It has been a somber and challenging few weeks in our State Capitol. As most of you know by now, we lost a skilled and determined auditor, dedicated public servant, and proud Missourian last week. Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich was a brilliant man who dedicated his career to serving his state and country. He was a fifth generation Missourian, grew up and attended high school in the St. Louis area, and was a graduate of both Yale and Harvard Law Schools. His resume was equally as impressive and included a stint as Chief of Staff to Senator John C. Danforth during the investigation of the Branch Davidian tragedy in Waco, Texas; service as Chief of Staff to three United States Ambassadors for the United Nations, including John Bolton; and a turn as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Acting Assistant Secretary of State at the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs on the federal level.
As auditor, he confronted waste and abuse in state government and took on tough issues like tax credits and ethics reform. He was a perfect fit for the job and performed it with energy and passion. In fact, he had just been elected to a second term last November after a very successful four years on the job. Perhaps more than anything, Tom Schweich was a devoted husband and father, and that is where our focus should be as we try to make sense of this terrible tragedy. My most heartfelt condolences go out to them and I hope they are able to find peace and comfort in the man he was and the immense good he did for everyone around him. He will be missed and we can honor him for more personal accolades and accomplishments than we can count but most of all we can recognize him for the title most appropriate to him: husband and father.
Prior to last Thursday’s tragic events, I spent part of my week meeting with officials from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources discussing Roaring River State Park. Constituents had brought to my attention problems with vegetation growth and maintenance at the park. Along with Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick, we thoroughly inspected the issue at the park and found a number of problem areas that needed attention. We immediately brought those concerns to the attention of the Department of Natural Resources in a series of meetings at my office in the Capitol. Officials from the department assured me that the issue would be addressed quickly and in time for our busy summer tourism season.
Roaring River and our other area parks and waterways are naturally beautiful resources that attract many and are tremendous assets to our local economy. Last year, a record 18.5 million people visited Missouri’s state parks breaking the 2012 record and is a 25 percent increase over 2008. Attendance at Roaring River increased by over 10 percent while over a million people visited Table Rock Lake. Back in 2013, Missourians named Roaring River as their favorite state park in a www.MO.gov online poll. Particularly, Roaring River is known as a favorite trout fishing spot with anglers coming from all around to fish its waters. Trout season opened at the park earlier this week and while the weather kept some away, it was still a great success and will only improve in the coming weeks and months.
Missouri has great interest in and passion for the outdoors, and it is exciting to see so many people taking advantage of the beauty and fun of Roaring River, Table Rock Lake, and our other outdoors areas provide. Missouri has consistently been named among the best states for camping, its trails are recognized as some of the best in the country and attendance at our parks continues to grow. This should be a great source of pride for Missourians and our area in particular.
As always, I welcome your ideas, questions and concerns about Missouri government. You may contact me at the State Capitol as follows: (573) 751-1480, david.sater@senate.mo.gov or by writing to Sen. David Sater, Missouri State Capitol, Room 419, Jefferson City, MO 65101.
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