Missouri Representative, 141st District: Jay Wasson, Republican

Jay Wasson, Republican

Wasson served as Nixa mayor for five years and is a real estate agent, home builder and small business owner.

What is your plan to get the state budget back in line?

"You have to start with a look back at last year and see what didn't work.

"Then you start to build a budget. The way I see the state doing their budget today, they never look back at last year and why they spent the money. They only look at what the department wants in new money.

"This performance budgeting is probably not a bad idea, where a department has to stand up and say this is why we want this money and this is where we're going to spend it."

How would you recommend funding the state's transportation needs?

"In Nixa, we passed $2 million worth of road bonds. We passed them with 70 percent approval. What we did, first of all, was show them that we were spending their money properly, and then we showed them the need the roads that were going to be done and what we would do with them.

"The third thing, is keep your promise. You tell them what you're going to do, and then you do it. That's what MoDOT has not done."

What is your plan to stimulate the Missouri economy?

"The first thing, before trying to create anything new, I would try to get regulations off the backs of small businesses as it stands now.

"If you let the small entrepreneur and small businessman have his head a little bit without a lot of regulations, he'll generally find a way to make his business work and therefore create tax dollars."

How will you address the rising cost of health insurance and its impact on small businesses?

"I would like to see small businesses in Missouri be able to band together and try to get their health care as one, if possible. That's a great idea."

by Brent Lawrence

SBJ Reporters