JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Gov. Mike Parson convened a handful of Missouri mayors and city officials in Springfield Friday to discuss violent crime in the state.
Parson, a former law enforcement officer, met with Columbia Mayor Brian Treece, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson.
The mayors represent the four largest cities in the state and have pointed to gun violence as a “top concern,” according to a press release.
“As Governor and a former law enforcement officer for 22 years, protecting the citizens of our state is of utmost importance to my administration,” Parson said on social media. “We are committed to working with our local and federal partners in reducing violent crime across the state.”
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Parson started off the week by signing an executive order creating a statewide campaign to “educate, warn, and discourage vaping among Missouri’s youth.”
The executive order directed the Departments of Health and Senior Services, Elementary and Secondary Education, and Public Safety to coordinate the campaign within the next 30 days. Departments will have to use existing resources — meaning additional funding will not be thrown their way for the campaign.
The governor also made judicial appointments this week. He appointed former Democratic state Rep. Mike Colona as an associate circuit judge for the 22nd Judicial Circuit and Kevin Selby as a circuit judge for the 40th Judicial Circuit.
Parson and the first lady celebrated their wedding anniversary Sunday.
The Republican governor joined Tim Walz, the Democratic chief executive of Minnesota, in authoring an op-ed on criminal justice reform for Time.
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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.
