PITTSFIELD ROTARY CLUB     District 6460    12-6-06

Visiting Rotarian:  Joe Cook, Louisiana, MO

Sr. Guests:  Stephaney Browning, daughter of Ed Browning and Rosemary Garrett.  Vice President of National Honor Society, Student Council, Spanish Club,  will go to ISU and study to become a Nurse-Practitioner.

Kayly Freeman, Sr. Class President, Student Council Treasurer, Scholastic Bowl, Band and Peer Tutoring. Works as a CAN  at Liberty Village, plans on majoring in Nursing, possibly becoming a Nurse-Practitioner.

Kelsey Barton, daughter of Rick Barton and Diana Dyer.  President  of National Honor Society, Student Council, Spanish Club, Yearbook Editor.  Plans on becoming a Dentist.

New Rotarian:  Cole Bradburn was inducted today as our newest Rotarian. (Also our 5^th Chiropractor)  Welcome him!!

Program:  Carole Bradshaw introduced Jill Tracy, who is State Representative for the area North of Interstate 72 in Pike County, also Adams, Brown and Scott Counties.  (That’s the 93rd District for the uninformed).

Jill stated that she has as a goal getting all the legislators to belong to Rotary and live by the 4-Way Test.   (Not a bad idea….maybe we should work on all the elected officials, Senators and Representatives as well…).

Jill and her husband, Jim, have 4 children.  He is Corporate Attorney for DOT Foods.

They moved back to Mt. /Sterling after law school because her brother in law, who is also a lawyer in Springfield, said: ‘Not everyone likes lawyers’…

Jill had worked for the States Attorney’s Office, but decided to accept appointment as Representative to succeed Art Tenhouse, since it would help her with her family commitments.

She was Happy to get elected in her own right.

It was real experience to get her feet wet in her first few months with all the important hearings being held, and the  veto session presented the hardest decisions  the legislature has had to work on in years.

The next big challenge will be in January, when the budget needs to be developed, and 26 Billion in unrestricted funds will need to be allocated.

Minimum wage passed, with a training wage for young workers….It is now $7.50 per hour, and her office got a lot of  ‘hits’ from small businesses, saying ‘we can’t afford it’.   Missouri, for example has a $6.50 / hour, and all the other bordering states are at $5.15 per hour.

The utility issue is big.  Line services can only buy  1/3^rd of their power from sister producer plants….(isn’t THAT a blast)….The reverse power auction was held in September and the price negotiated at that time is what the power companies are locked in to.

Jill’s legislative attitude is:  Take care of existing agencies first.  Education, Public Safety, and Transportation are most in the forefront.

Gambling is not a stable source of income for the state.   Electricity problem is one of the largest for most families.

She concluded:  ‘We Need to Focus on Goals….and take one day at a time…’

(Lets get behind this fine new legislator, who appears to be what the area needs…….and help her  ‘Get It Done’!!!!.)