JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Four members of the 2018 General Assembly have taken a step back from statewide politics to focus on their local communities.
Now-former Reps. Michael Butler, Charlie Davis, Kurt Bahr, and Rick Brattin all are newly minted local officials, taking the oath of office for their new positions this week.
On January 2, 2019, Butler became the first African-American recorder of deeds for St. Louis City. He defeated 38-year incumbent Sharon Carpenter in the November 2018 general election.
On January 1, 2019, Bahr was sworn-in as the St. Charles County Elections Director, Brattin was sworn-in as the Cass County Auditor, and Davis was sworn-in as the Jasper County Clerk. All three lawmakers were term-limited in the Missouri House.
In order for the lawmakers to start their new positions, they resigned days before the ends of their terms from their positions in the Missouri House. Their terms were scheduled to end when the new session begins on January 9, 2018.
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.