Investigations firm owner running for 140th district seat

Springfield business owner and college professor Bob Cirtin has announced his bid for the 140th district seat in the Missouri House of Representatives.

Cirtin, a Republican, is director of the criminal justice program at Evangel University and owns Robert Cirtin Investigations LLC, an investigative and consulting firm, and Safe at Church LLC, a safety and security consulting firm for churches. He has lived in the 140th district for about 19 years, according to a news release.

His stints in community service have included serving as chairman of the city's Police Civilian Appeals Board, the City Utilities Advisory Council, the Oversight Committee for the Greene County Sheriff's Department, the city's Traffic Advisory Board, the Citizens Advisory Board for Probation and Parole for Southwest Missouri and the Mayor's Commission for Human Rights and Community Relations.

A former Springfield police officer, Cirtin also previously worked on Jack Merritt's campaign for Greene County sheriff and was campaign manager for Greene County Commissioner Harold Bengsch and Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott.

Cirtin will formally announce his candidacy at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Tower Club.