issues like the availability of housing, which Aldred believes is an increasing issue due to the projected population growth of Boone County. The commission has developed the Boone County Master Plan, which is the first time the county-wide planning and zoning project has been updated in 25 years. The ongoing project is set to provide data to guide investments in affordable housing development.
During Aldred’s tenure, the County Commission has also made investments to combat food insecurity, improve transportation infrastructure and other implementations to ensure that tax dollars are directly serving citizens, he said.
Aldred also worked with the commission on developing construction plans for the new Boone County Sheriff’s Regional Law Enforcement Training Center. Aldred hopes this will attract law enforcement professionals to Boone County to receive quality training, which ultimately has benefits for the community as well.
Andrew Hutchinson of LiUNA Local 955, a local union representing workers in northern and mid-Missouri, said Aldred has supported the organization’s worker’s advocacy efforts throughout his current term. The organization’s PAC has contributed money to Aldred’s campaign.
“He’s the kind of guy where his support is just always there,” Hutchinson said.
Among his future policy aspirations, Aldred hopes to offer free child care for all county employees, increase broadband internet access around the county and implement planned sewer expansion to spark development during his second term. Ultimately, Aldred can pin any issue that constituents bring to him to trust in government, he said.
“When people are calling my office, the issue that they’re worried about is trust in government over anything else,” he said. “And that manifests itself in gravel roads, utilities, making sure that when someone calls 911, that there’s a professional county employee there to pick up the phone. That is what’s important to people I feel, and I want to make sure we deliver on that.”
