My name is Mark Larson, and I am running for Northside Commissioner of Henry County. I
am a lifelong conservative Republican who cares deeply about our Country and where we
are headed. I have lived in Henry County, specifically rural Calhoun, since 1998, having
moved here with my family from the Kansas City area. We deliberately chose this area
because of what it offers: local community, small town values, the beautiful mix of woods
and pastures and farmland. The opportunity to live and work with very little government
intrusion and the belief that we had chosen an area immune from much of the craziness of
the city and the suburbs.
My wife, Wendy and I have 5 children, all grown with families of their own. We have 15
grandchildren with another due in August.
After graduating from Center High School in 1975, I joined the Painters Union, local Union
#9 in Kansas City and went to work for Subco Industries. I have been fortunate to have had
the opportunity to work for some great Commercial Paint Contractors through the years. I
continued to commute for several years after moving here but we eventually made the
decision to go into business here in Henry County and Craftsman Painting was established
and has grown significantly since then. We are fortunate to have some remarkable
employees and operate with strong emphasis on family. Starting and running a small
business, I bring the perspective and experience needed to manage the County and to be a
faithful steward of your tax dollars.
I have been privileged to be involved with Youth sports when our kids were younger,
coaching basketball, football, and baseball. I have been on the Windsor Special Road
District for the last 9 years, having served the last 6 years as President, successfully
executing the duties of road board leadership. I have the track record as well as a unique
perspective of County responsibilities and the challenges local road districts face.
In truth, I would be more than happy to keep my status as a private citizen, pretty much
minding my own business. But I find it impossible to ignore what I believe to be the
injustice being done to citizens of this County, without their knowledge, up until just
recently for most people in the County, except for a select few. The issue of Corporate
Solar Power and Wind Turbines, I believe, should have been made known to residents in a
big way; public hearings held to discuss the pros and cons, residents given the opportunity
to make their voices heard, a deep dive into researching the environmental impact of these
corporate entities both short term and long term and the possible tax ramifications to and
for the County. Being available to provide information to local communities as to what
power they have, or do not have, to determine for themselves what their local community
wants. That is the beauty of local governmental bodies, it should reflect the local citizens’
wishes.
I pledge that if elected, I will do whatever is within my power to do, as Commissioner, to
make known the workings of the Commissioner’s office so that citizens of Henry County
have complete transparency on decisions being made that will affect us all. The meeting
minutes available online do not, I believe, provide the transparency needed. Nor is it
practical to expect hardworking citizens to be able to attend these meetings during normal
working hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will push for recorded live streaming of the
meetings and push to have a Facebook page with constant updates so residents may stay
informed according to their schedule and to hear the full meetings, not just notes on what
was discussed.
I support strong law enforcement efforts and want to make sure they have the resources
needed to do their job safely. I believe that we must clean up the drugs and crime in this
County, with tough on crime law enforcement in every area of the Henry County justice
system. We, Henry County, are facing a shrinking population and must prioritize providing
a safe community that is known to be tough on crime, so that people and families will want
to make this home.
My overall vision for Henry County is to see productive economic growth in the private
sector, empowering and supporting local road districts to be able to service the areas’ they
are responsible to maintain and also, I am a huge proponent of the State legislation passed
to allow for local County Commissioners to adopt Missouri Senate Bill 190, which allows
for freezes for property tax rates on owner-occupied real estate for senior citizens. The aim
is to provide relief to senior residents facing escalating property taxes.
If you support these ideals, I would appreciate your vote on August 6th, 2024, for Mark
Larson, Northside Commissioner, in the Republican Primary. Stay updated on Facebook –
Mark Larson For Northside Commissioner.
