Charlie Norr: The Dems Best Shot At A Pickup

He said he'd move out of the county if he lost his primary.

He now says Republican Rep. Mark Wright thinks he's a good candidate.

And he may be the Democratic Party's best shot at picking up a legislative seat in Springfield.

Charlie Norr is the Democratic candidate in Springfield's #137th legislative district, and he and party regulars believe he's got a darn good shot at giving Rep. Sara Lampe someone to sit with at lunch in Jefferson City.

"I've knocked on 10,000 homes here and I see the problems, I listen to real people," Norr said. "One thing I want to champion and do is fight poverty, because it involves everything. It helps the prison problem, crime, gangs, Medicaid, smoking," Norr added.

As he meets his constituents, Norr finds the most pressing issue on people's minds is Medicaid. He said he believes the fraud in Medicaid is in transportation services, "which bill Medicaid $30 to $40 bucks for a ride to the hospital, that would be an $8 dollar taxi ride."

When asked how far he would go in restoring the Medicaid cuts, Norr balks. But he said he hears the stories in his district every day. "I've heard the stories of the family who lost their dental care because they got a 10 cents per hour raise, about a man in the hospital where they will pay 14 to 18 thousand dollars to cut his foot off, but won't pay 3-thousand for the antibiotic to save it, because it's not approved under the guidelines," Norr said.

Here are Norr's positions on the big 3 ballot initiatives voters will face this November:

Stem Cell Amendment - YES
"I encourage my constituents to also favor it, because I believe it can help save human lives. They're talking about cures that can alleviate pain for burn victims, firefighters. This could help people with spinal cord injuries, diabetes. It could help real people."

How do we know embryonic research will work?
"I believe we don't know if we don't try. If we don't someone else is going to."

Why should we amend the constitution to do this?
"I'm not crazy about amending the constitution. The reason we have to do it this way is because the legislature doesn't have the fortitude do take the issue on."

So you believe ideally that lawmakers should handle this issue?
"Yes. That's what they are supposed to do up there. It's the same thing with the minimum wage and the tobacco tax."

Raising the Minimum Wage - YES
"It affects such a small portion of people, maybe 2%, it just might help some people. It will help the poor make some more money, maybe give them some pride, some dignity. It might even help the economy. Nowhere that I've read or seen have they raised the minimum wage and it's adversely impacts the economy."

The Chamber of Commerce claims it will hurt the economy?

"The Chamber of Commerce is against it because of the built in stipulation, the cost of living raise."

Won't the cost of this wage boost just be passed on to the consumer?
"Most employers already pay above the minimum wage. I don't believe it is going to hurt that much, and it is does, it will be minimal. At McDonald's, you know that 99 cent double cheeseburger you get, well maybe now it will be $1.05. You're not going to drive to Arkansas to get that cheeseburger 6 cents cheaper, are you? If I have to pay 10 more cents to get my shirt dry cleaned, I'll gladly do it."

The Tobacco Tax - NO
"I don't smoke, I don't like smoke, I don't like being near people who do smoke, but I'm against it. My district is the 8th poorest in the state. For some reason, poverty breeds smoking. But 80 cents a pack is not fair to anyone. If it was a 10 cents a pack hike, it would be something to consider, something that doesn't put people into shellshock. The customer who pays $20 a carton now, would have to pay $30. And with the cost of living so low in Springfield, we can't maintain the highest cigarette tax. Sure, New York City can do it, but they have higher wages. You can't compare it, it's not fair. We don't have that type of economy. This tax is way too much, way to quick. What's next? A food tax. A sin tax is not the way to go."

I will have more of my interview with Norr to come in future posts. I have attempted to contact #137th Republican candidate Dan Scott multiple times, leaving several voicemails at different numbers, and I have yet to hear back from him. I also plan to contact write-in candidate Chris Fluharty, but have not yet done so at this time.