Backer, Fitzwater battle for 49th House District seat

As the Nov. 4 election in Missouri approaches, two familiar faces vying for the 49th state House District have popped up on TV screens among the slew of political ads.

Travis Fitzwater, Republican candidate from Holts Summit, and Gracia Backer, Democratic candidate from New Bloomfield, both have their eyes on the seat that represents western and southern portions of Callaway County and a small portion of Cole County.

Backer announced her campaign in April, coming into the race with 18 years of experience.

She first campaigned in 1982 and represented Callaway County from 1983 to 2000 in the House. In 1996, she became the majority floor leader, the first woman in Missouri history to do so. She lost the Democratic primary in 2001 for lieutenant governor.

Because of term limits, Backer could serve one two-year term in the House. She believes she can take advantage of that time.

"I know the process," Backer said. "I will hit the ground running working aggressively with both sides of the aisle."

Backer said her frustration with the "absence of ethics" in Jefferson City caused her to run again, adding that elections are now too easily bought with a lack of campaign finance laws.

"I'm tired of the dysfunction of our state government," she said.

Fitzwater started campaigning in 2012, dropping his role as a lobbyist with the Missouri Pharmacy Association. He has also held positions with the organization as its marketing coordinator and then chief operating officer.

If elected on Nov. 4, this will be Fitzwater's first time in office, but he previously has said that his role with the Missouri Pharmacy Association has provided him with an understanding of the legislative process.

"I stand for liberty and will fight for a better economy and getting government out of our lives," he said.

Growing business and job creation

At a candidate forum earlier this month, the two candidates sat down to discuss issues pertinent to the 49th District. One of those topics was improving the economic and business climate.

Fitzwater discussed two specific areas to accomplish this - expanding energy opportunities and fostering entrepreneurship.

Energy operations can be supported, he said, by investing in infrastructure and training to fill the needs at these facilities. This is an industry that is viable in Callaway County, he said, and provides "high-tech, well-paying jobs."

Fitzwater said it can be a challenge to bring business into the county, so entrepreneurship will take advantage of the workforce and skills that already exist in the community. The Show Me Innovation Center, a nonprofit organization that will support local business, is an example of how to accomplish this goal.

"Those are the people who are really making our economy go," he said, adding that he would like to cut red tape for small businesses.

Backer said when companies come to the state, they are looking for three key factors - an educated workforce, access to transportation and health care options for their employees.

She said Missouri needs to make an investment in schools to advance the educated workforce employers seek, repair and build the transportation infrastructure and oversee what's available for health care. Backer added that Missouri is the eighth lowest in the nation in business taxes, and the three factors are assessed by companies versus the tax base.

Fitzwater and Backer both have interests in providing state employees with competitive wages. Missouri ranks 50th in the nation in pay for state employees.

Backer added she would like to assess "shadow expenditures" - 60 tax credits she said are off line in Missouri's budget. She said a Department of Revenue report stated that 63 jobs were created out of $144 million of these shadow expenditures.

"I want to look at these tax credits and see if they are working or are we giving away an enormous amount of money on these credits," Backer said.

Medicaid expansion

This is a topic in which the candidates have two different ideologies. Fitzwater is for reform and Backer is in favor of expansion.

Fitzwater said his experience in the health care field has shown him that Medicaid is an "inefficient model" that doesn't measure outcomes. Before he would consider expanding the system, he said it needs to be reformed and produce "good outcomes from the service it's providing."

Backer said Medicaid expansion will create 24,000 jobs and bring in $158 million in local and sales tax dollars over five years, while preventing small hospitals from having to lay off staff.

She added that there's a false association between Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), causing the advancement of the system.

"The Missouri General Assembly can't repel the Affordable Care Act. It's here and now it's up to us to make it as good as it could be and it should be," Backer said.

Right to Work

The legislation, which places certain restrictions on unions, comes up in the Missouri Legislature again and again.

Fitzwater didn't take a specific stance on Right to Work, but said if he's elected and the issue again arises, he would look to his constituents on how to proceed. It's not an issue brought up as he goes door to door campaigning, he said.

Fitzwater added that unions have "done a lot of great work" in Callaway County and that the nuclear plant is an example of that.

"It wouldn't be there if it wasn't for unions," Fitzwater said.

Backer said she's opposed to Right to Work.

"It's not about the unions, but the men and women who are highly trained making a livable wage," she said.