One constituent from southeast Missouri brings Wayne Wallingford a pack of highlights on a consistent basis because the Senator is utilizing skills he learned in kindergarten.
The retired United State Air Force Lt. Colonel goes through two yellow highlighters a week reading bills. Wallingford uses a color coding system which, can at times, leave the bills looking a like a rainbow.
Throughout his two years in the House and six years in the Senate, Wallingford has read every bill that is heard in one of the committees he sits on and he has read every bill that is put on the calendar for floor debate.
“I’m looking forward to my next two years and I promise to read every bill just like I have done,” said Wallingford.
He was elected to the Senate in 2012 and then re-elected in 2016. But he was no stranger to politics when he was elected to public office.
Wallingford served on active duty for 25 years in the U.S. Air Force, including five tours in Vietnam and six tours in Desert Storm/Desert Shield. One of the tours he served on was a joint tour.
“If you think there are politics involved in the legislature wait until you get to a joint tour where you are working with the navy, marines, and air force,” said Wallingford. “You learn to build relationships and work with the other people and support their desires and wishes knowing that they will come to your aid when you need them.”
Through his tenure in the General Assembly, he has pushed for a measure that changes just who is considered an adult in the eyes of the Missouri justice system.
In 2018, Wallingford finally got it passed. To the senior lawmaker, it is legislation that deals with both public safety and saves taxpayer dollars. Missouri now considers anyone under to age of 18-years-old a juvenile. The “raise the age” legislation that Wallingford pushed upped the age of those considered an adult offender to 18-years-old, unless in certain circumstances.
“It made Missouri safer, saved taxpayer dollars, and saved our youth, which to me is probably about the best goal you can ever have,” said Wallingford.
He noted that studies show that youth put in the proper environment can change their habits, which gives them a future while saving taxpayers money in the long run.
Another bill Wallingford has been pushing for just as long is legislation dealing with establishing a funding mechanism for emergency services, 911. He pointed out that Missouri was the last state in the United States to set up some sort of funding mechanism for 911.
“We should have had it a long time ago. Every year we came up with something and it wouldn’t make it across the finish line,” said Wallingford. “[Some counties] got tired of waiting for the legislature and did it themselves…which is why it was so important that we did it this year.”
As the Chief People Officer at McDonald’s of Southeast Missouri, Wallingford can draw parallels between his two jobs.
“As [Chief People Officer] it’s all about people. Without the people, you don’t have a business and in the legislature, it is the same thing. It is all about your constituents. I work for [my] constituents. It’s about making their lives better,” said Wallingford. “Everyday, I get calls from constituents needing help. It’s nice to help your constituents when they feel they have no one else to turn to.”
This piece is featured as part of the Missouri Times’ Best of the Legislature 2018 appearing in the January 2019 Missouri Times Magazine.
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
