Politically Speaking

<p>On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum welcomes Sean Soendker Nicholson, Sen. Rob Schaaf and former Sen. Jim Lembke to the program to talk about a ballot initiative known as “Clean Missouri.”</p> <p>Clean Missouri is a multi-faceted ethics proposal that seeks to curb lobbyist-paid freebies, make it more difficult for lawmakers to become lobbyists, tweak campaign finance laws and, perhaps most notably, overhaul how state legislative districts are drawn.</p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann reflect on Gov. Eric Greitens’ decision to resign from office.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The move marks a stunning end to a fast-rising political career that began with presidential ambitions and ended with a wave of scandal.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum is pleased to welcome University of Missouri System President Mun Choi to the program for the first time.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Choi oversees four University of Missouri campuses in Columbia, Rolla, Kansas City and St. Louis. He took on his job on March 1, 2017, succeeding interim President Michael Middleton.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies go over this week’s big developments in Gov. Eric Greitens’ political and legal saga.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week’s episode zeroes in on how the woman at the heart of the scandal, identified only as K.S., spoke publicly for the first time. It came as lawmakers read depositions where the woman had to answer provocative and personal questions about her interactions with Greitens.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger to the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Democratic chief executive of Missouri’s largest county is running for a second four-year term. His main opposition is in the Democratic primary this August, where businessman Mark Mantovani is seeking to oust him. There are no well-known Republicans seeking the office.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Rachel Lippmann and Jo Mannies detail a dramatic week in Gov. Eric Greitens’ legal and political saga.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This was supposed to be the first week of Gov. Eric Greitens’ trial for felony invasion of privacy. But as jury selection trudged along at a glacial pace, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office shocked many courtroom observers by dropping the case.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome state Rep. Peter Merideth to the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Merideth is a St. Louis Democrat who represents south central portions of the city in the Missouri House. He was elected to his seat in 2016 and running for re-election later this year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Missouri General Assembly is going into the final week of its regular session this week. It comes as lawmakers are mulling over whether to impeach Gov. Eric Greitens, who is set to go on trial this week on felony invasion of privacy charges.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Rachel Lippmann, Marshall Griffin and Jo Mannies break down all of the developments this week in Gov. Eric Greitens’ political and legal saga.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week’s episode gives a preview of the governor’s felony invasion of privacy trial, which is slated to get started next week. We also get an update on whether legislators will impeach the governor — and the status of Greitens’ second felony charge for computer data tampering.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome state Rep. Shamed Dogan to the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dogan is a Republican from Ballwin. He was first elected to the Missouri House in 2014 and was re-elected in 2016. He decided to run for another House term in 2018 after mulling over whether to run for St. Louis County executive.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unlike many of his Republican and Democratic colleagues, Dogan called on Greitens to resign soon after he was indicted for felony invasion of privacy. Many lawmakers ended up following Dogan’s lead after a House report accused Greitens of physical and sexual abuse against the woman he had an affair with.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann examine what turned out to be a</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">very</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">busy week in the legal and political saga of Gov. Eric Greitens.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week’s edition of the show zeroes in on a historic special session to</span> <a href= "http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/greitens-likely-face-impeachment-after-lawmakers-call-historic-special-session#stream/0"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">possibly consider impeachment</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">— and a second House committee report regarding the acquisition of a fundraising list from the Mission Continues.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back Councilwoman Hazel Erby to the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The University City Democrat represents the council’s 1st District, which takes in a number of municipalities in central and north St. Louis County. Erby represents most of Ferguson, and she was a key figure in the aftermath of Michael Brown’s shooting death in that city.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann review what occurred in the Gov. Eric Greitens saga.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After two particularly bad weeks, it could be argued that there were rays of light on the legal front for the GOP governor. That’s because an investigator who allegedly made false statements during a deposition took the Fifth Amendment — which could place critical evidence in jeopardy.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The latest edition of Politically Speaking takes a bit of a break from the frenetic discussion of Missouri politics by welcoming conservative writers Guy Benson and Mary Katharine Ham onto the show.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Benson and Ham are co-authors</span> <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/End-Discussion-Outrage-Industry-Manipulates/dp/0553447777"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">of the book</span></a> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">End of Discussion: How the Left's Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun).</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">They were in St. Louis last week to speak at the St. Louis Chess Club.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann break down all of developments in ongoing saga around Gov. Eric Greitens.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week was particularly newsworthy. After last week’s release of an explosive House report that lead to widespread calls for Greitens to resign, at least three events ended up placing Greitens’ political career on virtual life support.</span></p>

<p>On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome Mark Mantovani to the program.</p> <p>The Democrat is running for St. Louis County executive. He's seeking to deprive incumbent St. Louis County executive Steve Stenger of a second term.</p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Rachel Lippmann and Marshall Griffin examine all of the developments in Gov. Eric Greitens’ legal and political saga.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week’s episode focuses on a House committee report that’s prompting bipartisan calls for Greitens to step down.</span></p> <p> </p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back Sen. Jamilah Nasheed to the show for the fourth time.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nasheed represents roughly half of the city of St. Louis. The Democratic official was first elected to her state Senate post in 2012, and was re-elected in 2016.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After news broke that Gov. Eric Greitens had an extramarital affair before he was elected to office, Nasheed was one of the first Missouri politicians to call for the GOP chief executive’s resignation. But <a href= "http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/more-republicans-call-governor-step-down-while-democrats-step-back#stream/0"> she said later in February</a> that “Democrats, they want to play it out all the way until November,” a reference to how some in her party want to use the governor’s political woes for their electoral benefit.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann break down all of the developments in the legal and political saga of Gov. Eric Greitens.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week’s show zeroes in on how a special House committee investigating Greitens is set to release its report in the coming days.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome Sen. Bill Eigel back to the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Weldon Spring Republican represents a portion of St. Charles County in the Missouri Senate. He was elected in 2016 after a hotly-contested GOP primary, and a fairly easy general election victory.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eigel is one of several Republicans who have put forward bills to overhaul the state’s tax code. It’s also been a priority for Gov. Eric Greitens, who promised during his State of the State speech to push through an ambitious tax cut plan.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann break down all of the developments in the legal and political saga of Gov. Eric Greitens.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week’s episode zeroes in on St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison’s decision to have a jury, rather than himself, decide whether Greitens is guilty of felony invasion of privacy.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back Sen. Scott Sifton to the program.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Affton Democrat (who is now tied with state Treasurer Eric Schmitt for most appearances on the show with five) represents parts of south and central St. Louis County in the Missouri Senate.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann round up this week’s legal and political news surrounding Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week’s episode zeroes in on how Greitens’ political plight is weighing on other political figures — including Attorney General Josh Hawley.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tony Monetti to the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Monetti is one of 20 people that have signed up to run for the seat that U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill currently holds. Ten Republicans, including Attorney General Josh Hawley, have filed thus far.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann round up this week’s legal and political news surrounding Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week’s episodes focuses on how the governor’s allies and adversaries are trying to alter public opinion in the run up to his felony invasion of privacy trial on May 14.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome Republican U.S. Senate candidate</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Austin Petersen to the program.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Petersen is one of nine Republicans vying for the U.S. Senate in Missouri</span><strong>,</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">a field that includes Attorney General Josh Hawley. The winner of that GOP primary will almost certainly square off against U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat seeking a third term in office.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As Gov. Eric Greitens’ legal and political future continues to dominate the headlines, Politically Speaking is launching a standalone show detailing the developments in the Missouri chief executive’s saga.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">St. Louis Public Radio’s political reporters will discuss</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">what’s going on in court, the Missouri General Assembly and the electoral arena with the governor’s case. We’ll</span> <a href= "https://modules.wearehearken.com/kwmu/embed/715/share?utm_content=buffer84cfc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">also answer your questions</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">about the situation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann are taking a look at:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How prominent attorneys are joining up with Greitens’ legal team — and Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why some lawmakers are not happy that a House Committee looking into the Greitens indictment are keeping the meetings closed to the public.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Whether Greitens’ legal woes will affect the 2018 election cycle — especially when it comes to a nationally-watched U.S. Senate contest.</span></li> </ul>

<p>On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio's Jo Mannies and Marshall Griffin welcome back Sen. Jill Schupp to the program.</p> <p>The Creve Coeur Democrat represents the 24th Senatorial District, which takes in portions of St. Louis County. She was elected to her post in 2014 and will be up for re-election later this fall.</p> <p>This show was recorded on February 28, 2018, a few days after Gov. Eric Greitens was indicted on felony invasion of privacy charges.</p>

<p>On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio's Jo Mannies welcomes back Congresswoman Ann Wagner to the program.</p> <p>The Ballwin Republican represents Missouri's Second Congressional District, which takes in parts of St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson Counties. She recently filed for another term for the seat.</p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies are pleased to welcome Sen. Dan Hegeman to the program for the first time.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Cosby Republican represents most of northwest Missouri in the Missouri Senate. The 12th Senatorial District has the largest geographic area of any House or Senate seat.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann welcome Alderwoman-elect Annie Rice to the show.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rice defeated 8th Ward Democratic Committeeman Paul Fehler on Tuesday to represent the 8th Ward in the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. The 8th Ward takes in the Shaw, Southwest Garden, Tower Grove South and Tower Grove East neighborhoods.</span></p>

<p>On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason <span data-scaytid="1" data-scayt_word= "Rosenbaum">Rosenbaum</span> and Jo <span data-scaytid= "2" data-scayt_word="Mannies">Mannies</span> welcome Greg Razer to the program for the first time.</p> <p>Razer, a Democrat, represents a portion of Kansas City in the Missouri House. He was first elected to his post in 2016, winning a primary and general election with no opposition.</p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back St. Louis County Councilwoman Colleen Wasinger to the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Huntleigh Republican represents the council’s 3rd District, which includes municipalities such as Kirkwood, Manchester, Fenton, Sunset Hills, Frontenac and Valley Park. Wasinger has represented her district since 2007.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back St. Louis County Councilman Mark Harder to the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Ballwin Republican represents the council’s 7th District. It takes in a number of large municipalities in St. Louis County, including Chesterfield, Wildwood, Ellisville and Ballwin.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty to the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Kansas City Democrat has been the leader of Missouri House Democrats since 2017. She’s often the public face for a 46-member caucus that</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">regularly faces an uphill battle to outflank the Republican supermajority on key issues.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most of the attention in Jefferson City these days is over the uncertainty around Gov. Eric Greitens. He addressed reporters last Monday for the first time since admitting to an extramarital affair before he became governor. Greitens has denied allegations he blackmailed a woman into keeping the infidelity secret and repeatedly said he won’t resign from office.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome state Rep. Marsha Haefner to the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Haefner</span> <a href= "http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/republican-lawmakers-ramp-pressure-greitens-step-aside#stream/0"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">made news last week</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">when she and state Rep. Kathie Conway, R-St. Charles, became the first Republican House members to call for Gov. Eric Greitens to resign. Greitens admitted earlier this month that he had an extramarital affair before he was governor, but denied allegations he took a photo of a woman to keep the infidelity a secret. He reiterated to the</span> <a href= "http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/state-and-regional/greitens-no-blackmail-no-violence-in-affair/article_5535c2a7-af72-561e-ac89-b3bb5c7a1ae6.html#tncms-source=johncombest.com"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Associated Press this weekend</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">that he will not be stepping down.</span></p>

<p>On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies are pleased to welcome state Rep. Crystal Quade to the show for the first time.</p> <p>The freshman legislator is the only Democrat to represent a House district in southern Missouri. She is a member of the powerful House Budget Committee, which makes big decisions about the state's financial future.</p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jo Mannies welcomes St. Louis County Councilman Ernie Trakas on the program for the first time.</span></p> <p>The St. Louis County Republican was elected to his post in 2016. He represents a part of south St. Louis County on the council.</p>

<p>On a special edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason <span data-scaytid="1" data-scayt_word="Rosenbaum">Rosenbaum</span> and Jo <span data-scaytid="2" data-scayt_word= "Mannies">Mannies</span> talk about Gov. Eric <span data-scaytid="3" data-scayt_word= "Greitens’">Greitens’</span> admission of an extramarital affair — and allegations that he blackmailed a woman to prevent her from speaking out.</p> <p>The startling report from <span data-scaytid="4" data-scayt_word="KMOV-TV">KMOV-TV</span> came out Tuesday after <span data-scaytid="5" data-scayt_word="Greitens">Greitens</span> gave his second State of the State address. The governor admitted to infidelity before he was elected governor. But his attorney is forcefully denying that he took a compromising photo of the woman as a way to make her not reveal the affair.</p> <p> </p>

<p>On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum is pleased to welcome state Reps. Kip Kendrick and Martha Stevens to the program.</p> <p>Rosenbaum recorded the show with the Columbia Democrats at KBIA’s studios on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. Both lawmakers represent fairly Democratic-leaning districts that take in portions of the city of Columbia.</p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum welcomes Lt. Gov. Mike Parson to the program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Parson recorded the episode of the show from his office in Jefferson City. He won election to the statewide position in November 2016, defeating well-funded general election and Republican primary challengers.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum is pleased to welcome House Speaker Todd Richardson back on the show for the fifth time.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Poplar Bluff Republican is in his final year in the Missouri House. He has served as speaker since the middle of 2015.</span></p>

<p>On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and KBIA’s Bram Sable-Smith welcome back Sen. Caleb Rowden to the show.</p> <p>The Columbia Republican represents Missouri’s 19th Senatorial District. That includes Boone and Cooper Counties, which include the cities of Columbia and Boonville.</p>

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome St. Louis Alderman Tom Oldenburg to the show for the first time. The Democrat was recently elected to represent the city’s 16th Ward, which takes in parts of St. Louis Hills, Southampton, Princeton Heights and Lindenwood Park. He is filling out the remainder of Donna Baringer’s four-year term after she won election to a Missouri House seat. In addition to his elected service, Oldenburg is a vice-president of community development at U.S. Bank.

<p>On this edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum takes a closer look at how young African-American politicians are making an impact after a judge found former St. Louis Police officer Jason Stockley not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Anthony Lamar Smith.</p> <p>It's a topic Rosenbaum <a href= "http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/after-stockley-verdict-st-louis-younger-politicians-are-stepping-forefront#stream/0">explored in a feature</a> that was published last week. St. Louis' black elected officials under the age of 40 are seeking policy changes in St. Louis and the Missouri General Assembly that would change how police interact with African-Americans. They’ve also joined people in the streets to protest Stockley’s acquittal.</p>

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome Sen. Gary Romine to the program for the first time. The Farmington Republican represents the 3rd Senatorial District, which takes in parts of Jefferson, Ste. Genevieve, St. Francois, Iron, Reynolds and Washington counties. He was re-elected in November to his traditionally competitive seat without Democratic opposition.

<p>On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back state Treasurer Eric Schmitt to the program.</p> <p>With his latest appearance, Schmitt becomes the first elected official to be on the show for the fifth time. He was a guest during his tenure as a state senator representing a portion of St. Louis County.</p> <p>The treasurer’s office is responsible for investing the state’s money and running Missouri’s college savings plan. The officeholder also sits on a number of key boards, including the Missouri Housing Development Commission and the Missouri State Employee’s Retirement System.</p>

<p>On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back state Rep. Gina Mitten to the program.</p> <p>A Democrat, Mitten is a lawyer and resides in Richmond Heights. Before she was elected to the General Assembly in 2012, she spent eight years on the Richmond Heights City Council. Mitten serves as the assistant minority leader, making her the second highest-ranking Democrat in the Missouri House.</p>

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jo Mannies and Jason Rosenbaum welcome St. Louis Alderwoman Sarah Martin onto the show for the first time. Martin represents St. Louis’ 11 th Ward, which takes in parts of the Boulevard Heights, Holly Hills, Patch, Mount Pleasant and Carondelet neighborhoods. It’s also home to the Carondelet YMCA, which Martin affectionately nicknamed the “South City Country Club."

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back U.S. Rep. John Shimkus to the show for the third time. Shimkus is a Collinsville Republican who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1996. He represents the enormous and heavily Republican 15th congressional district, which encompasses a big chunk of southern Illinois. In fact, since redistricting went into effect in 2012, Shimkus says his district appears to be the largest – area-wise – of any district east of the Mississippi River.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome Missouri state Rep. Joe Adams, a Democrat from University City. It’s the first appearance on the podcast for Adams, who has been involved in area politics for more than three decades.