BELTON, Mo. – Republican Jack Bondon, Jr. is running to replace Rep. Chris Molendorp, R-Belton, who has elected to retire from the legislature. The 56th District stretches the western border of Cass and Bates Counties, which is immediately south of Kansas City. Bondon is very enthusiastic and says the “wonderful” people of the district inspire him as a candidate.
“It would be quite the sacred responsibility to represent these wonderful people,” Bondon said. “I think that it goes back to really being tied to the district. When the people you represent are the people you see at church on Sunday morning or at the local barbeque joint on a Saturday night – it is invigorating to know that what you are trying to do is bigger than yourself. I’ve said before that I’m not running this race for me, I’m running this race for my country, my state, my neighbors and my daughter.”
Bondon and his wife, Melissa, have one daughter and reside in Belton. Bondon is vice president of Berbiglia. He believes his business background will make him a better legislator, if elected.
“I’m the only person in my race with a business background and a business degree,” he said. “I’m not another lawyer. One thing about being a business operator is that you have that important responsibility of being a good steward of company resources. You have to protect, and make good decisions for, the people that work for you. You have to prioritize the needs of the company and all the stakeholders and take them into account. Being an operator of a business is somewhat similar to being an operator of a government because you have that important responsibility of not only looking out for your needs, but the needs of those around you.”
Bondon has no primary opponent, but will face returning Democratic challenger Patty Johnson, an attorney, in the general election. Johnson has run for the seat against Molendorp a handful of times, but the victory margin has been between 20-30 points each challenge.
With the district leaning strongly Republican, Bondon’s legislative priorities are set in increasing government effectiveness and efficiency.
“It just strikes me that we spent $26 billion last year and we still have a state with potholes, crumbling bridges and some of the worst school districts in America,” Bondon said. “We don’t fund our state pension fully. It just seems to me, as a businessperson, that if $26 billion cannot get this job done, there is a lot of misuse, misspending or general government waste that needs to be tackled. My priority of cutting waste, fraud, and abuse is with the goal of making government more effective and more efficient.”
Most importantly, Bondon told the Missouri Times that he wants readers to know that even with a broad range of individual support he also has endorsements that matter to him and his district, such as the endorsement of Missouri Right to Life and Better Schools for Missouri.
“I am just so thankful that I have such a broad base of support,” Bondon said. “I have support of people from all walks of life – nurses and doctors, local business owners, teachers, restaurateurs, but I have the big endorsements that matter.”
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
