Tyler Merkel is running for Missouri’s House District 83 seat, held by Gina Mitten, who has hit her term limit. He has shared this press release and photo:
Friends and Neighbors,
If we have not yet met, my name is Tyler Merkel and I am running for House District 83, which spans from Rock Hill in the west to Clifton Heights and Franz Park in the east. After living in Maplewood for over a decade, I have witnessed our community change and prosper over the years. However, despite our progress, the majority in the Missouri legislature has failed to address our needs or pass legislation that reflects our values.
When St. Louis City increased the minimum wage to $15 an hour, the legislature nullified the move. When we struck down Right to Work legislation, the legislature enacted the unconstitutional HB 1413 attacking Missourians’ constitutional right to unionize. When we passed Clean Missouri, the legislature said we did not know what we were voting for and have now put “Dirty Missouri” on the ballot for November to keep our districts gerrymandered.
Finally, when we asked the legislature to adopt Medicaid expansion for years they sat silent – instead spending their time and our tax dollars to pass such “important” legislation such as legalizing brass knuckles. Now, the legislature has begun an assault on our initiative petition process, which has been the only tool for Missourians to pass the laws that matter to us most. We must stop these attacks on the ability for Missourians to protect our values while the legislature stands idle.
We will have the opportunity to adopt Medicaid expansion on August 4th. Medicaid expansion will provide hundreds of thousands of Missourians with healthcare, provide jobs in our community, and end up saving Missouri money in the end. We stand to leave billions on the table over the next decade if we continue down our current path. The economically responsible and ethical choice is to adopt Medicaid expansion. This measure will also help those in our community as nearly 10% of the people living in House District 83 are without insurance at this time. Medicaid expansion would provide insurance to many of them who have fallen into the coverage gap.
We believe that Missourians should have access to affordable healthcare, fully funded schools, and jobs that pay living wages. The legislature has ignored our needs for too long. I invite you to read a bit more about me and my campaign to defend the values of our community at Merkel for Missouri and to join the conversation on Facebook.
I humbly ask for your vote on August 4th to become the Democratic candidate to represent House District 83.
