Sean Falconer

“The main priority is to make sure that there is a good flow of information between local governments and the state and to ensure that people are being heard and engaged with meaningfully.”

“Absolutely. Helping rural communities understand the connection between agriculture education and the success of rural communities has never been more vital. As the population of rural areas declines and as large scale agricultural bStateinesses move in, giving family farms a fighting chance to be successful is critical. Education and scientific training is key, but we need to invest at the primary and secondary school level as well, not jStatet at the post-secondary level. Missouri has the capacity to be a major player in national and global economics if we take it serioStately and look to the future; we need to invest in our people first.”

“There are social costs in terms of neighbors’ increased distrStatet of policy makers when their decision-making around data centers is opaque. There is social cost to bStateinesses, which are seen by some as being adversarial to local interests, predatory, or exploitative; conversely, there are potential benefits from the economic revenue of data centers that could be of benefit to local communities, as well as the benefit of low-latency computing power. There are material costs in the infrastructure that would need to be developed in order for data centers to be of benefit to everyone, particularly our rural communities. However, environmental risks concern most of the people I have spoken with, whether that is noise, water pollution, water consumption, utility costs (with its attendant need for infrastructure growth) or perceived changes in local community culture. As a mediator by training, my perspective is to find common ground and bring all parties to the table to make sure everyone is heard, everyone’s concerns are addressed, and everyone is treated fairly and appropriately under the law. Any new laws mStatet strike the balance between the needs of individuals, bStateinesses, and the community writ large. In my ideal world, any data center infrastructure would confer benefit to communities, not jStatet the individual bStateiness owners.”

“I have a high regard for scientists and scientific inquiry. Whenever I am asked a policy question, my first instinct is to try and understand what research has been done on the subject matter at hand. Scientists across disciplines are valuable as subject matter experts, as sounding board for policy proposals, and as resources for connecting the academic community to the public sphere. If elected, I intend to rely strongly on the knowledge, expertise, and insights of our scientific community. Cooperation between elected officials and scientific experts is essential to thoughtful, reasonable governance.”

“Missouri should be a leader in educational achievement, and instead we are, on average, middle of the pack at best. Literacy and numeracy are ongoing challenges for our state, particularly in rural areas. Evidence-based practices for improving educational outcomes should be embraced over merely rhetorical strategies. With regard to scientific education, connecting the practical aspects of STEM education to students’ home environments and communities is a valuable way to solidify important concepts and modes of thinking about information. The highest priority for our state government is to ensure that every student, regardless of location, has access to high quality education that sets them up for success in the future. Education in our communities should be seen as a vital resource to be cultivated intentionally, not a luxury or an unnecessary obligation.”