Date: July 8, 2008
Senator Rita Days Endorses Dr. Vernon (Doc) Harlan for Missouri House 71st District Seat
Normandy, MO – Respected State Senator Rita Days has announced her endorsement of Dr. Vernon T. Harlan who is running for the 71st District Seat in the upcoming Democratic primary on August 5th.
Senator Days welcomed Dr. Harlan as a true progressive and energetic candidate, willing and able to fight for positive change in the 71st District and in Jefferson City. “Vernon Harlan has the energy, experience and honesty to be a truly effective member of the Missouri General Assembly. He has earned my respect and endorsement.”
Senator Days said she based her decision to support Dr. Harlan on his impressive combination of experience, education and community involvement.
“Dr. Harlan has spent many hours working in the community on important issues such as crime, education and senior concerns. This experience gives him an advantage in understanding and addressing community needs. The next representative in the 71st District should know the community. You can’t work on behalf of a community unless you’ve had this type of experience. Vernon has been there for the community, lending his expertise and helping find solutions to community issues.”
Noting Dr. Harlan’s many years on the Criminal Justice Faculty at St. Louis Community College (SLCC) and his numerous other education and criminal justice professional activities, Senator Days welcomed his increased involvement in issues facing the 71st District. “Dr. Harlan brings a lot to the table for his constituents. As we look at education issues, for example, being a professor at SLCC and having worked with many students over the years, gives him invaluable expertise on what’s needed with the educational system. Many of our local students leave our high schools and go on to SLCC. Some of these students are not prepared to tackle higher education. Dr. Harlan can identify our challenges and make valuable suggestions to improve our system and assist our students to become more successful in their higher education endeavors.”
Dr. Harlan thanked Senator Days for her endorsement. “I am honored to be endorsed by Senator Days. She has an outstanding record of community service and is known for her integrity. I look forward to living up to her expectations for me as I serve the people of the 71st District, St. Louis County and Missouri.”
The current 71st District Representative Esther Haywood will not be running for re-election due to term limits.
Senator Days’ endorsement joins a long and growing list of community, union, law enforcement, political, educational and other organizations and individuals striving to improve our state. These individuals and groups include:
Aerospace Lodge 837
Airport Township Democratic Club
Amalgamated Transit Union Division 788 (AFL-CIO)
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) – Local 3506
Communication Workers Association (CWA) – Local 6
Electrical Workers – Local 1
Gas Workers Union Local 11-6 of St. Louis
Glaziers, Architectural Metal & Glassworkers – Local 513
Greater St. Louis Labor Council (AFL-CIO) – COPE
International Union of Elevators Constructors – Local 3
Junior College District (JCD/NEA)
Missouri AFL-CIO
Missouri American Federation of Teachers (AFL-CIO)
Missouri Council of School Administrators
Missouri ERA Political Action Club
Missouri Fraternal Order of Police
Missouri NEA
Missouri School Administrators Political Action Committee (MSAPAC)
Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters (MSCFF)
Missouri Women’s Leadership Coalition
Normandy Township Regular Democratic Club
North County Citizens Group
North County Labor Legislative Club
Pipefitters Local Union 533
Political Action Committee of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce (BizPAC)
Professional Fire Fighters of Eastern Missouri (IAFF) -Local 2665
St. Louis Association of Realtors
St. Louis County Councilwoman Hazel Erby
Senator Timothy Green (Missouri, 13th District)
State Representative Gina Walsh (Missouri, 69th District)
University City Township Democratic Club
Dr. Vernon T. Harlan is a first time Democratic candidate for the 71at District but he is well known in education, criminal justice and civic circles as a dedicated and insightful individual who works for the betterment of society. He has approximately 20 years combined experience in both on-the-ground law enforcement and the teaching of Criminal Justice. His time spent in the study of inner city crime trends, along with his work on citizens’ crime commissions and advisory boards, make him well qualified to assist in the accreditation process for colleges and universities.
Dr. Harlan is in his thirteenth year as a Professor of Criminal Justice at St. Louis Community College, St. Louis, Missouri. During this tenure, he spent two years as first Vice Chairperson, then Chairperson of the District-Wide College Academic Council. He has completed Executive Education Programs at The Brookings Institute (U.S. National Security Policy) and at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government (Leadership in Crisis), and Harvard University School of Education. He received his Ph.D. in Human Services from Capella University, his M.A. in Criminal Justice Administration from Boston University, and his B.A. in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University. For the last eight years, he has been a member of the State of Missouri Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Corrections.
For more information about Dr. Harlan and his campaign please visit http://www.vernonharlan.com.
Don Calloway, (hereand found him to be really impressive as well. I will check and see how he is doing vis-a-vis endorsements etc. I know that there was some scepticism out there that Calloway could outmaneuver “Doc” Harlan,who seems to have been around the local political scene for some time. Harlan certainly sounds very well-qualified.
of course, I don’t know anything abut Haywood and only somewhat more abut Clay, but it would might be significant that these folks decided to buck he trend above. Looking at his last campaign finance report (April)–and the only one to show any real activity–doesn’t show any contributions from Sinquefield, and most of the contributions are relatively small ($325 is largest amount f rom a single donation).
who and what is McKee? I know who Sinquefield is and why he causes shudders, but McKee is a new name.