This is an archive of a past election.
See http://www.smartvoter.org/mo/state/ for current information.
LWV League of Women Voters of St Louis Information Service

Smart Voter
Missouri State Government August 5, 2008 Election
Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues
Lieutenant Governor; State of Missouri; Democratic Party


The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Missouri and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Qualification, Priorities

Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest.


1. What are your Qualifications for Office? (200 word limit)

Answer from C. Lillian Metzger:

Born and raised in South St. Louis, Missouri. Graduated Roosevelt High School - St. Louis - 1942 I attended St. Louis University School of Commerce and Finance.

1942 to 1953, On staff of Chief of Police in St. Louis, Mo.

1954 to 1969 - Mother, Homemaker - Volunteer, including Church and childrens' activities. 15+ years as Girl Scout volunteer.

1967 to 1987 Church Secretary. 1978 to 1988 Paralegal, U.S. Attorney's Office, E.D. Missouri. Supervisor, Debt Collection Unit, retired June 1988. Served on the staff Atty GEn, Ed Meese, Washington D.C., 6 years evaluator, reviwer, instructor of U.S. Attorney Offices, Debt Collection Units, throughout the United States.

NOTE: I served on Gov. Carnahan's transition team.

Volunteer activities in Troy, Lincoln COunty, Missouri.

Troy Area Council on Aging Past Pres. Board for TACOA. Elected in Senior Centers in Lincoln, Warren and Montgomery Counties to Missouri Silver Haired Legislature in 1989.

Member of then Lt. Gov. Roger Wilson's Senior Advisory Panel. Served on the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging (GAC) March 22, 1996. Appointed to first three year term on December 30, 1998. Served as past Chairman of Legislative and Transportation Committee.

Appointed by Gov. Carnahan as Delegate to White House Conference on Aging Washington, D.C., May 1995.

Answer from Michael E. Carter:

I recognize the true nature of the Lieutenant Governor's office and am not afraid to confront it. We must elevate the Lt. Governor's responsibilities. One way would be to overturn our Supreme Court's ruling that the Lt. Governor is not really the acting governor upon the elected-governor's absence from the state. Currently, the elected-governor must be "meaningfully absent" -- unable to communicate, etc. Reinstating the prior legal understanding would inititate a sort of gubernatorial checks and balances with regard to the elected-governor being concerned about the Lt. Govenor's actions upon the elected-governor's absence from the state. Missouri voters would be very surprised at how often the elected-governor is taken out of state. This would force the elected governor to afford not a small amount of respect (concern & cooperattion) to the Lt. Governor. The late Senator Eagleton was Missouri's Lt. Governor and commented that the biggest part of his day while in office was watching the Missouri River flow by his office window. Since then, the current Lt. Governor along with other past-candidates have commented on the position's part-time nature and some have sought to abolish the office -- in some states the Secretary of State is second in line

Answer from Sam Page:

I was first elected to the Creve Coeur City Council in 1999. I held that post until 2003, when I began serving my first of three terms in the Missouri House of Representatives. In 2002, Gov. Bob Holden appointed me to the Missouri Senior Rx Board, where I fought to ensure access to cheaper prescriptions for seniors. As a medical doctor, I have seen the faces of patients who can't afford all the prescriptions they need. Missouri needs a lieutenant governor who knows what those families are going through.


2. What plans do you have to address your top three priorities? (100 word limit)

Answer from C. Lillian Metzger:

Present to Legislators for sponsorship.

Answer from Sam Page:

The lieutenant governor is responsible for boards and commissions dealing with all these issues. I will work with Jay Nixon, not against him, to accomplish these goals.

Answer from Michael E. Carter:

ECONOMY -- Housing is part of the backbone of Missouri's economy and the Lt. Governor sits onthe Missouri Housing and Development Commission. Missouri's Lt. Governor must appreciate that the first-time-home buying segment is pivotal in helping Missouri's limiping housing market. I have worked with many many first time buyers that very much benefitted from MHDC down-payment-assistance and reduced-interest-rate programs. I know first hand the importance of cultivating pride in home ownership for people of every economic tier. Further, sales of first-time buyer housing stock help to drive housing sales at all levels -- an $80,000.00 sale leads to a $200,000


Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits apply for each question. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.


This Contest || Home (Ballot Lookup) || About Smart Voter || Feedback
Created: August 28, 2008 13:38 PDT
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund.
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office or political parties.