State Rep. Derek Grier is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about how Missouri is approaching economic development policy.
The Chesterfield Republican represents the 100th District in the Missouri House. The St. Louis County district takes in parts of Chesterfield, Town & Country, Winchester and Ballwin.
On the show, Grier talked about:
- The big accomplishments during the 2019 legislative session on the economic development front. That included getting a package of workforce development and economic development programs to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk.
- The pushback to those ideas from fellow Republican lawmakers. Some, including a group of conservative senators, contended that a part of the package that went to Parson amounted to corporate welfare.
- The state’s economic development incentives. Grier said he wants to examine them during the 2020 session, focusing on which enticements have been successful and which ones may need to be scaled back. He also wants to continue to position the state as a leader in agricultural technology. St. Louis has historically been seen as a top-tier city for that industry.
- The failure to pass legislation changing the low-income housing tax-credit program — and whether Parson should restart the program this year.
Grier is a St. Louis County native who first entered the electoral scene in 2011, when he won a seat on the Chesterfield City Council. Aside from his political pursuits, Grier has spent time working in the real estate industry.
When Rep. Sue Allen departed from the Missouri House due to term limits, Grier jumped into the GOP primary for the 100th District seat. He ended up defeating Allen’s husband, Michael Allen, by roughly 1,000 votes — which was tantamount to election, since no Democratic candidate filed to run for the seat.
Grier won re-election over Helena Webb by a little more than 10 percentage points. He was named chairman of the House Economic Development Committee after Jean Evans resigned as a legislator to become executive director of the Missouri Republican Party.
The podcast is sponsored by the St. Louis-based law firm of Capes Sokol.
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Derek Grier: @DerekGrier
Music: "Minerva" by Deftones
