LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — Rebecca Roeber is one of three Republicans vying for the open 34th House district to replace outgoing term-limited Rep. Jeff Grisamore. The candidate has a secret weapon almost ensuring her campaign’s success other than being a long time supporter and activist of the Jackson County Republican Party, as well as a freshly retired educator: Asst. Majority Leader Rep. Mike Cierpiot, R-Lee’s Summit.
Cierpiot has gotten to know Roeber through his involvement in the Jackson County Republican Central Committee. Roeber has served as central committee treasurer and has consistently volunteered to do grassroots outreach in Jackson County for Republican candidates.
“When she said she was running, my wife and I immediately said that we would help her,” Cierpiot said. “We don’t normally get involved in primaries.”
Cierpiot said that one of the reasons he supports Roeber is because of her education background. “She just retired from teaching for a long time in the Raytown School District,” he said. “She’s going to be really good on helping us with education policy here because she’s open to ideas, but she also knows what she’s talking about.”
Roeber said that being a teacher is a definite asset to her in both her campaign and hopefully, future office, saying that teachers are generally organized and easy to get along with.
“I’ve been in an urban public school for many years,” Roeber said. “I go above and beyond what is expected of me. My door will always be open to my constituents and I’m always willing to listen.”
The candidate has highlighted education as a big issue for her as a candidate and potential elected official, telling The Missouri Times that children are very important to her.
“I tell my students that education is their only chance of changing their situation. They aren’t going to win the lottery, no one is going to leave them a bunch of money, and they aren’t going to play for the NBA – though they think they might. I passionately believe that our kids need to be educated.”
Cierpiot knows the other two candidates in the race, but says that Roeber is “better suited for this district right now.”
“This is a very conservative district and matches my viewpoints,” Roeber said, further sharing that the district is supportive of smaller government and is socially conservative. “It’s a good fit.”
Both Cierpiot and the 34th District are in Lee’s Summit, a suburb just south east of Kansas City. Cierpiot is unopposed.
Whoever wins the primary will face Democrat Dale Mercer in the general election, but it is unlikely that the heavily conservative district will favor a Democrat.
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.
