Takeaways from the Maryville Town Hall
I held an interactive town hall event last week in Maryville. About twenty voters joined me in an engaging discussion about what matters most in north Missouri. While this was a smaller crowd than 150 voters who attended our September town hall in Liberty, reaching voters in small towns is essential to ensure everyone in our district has a voice. The energy from these two town halls is inspiring and I look forward to holding more after the new year.
My highest priority for the Maryville town hall was to create an engaging environment so we could gather tangible feedback from voters in our district. I leveraged my architecture background to create boards with six topics that I know are important to our district. Voters were invited to discuss priorities in each category and add additional thoughts and ideas using sticky notes. Here are a few of the insights that came out of this town hall:
Family Foundations
What challenges are there when raising young children here?
This topic was focused on birth and early childhood for families in the 6th District. Key challenges include accessing healthcare for mothers and babies, the high cost of raising children, and accessing affordable and reliable childcare. There was a general agreement among everyone that north Missouri is a wonderful place to raise a family, but we see some areas we can work to improve. One voter share a lack of state funded approved childcare centers in the areas around Maryville is causing distress. I expect this be a trend that continues across most of the remote rural areas in the 6th District if we do not act.
Learning For Life
What tools do we need so every child can succeed in school and every professional can grow in their career?
This topic highlighted education for children, career opportunities, and technical education opportunities. This raised the most areas for improvement compared to the others. It is clear through the conversation that local schools and education for our children is a top priority for many people. There is a broad recognition that Missouri has a teacher shortage and retention issue. Voters also indicated that access to mental health support is critically important. One of the biggest areas for improvement was increased career and technical education opportunities in north Missouri. This group agreed that no public money should be given towards private religious schools.
Working & Affording Life
What would make it easier for us to get ahead, not just get by?
This topic focused on affordability and access to things like good jobs, healthcare, insurance, and housing. The highest concerns were the cost of healthcare and insurance. Transportation challenges across the large 6th District, and small businesses’ ability to compete with large corporations were also a top area for improvement.
Aging in North Missouri
How do we make sure older adults can live well here as they age?
This topic focused on our seniors and their quality of life as they age. People recognize that accessing healthcare and specialists can be difficult, especially in rural communities. The cost of long term care and prescriptions continue to rise while those who depend on them most are typically on a fixed income. We also discussed the importance of caregiver support and how difficult it can be to support aging family members. When the government added an 80 hour work requirement to Medicaid, it means those who are in rural communities without access to a consistent 80 hours of work a month are now without Medicaid.
Community & Belonging
What makes our towns good places to live, work, and raise a family?
This topic highlighted our sense of place, and how our communities make the 6th District special. Voters shared that it is important to improve people’s access to broadband and cell service. People also broadly recognized that our communities across north Missouri are fairly safe, with excellent access to parks, recreation, and community spaces.
The Future We’re Building
What should north Missouri be known for in 10 years?
This topic looked forward to the positive future we can leave for the next generations. We have opportunities to make the economy work better for people through good paying jobs, affordable housing, and access to healthcare closer to home. Voters also added many factors that can improve life including universal healthcare, an arms embargo to Israel, AI regulation, fighting for the right to repair, crypto regulation, and ensuring our houses and buildings are safe for people to occupy. Improving quality of life means many things to many communities but overall, voters indicated that we must move forward with empathy and compassion.
What’s Next
This style of town hall was unconventional and not something I have seen other politicians try. Hearing feedback this way gives me a tremendous opportunity to make sure I am prioritizing what it most important to the district.
Over time, I will do more of these interactive town halls to hear from all areas of our district.
Our current representative has been in Congress since 2001 and has refused to hold a town hall for over a decade. I am excited to bring a new perspective and new ideas to help north Missouri rather than the stale and absent career politician we currently have.
