Sunday, February 03, 2008

Dear Friends of the 16th District,

I have been on the campaign trail for many months now, and one of the questions that I am
repeatedly asked is “Why are you running for office?”

That question has a very simple answer…I feel a great amount of satisfaction helping my
fellow neighbor.

During the last 7 years I worked as a staffer for United States Senator “Kit” Bond.
There are many unique and diverse facets of employment with a US Senator’s office.
Normally, when you think of Senate Staff, you visualize Senators and staff walking the  
halls of Congress or on the floor of the Senate while watching C-SPAN.

The side of a Senate employee you don’t see on television is the role of the “in-state" staff.
In my opinion, this is the most important part of any Senator’s staff. The in-state staff
communicates directly with the Senator’s constituents.

I started working for Senator Bond on June 05, 2000. Like most staff, I started at the
bottom, making $18,000 per year. Mark Twain Said it best, "Once you find a job you
love, it's no longer work." My original position was Staff Assistant. In this position, if
you called Senator Bond’s office to offer your opinion on a particular piece of legislation
you more than likely talked to me and I passed your opinion onto Senator Bond.

I was then promoted to Field Representative and then ultimately to Deputy District
Office Director. I was then given the task of representing “Kit” in the 17 counties in
North-East Missouri. In this new role I was responsible for implementing Senator
Bond’s “Listening Post” program. Essentially, I would take the office to the people.
I think a face-to-face meeting is much more personal than a phone call or email.
On average, I would conduct 25 listening posts a month.

Of course, while I was in town I would represent Senator Bond at other functions as
well. These could be a local Chamber of Commerce meeting, a meeting with a small
town mayor or local Sheriff. I also spoke for “Kit” at other official functions as
well. These functions included small business ribbon-cuttings, ground breakings for local
roads and bridges, or a return trip to those local bridges to “cut the ribbon” upon
completion.

My favorite part of the job was meeting individuals at listening posts. I have personally
met with and talked to the unique and diverse population that encompasses north-east
Missouri, from the local farmer to the local school teacher.

We all know, dealing with the Federal Government can confusing, complicated and
sometimes downright frustrating. That is where I was able to step in and help out.
It was my job to help neighbors, like yourself, cut through the government
red-tape or provide you with a roadmap through government bureaucracy. Your
Representatives work for you, the people, not only in the halls of Congress, but right
here in St. Charles County.

This brings me back to the original question, why am I running for office?

This answer is simple. I take great satisfaction in helping my neighbors solve their
problems dealing with their government. I have the knowledge to make your government
work for you and I want to take that knowledge to Jefferson City.

I am running for State Representative because I want to make your life better and I am
personally asking for your vote on February 5th.

Thank you, in advance, for your support,

MARK

P.S. My opponent has created a voting record for me, and I am humbled by the promotion
to Congress he has bestowed upon me, the only problem with this is that I have never
been elected and therefore I have no voting record. Please keep this in mind when
making your decision of whom to vote for on Tuesday.