JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Aaron Willard will be stepping down as treasurer of Grow Missouri and joining Sen. Ryan Silvey (R-Kansas City) as his chief of staff for the 2015 legislative session.
Willard and Silvey’s history is longer than some might realize. As a volunteer with HRCC, Willard worked on Silvey’s special election for the House in 2005. Silvey’s win made him one of the youngest members of the Missouri House, and his quick rise through the ranks to chairman of the House Budget Committee made him one of the most-watched young Republicans in the state.
“One of the reasons that I’m really excited to work with Ryan is that he’ll take on tough issues,” Willard said. “He’ll get into a battle, with Medicaid being the most recent example of course, where he’ll articulate a position sincerely and then work for it, and he’s not afraid if it’s a big or difficult issue.”
If it’s a “tough issue” Willard wants, Silvey may be the best choice. Silvey remains one of the few Republicans in Missouri openly advocating for the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Silvey, who is now Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is widely expected to run the committee when Senator and Chairman Kurt Schaefer leaves the chamber in 2016 to run for Attorney General.
Silvey said Willard’s history, both with the senator and across Missouri politics, made him the clear choice for his staff.
“He’s not afraid to voice his opinion even if it’s contrary to yours, and that’s important to have in your inner circle I think,” Silvey said. “You need people you can trust to tell you what they know you don’t want to hear. He’s a great guy with great accomplishments, he’s helped run a congressional race and won, I think he’d be a valuable asset for anyone’s team and I’m glad it’s mine.”
From his post on Appropriations, Silvey is ideally placed to push for the expansion. But Schaefer has all but closed that door before the session has begun, calling it a “non-starter.”
Willard said that Silvey’s ability to take on tough issues and his role in the budget were major factors in deciding to seek the job. An economics major, Willard says Silvey’s pushback against Nixon’s budget withholds and “wasteful spending” make him an ideal senator to work for.
Willard’s background as both a policy wonk and a political campaign operative for Grow Missouri may prove a valuable double-edged sword for Silvey.
