Former state Rep. Kip Kendrick has launched a bid for Boone County presiding commissioner with a handful of endorsements right off the bat.
Kendrick represented HD 45 in Columbia, where he served as the ranking minority member on the House Budget Committee, for several years before he joined Sen. Greg Razer as his chief of staff earlier this year. Kendrick was also the ranking minority member of the Special Committee on Government Oversight and served on the Ethics Committee.
“During my six years in the Missouri House of Representatives, my primary focus was on the state’s budget,” Kendrick said, adding that he “wanted to ensure that Boone County’s interests were well represented.”
“During that time, I built trusting and strong relationships with members of both political parties and inserted a sense of balance and fairness in helping to craft annual state budgets in which the needs of Boone County were favorably considered,” Kendrick said.
On social media, Razer said, “Boone County is a special place and deserves the best leadership possible. They will get that by electing [Kendrick].”
Having served and worked with Kip Kendrick for the past 5 years I can say with complete confidence that he will make an excellent Presiding Commissioner.
Boone County is a special place and deserves the best leadership possible. They will get that by electing @Kip_Kendrick. https://t.co/2jRclLyLcK
— Greg Razer (@gregrazer) November 10, 2021
Kendrick has been endorsed by state Auditor Nicole Galloway (a former Boone County treasurer), former Gov. Roger Wilson, and former state Rep. Stephen Webber.
“Kip Kendrick is exactly the type of leader Boone Countians want as their presiding commissioner. His experience, demeanor, and willingness to work across the aisle have earned him bipartisan respect among his colleagues in Jefferson City and across the state,” Galloway, the lone Democratic statewide official, said. “As a leading voice in the budget committee, he knows how to craft a budget that is both fiscally responsible and responsive to the needs of Boone County families and businesses.”
“Kip’s experience and relationships in Boone County and the Missouri Capitol will be invaluable as presiding commissioner,” Wilson said. “He’s fair, reasonable, and he listens. Kip is focused on outcomes, not party affiliations. Boone County is growing fast — we need his experience and his energy.”
Originally from Monroe City, Kendrick is an alumnus of Columbia College and holds a graduate degree in Education Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri. In 2015, the Columbia Business Times named him one to its “20 Under 40” list.
Boone County Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill, who has served in the position since 2011, announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election. Columbia resident Nick Knoth is also running for the seat.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
