Missouri state Rep.-elect Nick Kimble didn’t have to go through an arduous primary or general election to get to Jefferson City.
The St. Louis Democrat ran unopposed in the primary to succeed Rep. Donna Baringer in Missouri’s 82nd House District, which takes in a southwest portion of the city. That basically sealed Kimble’s election since the district is heavily Democratic.
But as Kimble noted on a recent episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, the 82nd District features perhaps the largest concentration of Republicans in the city of St. Louis. And that gives him a different perspective on how to represent the area in Jefferson City.
“Growing up in the district, I knew a lot of those Republicans,” Kimble said. “I went to school with them. I was friends with their kids, I mowed their lawn, I delivered pizzas. So I think that helps. I consider myself a center left and moderate person. I don't go around to the fish fries or various things on the Hill in south city talking about partisan issues or partisan politics.”
One of Kimble’s major priorities in Jefferson City is figuring out ways to grow the St. Louis region. And that includes a more collaborative relationship with St. Louis County.
“There's some cities across the country where regional cooperation was prioritized decades ago, and they're reaping the benefits of that,” he said, pointing to Indianapolis and Nashville.
Despite the fact that an effort to create a metro government that oversees St. Louis and St. Louis County collapsed in 2019, Kimble doesn’t think that political leaders should give up on trying to create more formal ties between the two jurisdictions.
“For a while it was the third rail of St Louis politics, something that everyone knows needs to get finished, but no one wants to talk about or be the person that sticks their head out there,” Kimble said. “That's one of the main reasons I ran: to get it in the conversation more and to figure out what we can do to advance it.”
Abortion and police control expected to be top issues
Missouri Republicans are expected to push for a state-appointed board to oversee the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department once the General Assembly reconvenes in January.
Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe has made that policy proposal one of his top priorities. He says it will lead to a more functional police department than having the mayor’s office in charge.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones is strongly opposed to Kehoe’s push to institute what’s known as state control. She said a similar setup in Kansas City hasn’t led to crime going down, while adding that local control in St. Louis is bringing about better outcomes in fighting crime.
While Kimble acknowledged that some of his constituents would prefer state control, including unions representing police officers, he added that he understands why the idea isn’t universally popular with city residents.
“I'd like to see proposals of what that final bill looks like and how it’s going to help recruitment. I think there's ways to structure the board that look different than it may have in the past,” Kimble said. “I think folks in outstate Missouri would not take too kindly to the state coming in and saying, ‘Hey, we would like to take over your police department.’ So I think there's going to be a good debate on the issue.”
Kimble also hopes that incoming House Speaker Jon Patterson doesn’t yield to pressure to put something before voters to overturn or change Amendment 3, which legalized abortion up until fetal viability.
During his reelection campaign, Patterson mentioned that his colleagues should respect whatever Missourians decided on Amendment 3. More recently, he said that lawmakers would look into alternatives for the measure in the coming months.
“I think he's an honest man. I'm going to take him at his word of him respecting the will of the voters," Kimble said. “I know he's being pressured now.”
