Husband, Father, Combat Veteran,
Minister & Attorney
Will has dedicated his life to serving his country and community. As your state representative in Missouri House District 21, he fights for your rights and voice in Jefferson City. Now he is asking for your vote on November 3, 2026.
About Will
Will is a husband and father of four young boys, combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, minister for 20 years, and public service attorney whose mission in life has always been serving his country and his community.
Young Life
I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, the son of an ag teacher (then principal, then superintendent) and a nurse. I split time between there and Independence, my other hometown, where my grandparents were pillars of the community.
I was active in Boy Scouts and FFA, eventually earning my Eagle rank and American Farmer Degree.
Husband & Father
I have been married to the love of my life, Erica, for twelve years, and we have four sons. I am a 4th generation resident of Independence, Missouri, and I count it a privilege to raise a 5th generation in our community, as well.
Veteran
Like my father and grandfather, I am a veteran of the Armed Forces. I enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2003, leading troops in Ar-Ramadi, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. I served at home and abroad for nine years.
Minister
I have been a minister in my church for over 20 years. As such, I have come to recognize the value of listening and working to understand all sides of an issue, and of advocating for all people.
Attorney
I attended UMKC School of Law after separating from the Army. Almost immediately, I began my career of public service as an attorney for the Missouri State Public Defender, working in the Kansas City Trial office representing members of our community who needed an attorney but could not afford one. Several years later, I transitioned to the Jackson County Family Court where I worked as a Guardian ad Litem representing the best interests of children in the system. I have never charged my clients a fee.
Issues
Democracy
I believe to my core that you have the right to a voice and a say in your government. I also believe that your voice should be just as important as that of any other voter in this state.
This past session, we’ve all been audience to how government power has been abused with regard to our constitutionally guaranteed referendum process, which allows the people to force a statewide vote on a bill passed by the legislature. And now an amendment is on the ballot in August to change and “reform” the constitutional initiative petition process--the method by which the people can make changes or additions to our state constitution. This amendment, if adopted, would deny you both your voice and your equal standing with the rest of the state, each of which are foundational principles of our law and society.
I am committed to making sure that your voice and vote will always matter. And I will continue to remind those who want to limit or silence your voice that this is still a government of, by, and for the people; and that government is still accountable to you.
Property Taxes
The recent reassessments of property values in Jackson County were highly problematic in both their execution and results. This is an issue that needs to be--and must be--fixed. Unfortunately, many of the solutions being offered in Jefferson City seek only to exact a political price or play politics with the issue.
I spent the last two years sitting on special committees on Property Tax Reform. I heard from hundreds of individuals and organizations about how this issue has affected and continues to affect them, and then I heard the bills proposed as solutions to those problems. As a result, I filed bills to create a homestead exemption for disabled veterans (HB 552 & 2276), to end sales taxes on food (HB 432 & 2665), and to create a 5% cap on property value increases (HJR 89 &152).
I also filed a property tax reform bill (HB 3254) that would have, among other things, siloed property tax rates to ensure residential and other categories get the full protections of Hancock rollbacks and limits, as well as allowed for the end of payments under protest (the requirement that homeowners pay the full property tax bill even if disputing it).
Finally, I filed HJR 24 in 2025 which removed language from the Missouri Constitution that allowed Jackson County to appoint its county assessor. This bill passed that year and will be on your ballot in the August 4th primary election as Amendment 2.
Jobs & Economy
A strong economy is one that works for everyone. As your state rep, I will fight for those who build up our economy—our workers—for the wages, benefits, and protections they deserve. I stand with labor unions because I stand with the working class people who built this country and are continuing to move this state forward.
I will work towards implementing a state Child Tax Credit, universal paid maternity leave, and increased FMLA protections to make sure the companies that operate in our community adequately value their workers and the labor that they provide.
Education
As the product of public education and the son of a lifelong public school teacher, I believe wholeheartedly in our public education system.
I have and will continue to fight for our students and their access to educational opportunity. I will also stand up for and defend our public schools against the growing calls for funding cuts, consolidation, and new unfunded mandates and requirements.
Frankly, our schools are the heartbeat of our community life and the foundation of our economic development and future. We must fund our schools at a level sufficient to educate our sons and daughters and provide them access to a future in our community.
We must also compensate our teachers in a way that reflects the value they are to our families. Nobody that devotes their lives to educating our kids should have to get a second or third job, or seek public assistance to get by while teaching the future of Missouri.
Veterans
I do and will continue to do everything I can to ensure that we honor the contract.
I serve on the Veterans and Armed Forces Committee in the House, where we hear most bills related to veterans’ issues and fight to advance veteran causes in the legislature. I also serve on the Missouri Veterans Commission, which manages the state’s veterans’ homes, cemeteries, service officers, and suicide prevention program. This session I worked toward a homestead exemption for disabled veterans, fairness in leave policies for our first responders who are also military servicemembers, and legislation allowing members of the armed forces to become living donors for their comrades or members of their community.
I have personally lost friends and battle buddies to both combat and suicide on the other side of the world and at home. The assistance we offer to those who have laid it all on the line for us in service to this country is personal and close to my heart.
I believe part of the “contract” we made with our veterans is to provide help and support so that none of them find themselves alone, mistakenly believing that they have no way out.
Regardless of what happens in November, if you or someone you know find themselves in this situation, contact me anytime, anywhere.
Mental Health
In the years I spent as a public defender in Jackson County, I saw firsthand how undersupported and overwhelmed the professionals and public servants that offer mental health services are. Far too often, those in desperate need of mental health assistance are overlooked--until their struggles lead them to get crosswise of the criminal justice system. Even then, after a judge orders an evaluation, they will sit and wait for months in the county jail just for the evaluation to occur. And then they will wait in jail for months more for a spot to open up at the Department of Mental Health.
By the time they finally arrive at the Department of Mental Health, they have been waiting--in arguably the worst possible place for a person's mental health--for a year or more. We have to do better than this, and I am committed to expanding the resources available to those people and families struggling with mental illness and increasing support and funding to the Department of Mental Health and other mental health providers.
Criminal Justice Reform
Central to the role of government is to fairly enforce the law and provide protection for its people. I will support our law enforcement officers in their difficult jobs while also demanding accountability when they overreach.
I support tough sentences for violent criminals. I also support the expansion of programs that help those in our prison system turn their lives around and reintegrate into society after they have served their time. I support drug treatment courts, veterans' courts, mental health courts, and diversion programs that find alternative ways to punish and rehabilitate non-violent criminals without simply throwing them in prison, and I will support the expansion of these programs across the state.
Gallery
My Promise
While I can't promise that we will agree on everything, I can and do promise that I will always listen to and consider the thoughts of my constituents, and I will do everything I can to make sure your concerns and values are represented well in Jefferson City.
As a State Representative, I will continue the fight to...
- Keep our leaders accountable
- Defend our constitutional rights and privileges
- Supports veterans and first responders
- Limit tax increases
- Ensure our public schools are adequately funded
FAQ
What does a State Representative do?
A State Representative is the person who represents the interests of your particular community (about 38,000 people in District 21) in the state Capitol. We make laws on things like tax policy and criminal justice, and we are responsible for making the state budget.
How long is your term? Are there term limits?
Missouri does have term limits. State Representatives are elected to two-year terms, and they can do that four times for a total of eight years in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Are you a Republican or a Democrat?
I am a Truman (conservative) Democrat.
Why is the flag in your logo backwards?
The short version: it's not. It's called the "reverse flag," and it is the orientation of the flag patch on all military (and many first responder) uniforms. It signifies that our armed forces always move forward, never retreat. That is the same mission I carry as an elected official: forward.