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Right to work separates GOP candidates in House District 95 race

Joe Patterson
Patterson for Oakville
Joe Patterson

The right-to-work proposition may determine who succeeds Missouri state Rep. Marsha Haefner in District 95.

Joe Patterson and Michael O’Donnell – each with different views on Proposition A – are seeking the Republican nomination for the seat that covers portions of south St. Louis County. Haefner, R-Oakville, is leaving the office due to term limits.

Patterson, 32, of Oakville, is a St. Louis County police detective and union president of that department’s chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 111. He opposes Prop A.

Joe Patterson
Credit Patterson for Oakville
Joe Patterson

“For me personally as a conservative, I believe that government should stay out of private business as much as possible,” Patterson said. “If a private employer – if they choose to have a union shop, and if they and their employees choose to work together collectively and bargain in good faith, that should be a choice that they make on their own, with the government not being involved.”

O’Donnell, 50, of Oakville, works in municipal finance and is a Navy reservist. He supports Prop A, saying that keeping the state’s right-to-work law, which eliminates union membership requirements, will make unions take better care of their members.Loading...

“In states where enacted, some unions did close, but some unions grew because they stepped up and did the right things for their members, and they became stronger because of it,” O’Donnell said. “I think there’s a lot of fear mongering going on surrounding Prop A, and I don’t think we’re going to see the unions disappear in the state – I think you’re going to see the good ones get stronger and the ones that aren’t representing the things that their members want, they’re going to have some real challenges.”

O’Donnell and Patterson are both on the Aug. 7 primary ballot, along with Prop A.

Both men voiced support for expanding economic opportunities as a means of insuring south county’s quality of life.

“People worry about jobs coming and going, and about job opportunities,” O’Donnell said. “We see states that are drawing businesses, and we see headquarters [in Missouri], especially in the St. Louis area, leaving. People are concerned about that.”

Patterson is concerned about an aging housing stock and baby boomers retiring and moving out of the area.

“We want to be able to attract business and families back into the area so that we can re-generate for the next generation and make sure that another 25-plus years of prosperity can occur out here in south St. Louis County,” he said.

He added, though, that the “stigma” of unrest in St. Louis and Ferguson has created a poor image that could keep outside investment away from Missouri.

Michael O'Donnell files to run for Missouri House District 95 on Feb. 27 at the secretary of state's office in Jefferson City.
Credit Michael O'Donnell via Twitter
Michael O'Donnell files to run for Missouri House District 95 on Feb. 27 at the secretary of state's office in Jefferson City.

“Some neighborhoods [in metro St. Louis] are doing great, others are doing terribly,” Patterson said. “I want to empower our first responders, our police officers and firefighters, to make sure they have all the skills and tools they need to keep us safe, and then from there we can start tackling some of these problems in these economically disadvantaged communities.”

O’Donnell said one doesn’t need to be a police officer to be a strong advocate for law enforcement.

“Police are there to take care of citizens and make sure they’re kept safe – the animosity and adversarial positioning in some of these communities is unfortunate,” he said. “There is plenty of opportunity to make things better in Ferguson and elsewhere in the state.”

The winner of the August election will face Mike Walter in November, who’s running unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Follow Marshall on Twitter: @MarshallGReport

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.
Marshall Griffin
St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.