John Sellars.org

Two years ago this month Jane and I began to work on the beginnings of my first campaign. It was the start of one of the most exciting and humbling times in my life. We had no idea the number of friends we would make and the time we would spend getting to know the citizens of our district.

The time has just flown by, but the memories Jane and I have of the 2010 election are still fresh in our minds.  It was a truly interesting, challenging and amazing time in our lives.  We made a commitment then to go in a different direction – that we were ready to serve Springfield, Missouri, in a different way, and neither one of us has regretted one moment of that decision.  Today, we have not changed – we have not wavered from that commitment.

Even though we may be seeking election to the House from a district with a different number and many new constituents, our message is still the same: Real Issues, Real Solutions. The election of 2012 finds us facing many of the same problems we faced two years ago with no solutions in sight. We must work to find the right solutions to position us for the future here in Missouri. We must come to the conclusion that true progress can only come when we work together and develop a vision of the future for our state that provides opportunity for everyone willing to work to build it together. I want to be a part of that process. Not a process that divides us because of envy or a lack of trust but one that pulls us together with a common goal of a better life for ourselves and a better future for our children and grandchildren.

As a life-long Springfieldian spending the majority of my business career in the beverage and grocery businesses, I believe I have the tools and the knowledge needed to get all Missourians back to work. Not only have I been responsible for budgets and managing others, but I have also been very active in the community on a number of different levels.  I have served on a number of not-for-profits including The Victim’s Center, Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Town of Missouri and Ronald McDonald House.  I have been active for years with Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce here in town as well as in Lebanon, Missouri. I just completed a six-year term with the Landmark’s Board which oversees a number of residential and historic districts throughout the city.  Giving back to my community and those around me is an important part of my make-up.

With your support and help, I want to continue that committed lifestyle by representing you and your family as the 134th District’s Representative in the House.    I have no ulterior motive, no plan to go on to other elected positions.  I want what every father and grandfather wants for their family: to leave behind a legacy that will help make each of our children and their children prosperous and be able to attain whatever their dreams may be in the greatest country in the world.

I would honored and humbled to be your next representative in Jefferson City.

It is my birthday. A day set aside for celebration and enjoyment with friends and family. I am a very lucky man. I have a wonderful family who all get along together and help each other as well as those around them. I have a wonderful wife who is my friend, confidant and partner in everything we do. I have good friends who are as diverse as any group of people can be. I have a good job that is filled with enjoyment and fun from both my co-workers and those we help to make their retirement years comfortable. Yes, I am a very lucky man.

Even with all of this I still want to take another step. I feel that I can be an influence on the legislative process in Jefferson City as a representative in the 134^th District. With each passing day it becomes clearer the importance of having people in the legislature who will work to make things work to benefit all of the citizens of our great state. I have no long term goals for higher office. I have no interest in becoming a career politician. I want to make a difference. I grew up in downtown Springfield and I have watched it grow beyond my wildest imagination. I know what can be done with the right type of leadership and commitment.

I will be calling on the people of the 134^th District in the coming months to get to know them and find out what they want from their elected representatives. I want to represent all of the people of this district and give them and their children and grandchildren the opportunities I had to become a very lucky man.

It has been an exciting week for my family and me as we pondered the changes that the redistricting committee had brought about for us and so many others. In the end, we made the decision that I would again seek your support and run for state representative.  This time, in the new 134^th District that includes much of south Springfield.  We will be campaigning throughout the district over the next year and look forward to getting to know everyone who lives in it. I intend to listen to your interests and ideas to help bring about improvements in the way the peoples’ business is handled in Jefferson City.

            We must work together to grow and capitalize on the great opportunity we have to use our fiscal strength, hard-working people and our state’s resources to get everyone back to work. For this to happen, I need your help. Contact me so that we can begin a dialog that will let me represent you in the best possible manner. Get your friends together so that I can meet with all of you at once and get to know all of you.

            I spent yesterday with my family decorating our home for the holidays, and at the Christmas parade watching my grandchildren delight in a years’ old Springfield tradition. Today, I drove around the 134th District getting to know the territory and beginning to make plans for covering each and every street to talk with you in person.

            I will keep you informed on this web site, and on Facebook and Twitter, about what we are doing. I hope to see each one of you over the next few months. Have a great week.

September 27, 2011

Tuesday night over 100 people joined my family and me at Phelps Grove Park for a cook out, announcing my campaign for State Representative in the 134^th District. It was a perfect evening, and everyone enjoyed being together and the burgers and brats grilled by my stepson Chris and my son-in-law Courtney. The tables and decorations were handled by the rest of our family and friends who came early to help.

This spirit of family and community is something I treasure from the last campaign and look forward to in the coming one. We are one family really, with shared hopes and dreams for a better future for all of us.

Being a part of the solution to the problems that are keeping us from that future is a primary reason for my campaign. Representing all the citizens of the 134^th District in Jefferson City is my goal, and I pledge to do my part to make things better.

It is hard not to be discouraged by what is happening at the national level: that grid lock and partisan politics cannot be allowed to slow our progress at the state level. Electing people who are more interested in creating solutions than in win or lose should be a priority for all voters. As your representative, I will constantly strive for what is best for my constituents.  I look forward with great eagerness to meeting with citizens of the 134^th District and discussing the path our great state needs to take in bringing jobs, security and prosperity back.  As we move towards Election Day 2012, I hope you will join me in making that a reality.

Come to the Cook Out!

Only two days remain until our first campaign event of the 2012 election. We will meet at Phelps Grove Park Pavilion Tuesday afternoon and begin to work toward November. This will be the second cook out of the week for me. Jane and I enjoyed a great evening with many of our neighbors in the Phelps Park area at the neighborhood annual picnic. The food was exceptional and the conversation was just the kind we need at every level of our government. How can we work together as a community to make things better?  That is the question we must continue to ask, how can we make it better?

I look forward to many conversations with all the residents of the 138^th in the coming months striving to find the best possible solutions to that question. Solutions to a lack of jobs, too many taxes and regulations, and the many other issues facing us today can only be found by improving the transparency and spirit of cooperation at all levels of our government.

I hope you are able to join us for burgers and brats and conversation about the future of our state and how we can work together to make it the very best it can be. See you Tuesday, September 27^th at the Phelps Grove Park Pavilion from 6 until 7:30 p.m.

August 23^rd. A long time since I last posted on this web-site. I have found two new jobs to keep me busy and keep me in touch with what is of interest to the people of Missouri and especially the people of the 138^th District. In the months to come I will once again be asking you to support me as the 2012 campaign gets into full swing. I want to know what your concerns are and how you want to be represented in Jefferson City.

In my estimation, little has changed in the 10 months since the last election. Unemployment still haunts all parts of the state and the country. Businesses are hesitant to extend themselves to create new jobs and far too many Missourians are still out of work because of the mixed signals they are getting from Washington. Our Governor, for all his posturing and feigned interest, has chosen not to lead the state in a quest for reinvigorated growth and prosperity. His failure to lead has forced the legislature to lead from behind and because of that less has been accomplished than there should have been. We need citizens who will lead by example and strive to make our state a better and more prosperous place for all of us.

One of my new jobs is as a morning radio host on KWTO AM. This news talk format allows me to reach out and get to know many of the people in Southwest Missouri and find out what they are thinking and let them hear my opinions on the events affecting us all. I have attached an audio file to this article from my radio show which can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings on KWTO 560 am and on-line at “newstalk560.com”. Listen in from 6:45 till 9:00 as I talk with the citizens of Missouri about the things that interest them most. Please follow our progress on this web-site and help in any way that you can. I will be in need of many volunteers for all types of tasks as we work towards the 2012 election to be your representative in Jefferson City.               Listen to a  discussion about The Jobs Bus

Today is my birthday. It is a day to take stock of the past year and see what I have learned and experienced and to enjoy with family and friends and reset my compass for another year of travel on the road of life.

This past year has been eventful and enjoyable in many ways. We have welcomed a new grandson into the family and the five grandchildren make every day a joy and a delight. My son was married and we now have a new member of our family to love and get to know better. Our house has been filled with love and happiness and we have been blessed in so many ways. We have taken away from our own daily lives to care for family and friends who are ill and in need. We have seen first hand the same ups and downs that every other family in our city and country has experienced, and because of our experience we can understand and feel both the good and the bad.

During the election I found many new friends, and marveled at the commitment and dedication to our effort I saw in so many. I watched the support for our campaign grow as people got to know me and my family and all that we stood for. I took great pride in the fact that we talked about issues and solutions rather than personalities and partisan politics. And after the election results were in, I found great comfort in two things: the pride I felt in the way we worked every day to make a positive tone in the way we campaigned, and the number of people who responded to our efforts.

As I begin a new year of my life and the first of two years until the next election, I make this commitment to all of you: I will work even harder than last time and we will succeed in our efforts to represent all the citizens of the 138^th District.

Wow! What an absolutely fabulous night!  We started this adventure 9 months ago and tonight it culminated with just a very short 103 votes from unseating the incumbent Sara Lampe!

We feel great; we had the support of so many dedicated friends, neighbors, new acquaintances and family who worked diligently alongside Jane and me all the way through tonight.  We cannot thank each one of you enough.  We are so proud to have had each one of you by our side as we worked for what we know is right.

We sincerely hope that the incumbent sees her victory as a call from all her constituents for what it really is: to work in a truly bi-partisan manner, to stay focused on the issues that are truly important to all the people of the 138^th, and to go to Jefferson City with the determination to bring jobs and businesses to Springfield and all of Missouri.

The final weekend of the campaign is almost over. Forty-eight hours from now we will be gathering with anticipation as the polls close. It has been quite a journey. We and all of our volunteers have addressed and mailed thousands of letters, knocked on tens of thousands of doors, and spoken to everyone we could in the entire district. Campaigning is hard work but it has been worth it to get to know the people of this district and become even more determined that now is the time to step forward and try to help make the future better for us all.

I want to thank all of the people who have worked tirelessly for our campaign. Whether is was walking, calling, writing, or pushing a sign everyone of these fine people has shown their commitment to participating in the process we call government. I cannot express how much gratitude and admiration I have for each one of you. No matter Tuesday’s outcome, my memories of your help will be with me forever.

I have one last thing to ask each one of you. These last two days are critical to our success. We must do everything we can to get people out to vote on Tuesday. Make sure you ask everyone you know to get out and vote. See if they need a ride to the polls. If they do need a ride, please take them.  If you cannot, call Republican Headquarters at 823-9130 and they will send someone to pick them up and take them home again.  Getting out the vote is the critical piece that will insure a successful outcome to our many months of work.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Another great start to the weekend.  Jane and I spent this morning walking in the MSU Homecoming parade and then attending the Tailgate Party before the Homecoming Game – saw old friends – like Robin and Mary Luke and Bill and Marti Helfrecht and the Bowler brothers and many others– and new friends, also.  Everyone was so positive about our race for the 138^th House seat!  It really makes you feel like you are doing the right thing, and our conviction and dedication to representing the people of the 138^th is stronger and more positive than ever.  We have a very busy week coming up – walking the district and visiting with voters every afternoon and early evening, telephone calls to voters in the evening. The most important message I can send at this time is please get out and vote!  We need each and every one of you to go to the polls in just 9 days.  I can’t get to Jefferson City without you – you are the only ones who can make this happen.