Deb Lavender Will Be a Healthy Dose of Change in Government

Patch:

Several years ago I became active in local politics to help make Kirkwood indoor public places smoke-free. We sought support from “the powers that be,” but ONLY ONE elected official or candidate would help us: Deb Lavender. She knew that children’s health and saving lives was our priority. Deb walked Kirkwood streets with us, talked to voters, and helped assure business owners they would continue to thrive with a no-smoking law in place.

Since that 2009 vote overwhelmingly in favor of a smoke-free Kirkwood, I've learned more about Deb and her sensible positions on state and local issues.  Deb also opened my eyes to the sad fact that our state legislators take thousands of dollars in personal gifts from lobbyists. I learned that our state has one of the worst reputations for sloppy ethical standards for our legislators. 

It surprised me to learn that Deb is a fiscal conservative. Yep, she’s willing to cut government spending and she’s not at all afraid to identify waste even if doing so steps on toes. I’ve seen how she pinches pennies in her personal life and how she runs a successful physical therapy business all the while being environmentally green and genuinely concerned with improving her patients’ health. (And she mended my aching shoulder!)

Lastly, I happily report that Deb endorses Prop B which raises the cost of cigarettes and puts those extra revenues into our schools and into smoking prevention programs. So that brings me back around to why I got interested in politics in our town: I want more sensible governing that will save lives and protect our children’s health. And I want people to represent us without having their hands out for freebies.

Let’s do something healthy and change the status quo. Deb is my pick for state representative.

--Mary Murphy-Overmann

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