Anita Campbell
County Reporter
Representative Roger L. Reedy of Windsor will face Warsaw resident James Mahlon White in the August primary for the Republican spot on the ballot in the 57th Missouri District.
James Mahlon White is a native of Benton County and grew up in Warsaw where he graduated from Warsaw High School and later attended UCM. He is President of the Enterprise Company, Inc. founded by his great-great grandfather Thomas Benton White who came to Warsaw from Denver in 1879 and founded the Benton County Enterprise.
Representative Rodger L. Reedy, a 1979 graduate of Lincoln High School, represents Benton County as well as parts of Cass, southwest Pettis County including Windsor and Green Ridge and southern Johnson County including Knob Noster, Leeton, Chilhowee and Kingsville. Reedy was elected in 2018 and has served four years.
White is President of the Bothwell Foundation, serves on the Warsaw Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, is a member of the Benton County Community Foundation, member of the West Central Association of Realtors Community Outreach Committee, 2019 President of the Missouri Press Association and served on the Warsaw Parks & Recreation Board from 2005 to 2022.
“I’m a fifth generation Missourian who believes in the United States Constitution and common-sense Midwestern values. I believe as President Reagan did, ‘Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem’,” said White.
In addition to his legislative duties, Reedy operates his family farm raising feeder cattle. He also served as the Benton County Assessor for 27 years and worked for the assessor for ten years before that.
Reedy is a member of the Missouri Farm Bureau and the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association. He is a past member of the Missouri State Assessors' Association and the Missouri Association of Counties. Reedy has been a strong supporter of 4-H and FFA programs in Benton County.
White stated that part of his reason for running is because he feels that the government has taken away freedoms from the average American citizen.
“Over the years, I’ve watched our government chip away at the very freedom our country was founded on,” said White. “Ever expanding regulations and red tape strangle small businesses and cost Missourians jobs and dreams. During the recent pandemic we all witnessed that ‘We the People’ have very little control over our daily lives as government bureaucrats locked us down and closed our small businesses. ‘We The People’ don’t work for our politicians, they work for us.”
Reedy considers himself an advocate for the rural area. Reedy currently serves on the Judiciary, Local Government, Rural Community Development and Joint Committee on Public Employee Retirement committees.
“I enjoy working on legislation, but helping my constituents is what I really enjoy,” said Reedy. “Being a representative for your people is the job of a representative and it gives me satisfaction to be able to help someone get the help they need and point them in the right direction to solve their problems. I want to make things better for the people in my district. I recently helped Golden Valley Medical obtain funding for building a Cancer Center as part of their hospital. This way, people in our area are able to get treatment without driving all the way to the city.”
White stated that he was pro-life, pro-second Amendment and believed that schools need every tool possible to educate students.
“I believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without harassment from our government,'' said White. “Freedom is about living free, not by ever-changing government rules. With your support, I pledge to be a new voice for you and not just another career politician,” said White.
Reedy currently lives in Windsor with his wife Rhonda. Rhonda is an elementary teacher in Holden. They have three grown children: Kayley who lives in Warrensburg; Austin who lives in Springfield and Wesley who lives in Cole Camp.
White, who lives in Warsaw, commented "Jefferson City is not my retirement plan, If elected my plan is to be a voice for the people of the 57th District and make a positive impact on the lives of the people who live here. .
Reedy stated that he wanted to serve the people. “I want our district to be able to provide a place that our young people can stay and make a good living,” said Reedy.
The 2022 Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.
