CHILLICOTHE, Mo. – Missouri’s 7th State House District may very possibly be held by another retired Republican teacher, as Rep. Mike Lair is term limited.
Rusty Black, a longtime teacher and FFA sponsor from Chillicothe, announced his bid last week to a crowd of supporters saying he is driven by his desire to serve others. Black has been a teacher for 32 years – 26 of which were spent as the Chillicothe agriculture education teacher – and will be retiring from the profession.
Black has been president of both the Missouri Vocational Agriculture Teacher’s Association and Missouri Association of Career and Technical Education. He has also served on the Missouri State Teachers Association state committee.
The Blacks are members of the Chillicothe United Methodist Church and involved with the local 4-H. Black’s wife, Karie, is also an educator, serving as the Chillicothe R-2 School District special services director and pre-kindergarten administrator. The couple has four children and four grandchildren.
Missouri’s 7th District represents Grundy, Livingston and Linn counties.
Black is currently the only official candidate for the seat.
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.