Left In Missouri

On Wednesday night NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) sponsored a candidate forum for local House and Senate candidates. Five Democrats: Kelly Schultz (21st HD), Steven Webber (23rd HD), Chris Kelly (24th HD), Mary Still (25th HD) and Chuck Graham (19th SD) and Two Republicans: Theresa Sanders (22nd HD) and Kurt Schaefer (19th SD) attended.

Republicans Ed Robb (24th HD), Steve Hobbs (21st HD) and Ryan Asbridge (25th HD) did not attend the debate. Ryan Asbridge is deployed on military duty and thus has a perfectly good reason to have missed the forum, but Robb and Hobbs simply missed the forum because they lack respect for the constituents they are supposed to serve.

I know of no issue that is more bipartisan and equal opportunity in what families it affects. For Robb to go to a bank party instead and for Hobbs to simply miss the forum are inexcusable.

Columbia Missouri has had such great mental health parity advocates as Tim Harlan, Vicky Riback-Wilson and Judy Baker serving us in the past and it is very disappointing to see representatives like Robb and Hobbs give NAMI the cold shoulder.

Fortunately Chris Kelly (24th HD) and Kelly Schultz (21st HD) are both very accessible candidates who will make health care and mental health services high priorities.

We need compassionate and accessible legislators serving us who understand that mental health should not be a partisan issue and that working for mental health parity should be a higher priority than hobknobbing with bankers.

If you would like to help send Ed Robb and Steve Hobbs a message that mental health is important, please donate to their opponents Chris Kelly (24th HD) and Kelly Schultz (21st HD)  via the ActBlue button on this website. I’ll match the first $100 of donations to each candidate on my ActBlue page, if you donate to them before 5PM on September 30th.