Ex-mayor of Branson to run for state House

Photo provided by Victory Enterprises

Karen Best

Former Branson Mayor Karen Best this morning announced her bid for the Missouri House of Representatives.

Best, who lost to Edd Akers in the city’s mayoral election earlier this year, is seeking the seat currently held by Jeffery Justus, R-Branson, according to a news release. First elected in 2012, Justus is scheduled to term out in 2020.

“For more than a decade I’ve been working to promote business and industry in Taney County,” said Best, a self-described fiscal conservative, in the release. “As mayor, I always looked for ways we could provide better services for our citizens without raising taxes.

“Finding waste and inefficiency in government is something I have firsthand experience in, and I look forward to using that experience when I get to Jefferson City.”

Prior to her narrow defeat to Akers in April, Best had served as Branson’s mayor for four years. A real estate agent, she also runs the Best Team at Keller Williams.

Missouri Ethics Commission records do not yet show a formal committee for Best’s state House plans. She’s scheduled to run in the Aug. 4, 2020, primary election and Nov. 3, 2020, general election.