Platte County Commissioner Joe Vanover has announced he will run for re-election in 2024.
Vanover represents the northern part of Platte County. He won his first election in 2020 by beating a Democrat by 11% of the vote. The northern commission district is heavily Republican. A Democrat has not won in the district in more than 20 years. Vanover announced his candidacy in 2020 with the support of the local Republican establishment.
“It was great to reconnect with many old friends during the campaign as we walked door-to-door in the northern Platte County neighborhoods for countless hours,” Vanover said.
No Republican challenged him in the primary election. He raised nearly $35,000 from dozens of contributors in his first campaign.
Vanover
When Vanover was sworn in, he announced his priority would be to help the county government adopt modern business practices and make the transition to the post-Covid period. Two months later, Platte County unexpectedly learned it would receive $20 million from the federal government for Covid relief under the American Rescue Plan Act.
“The $20 million windfall is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to renovate our buildings and improve our technology to meet the needs of today and tomorrow without costing local taxpayers anything,” Vanover said. Vanover immediately organized a Covid Response Committee to study how the money could be spent to offer a more convenient and safer customer experience for citizens doing business with county offices. Many of the ideas are now being implemented.
In 2022, Vanover was part of the team that renewed Platte County’s roads sales tax for another ten-year period, but at a reduced rate.
“Because Platte County had already replaced most of its older bridges, we were able to lower this sales tax from 3/8 cent to 1/4 cent,” Vanover said. Platte County voters supported the lowered roads sales tax by 71% voting yes and only 29% against.
During his first term in office Vanover led the efforts to activate two long-dormant parks department assets. The county parks department purchased 100 acres of rolling hills in southern Platte County in 2002. Within a few months of Vanover taking office, the county parks department started development work on the land and opened the Michael Gunn Park at Platte Meadows on April 22, 2022.
Vanover also worked to find a use for a Civil War era log cabin that the county parks department had purchased and spent $1 million to preserve.
“I hate to see money wasted, and when I learned we had spent so much money to preserve a log cabin that was nearly forgotten, I had to find a use for it,” Vanover said. The University of Missouri Extension office has moved into parts of the cabin property and plans to invite artists to live and work in the cabin for residency programs several times during the year. The Mizzou Extension will also use the grounds for master gardener programs and 4-H programs.
“I am driven to get things done,” Vanover said. “The job of being a county commissioner can be a challenge, but I enjoy the challenge. Politics on the bigger scale can get dirty, but in local government it is possible to be successful while treating people fairly and being professional about it.”
Vanover is an attorney with a law office near the airport. As a lawyer, he works to find solutions to challenging legal situations, frequently related to real estate. He helps clients prepare for the future with estate plans as well.
Vanover said the biggest issue facing county government is that the county jail is full. He said, “The number of inmates in the county jail peaked above 200 in every month last year. It was built 25 years ago for 154 inmates. Temporary beds were added a few years ago to increase to 180 inmates. It is time we agree on a solution that will work for the next 25 years.”
Previously, Vanover served as an assistant prosecutor for Platte County and as a special prosecutor for federal crimes.
“In my years as a prosecutor, I saw the terrible effects of crime too many times,” Vanover said. “Platte County sits on the edge of a major city. We are also on the edge of a slippery slope that leads to the dangerous reality facing many liberal, urban cities where crime is out of control. Do we want to continue to be a great place to build a life and raise a family? Or will we become a community that believes in the fantasy that you can stop crime with more understanding and more government-run social programs? Platte County has all it needs to stay safe and vibrant for years to come, except for a detention center that is big enough to put the criminals.”