JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Pharmacy Association (MPA) CEO Ron Fitzwater announced his candidacy for Jefferson City mayor Sunday.
Fitzwater is in his fourth year on the city council where he represents Ward 4, the southwest portion of Jefferson City.
“We have many exciting things going on. But we have some serious challenges as well,” Fitzwater said. “I want to help lead those community discussions so that city government is responding to the needs of the entire community.”
On the city council, Fitzwater has designated economic development, public safety, and infrastructure as his areas of interest. He’s a former member of the Transportation and Traffic Commission.
“During my time on the city council and in previous committee service, I have had the honor to serve on and/or with many diverse committees and commissions that address a broad range of issues that impact our citizens,” Fitzwater said. “I am a fiscal conservative that builds consensus when dealing with the difficult issues we face at city council.”
Fitzwater said he’s “not afraid to ask the tough questions as issues move through the debate process.” He recently voted against putting a public safety sales tax before voters on the November ballot, saying while he supports the underlying issue, he still had questions about the specific proposal.
“I remain committed to continuing to ask the tough questions that citizens are asking me,” he said. “That is how we create good public policy. Jefferson City is in a unique position to address our current core issues that impact us all, while still looking at exciting new opportunities that will make our city an even more attractive community for our current and future residents and businesses.”
Fitzwater is an alumnus of Kent State University and Cleveland State University.
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.
