The race for presiding commissioner of Stoddard County is a new endeavor for 64 year-old Ronnie Alsup, but not one he is intimidated by. He compares the office to a business like the ones he has ran most of his life.
Alsup is married to Dorothy, they have a son Jason and a daughter Megan. Alsup has lived in Dexter all his life. He graduated from Dexter High School in 1976. Alsup said his family has lived in this area for about 90 years. Alsup said he grew up in a farming environment with his grandparents and father farming. Alsup said he has been in a management position of some sort since his first in 1978 at the age of 20. he worked for Averett and Son Implement, the John Deere dealership. He purchased Alsup Aotu Parts in 1992.
Alsup said his daughter for a time ran Alsup Auto Parts in Dexter before selling it in 2019. Alsup owned the business for 27 years and had sold parts for over 40 years. He is currently retired and the president of the Common Sewer District Board.
He said he has always found the office of Stoddard County Commissioner interesting. Alsup said he had been talking about running for several years. Alsup said he originally looked at running for the district 2 commissioners seat when current commissioner Carrol Jarrell retired. However, when presiding commissioner Danny Talkington announced he would not seek reelection, Alsup decided to run for presiding commissioner.
Alsup said the sewer district he runs now is like any other government entity.
“I don't think it is any different than what I am doing now. It's just a business, it is a business, it is no different than running a business. Basically you just taking care of the financial needs of the county from what I see,” said Alsup. “And you have got to remember too there are two other commissioners there that have to answer to their districts too. You have got to be able to work with them and you have got to be able to work with the employees of the county, whether it's the sheriff's department or anybody that's involved and make sure they have what they need.”
Alsup said that would be his main focus, to make sure the different departments had what they need to operate.
Alsup spoke about the needs of the county saying it is tax payer money that the commission spends to make sure the county has the funding. He said Stoddard differed from many counties in Missouri in that it still a county with townships. He said the townships have their own boards and get funding to take care of their maintenance. However, the commission is responsible for working with MODOT to maintain bridges. Alsup said he felt the current commission was doing a good job of this.
He said the main thing is keeping the county financed and having the money to take care of law enforcement and the needs of the county. He said the township boards and city municipalities make decisions for their respective responsibilities.
Alsup said the one thing he would think about is fire protection. Alsup said Dexter is the largest department in the county, providing coverage to areas outside the city. He said the county may want to look at establishing fire districts, though he is unsure how feasible this is currently.
Alsup again said the commissioner office is like running a business which he has done for years when asked what qualities a candidate would need. He said the commission is using tax payer money and it needsto be spent properly.
“I have told people this is nothing but running a business and you are using people's money to run this business,” said Alsup. “Same thing in the county. You are using taxpayer money to benefit people in the county.”
He said he also realizes that some of the smaller townships struggle due to not having the revenue of the larger townships such as Liberty Township.
Alsup said he believes the new I-57 will benefit the county by drawing more people to the area and increasing the workforce. Thus, more industry may be drawn to the area. He said this is the single biggest problem is the lack of a workforce. Alsup said you are limited in industry by the number of people you have to work. He said he had issues finding people to work while running his business.
“You have got to have that quality that you have treat people like you want to be treated, that is my main thing” said Alsup. “You can't exploit people's tax money, its got to be spent wisely and make sure the county operates in the black.”
He said he also wants to be sure the sheriff's department has everything they need with the new facility.
“I am putting in my resume to become presiding commissioner,” said Alsup talking about why he is the best candidate. “You have two other commissioners you have to work with that have their district to work with and make sure everything is spent fairly in the southern district. I have always prided myself in working with other people.”
Alsup said his experience has been from lessons learned from other people.
“I have been taught a lot by people I work with whether it is business management, financial, what I can tear down a motor and do,” said Alsup. “I treat people the way I want to be treated. I don't want to exploit people's money and blow it on stupid stuff. If it is needed its needed, if it not needed it is not needed.”