Steven Tilley(born June 11, 1971) is a lobbyist and formerSpeaker of the Missouri House of Representatives.He represented District 106 (Perry,St. FrancoisandSte. GenevieveCounties) in theMissouri House of Representatives.ARepublican,Tilley was elected to theHousein November 2004. He became theMajority leaderin January 2008. On August 13, 2012 Tilley resigned from the Missouri House of Representatives.[1]
Steven Tilley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 72ndSpeaker of the Missouri House of Representatives | |
| In office January 5, 2011 – August 13, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Ron Richard |
| Succeeded by | Shane Schoeller |
| Majority Leader of theMissouri House of Representatives | |
| In office January 9, 2008 – January 5, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Dempsey |
| Succeeded by | Tim Jones |
| Member of theMissouri House of Representatives from the 106th district | |
| In office January 5, 2005 – August 13, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin P. Engler |
| Succeeded by | Chrissy Sommer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 11, 1971 Wiesbaden,West Germany |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | Kourtney Tilley, Korrin Tilley |
| Residence | Perryville, Missouri |
| Alma mater | Southeast Missouri State University(B.S.,1994),University of Missouri–St. Louis(DoctorateofOptometry,1998) |
| Occupation | Optometrist |
Tilley was elected Speaker on November 4, 2010 after the Republicans picked up 17 seats in the 2010 election.[2]On December 13, 2010, five weeks after being elected Speaker, Tilley altered his campaign committee in order to run forLieutenant Governor of Missouriin 2012.[3]
Background and education
editEducation
editA 1989 graduate of Perryville High School inPerryville, Missouri,Tilley received aBachelor of Sciencedegree fromSoutheast Missouri State Universityin 1994 and received hisDoctorateofOptometryfrom theUniversity of Missouri-St. LouisSchool ofOptometryin 1998.[4]
Marriage and Family Life
editTilley lives inPerryville.He has two children: Kourtney and Korrin.[4]Tilley and his wife Kellie filed for divorce on September 14, 2011 after 18 years of marriage.[5]The divorce was cited as a reason for him dropping out of the lieutenant governor race as well as resigning in August 2012 as speaker of the Missouri House five months before his term expired.[6]
Group Memberships
editTilley is a member of the Perryville Optimist Club, Missouri Right to Life,National Rifle Association,Missouri Optometric Association, American Optometric Association, N.F.I.B. and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. He is also a CHAMPS mentor and attends Immanuel Lutheran Church of Perryville.[7]
Political career
editTilley served in theMissouri Housefrom 2005 to 2012.[4]During that time, Tilley has served as the Chairman of the House Special Committee on General Laws,[8]Chairman of the House Ethics Committee[9][10]and asMajority Floor Leader.[11]
Speaker of the Missouri House
editRepublicans in the Missouri House had their biggest majority in history (106-57). Among his most visible events was erecting a statue ofRush Limbaughin the capitol in the Hall of Famous Missourians.[6]
As Speaker of the House, Tilley served as an ex-officio member of all committees of the House. Additionally, he was specifically assigned to the House Ethics and Administration and Accounts.[4]
Flooding Cairo controversy
editIn April 2011, Speaker Tilley received national media attention for controversial remarks he made aboutCairo, Illinois,a poor town on the Illinois side of theMississippi River.Due to heavy rainfall and high water levels on the river, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was considering a plan to destroy a levee on the Missouri side of the river in hopes of lowering the flood level and preventing severe flood damage to Cairo and other downstream areas. Destroying the levee would have flooded several hundred thousand acres of Missouri farmland. When reporters asked if he would rather see Missouri farmland flooded or the town of Cairo, Tilley responded "Cairo. I've been there. Trust me. Cairo." And further said "Have you been to Cairo? OK, then you known what I'm saying."[12]Tilley later issued an apology:
I was asked a question about blowing up a dam in Missouri and the negative consequences that happened to Missouri. As the Speaker of the House, (I believe) my first responsibility is to Missourians. And in my effort to defend them, I went on to say some pretty insensitive and inappropriate remarks about Cairo
When later interviewed by a Missouri television station, Tilley said the accusations that he was a racist are ridiculous and that when one does as many interviews as he does, one is bound to say something stupid.[13]The Corps of Engineers destroyed the levee on May 3, 2011, flooding 130,000 acres of Missouri farmland but saving the town of Cairo from flooding.[14]
Lobbyist
editTilley formed the lobbyist firm Strategic Capitol Consulting shortly after his term as Speaker ended.[15]Clients have included Conte Enterprise Holdings, andJefferson County, Missouri.[16][17]
Tilley's role as lobbyist for theUniversity of Missouri Systembecame a point of contention in 2021 followingconflict of interestconcerns from senior university curatorDavid Steelman,who was later asked to resign by governorMike Parson.[18]
Tilley is a lobbyist forTorch Electronics,which owns and operates video machines at gas stations and convenience stores, and Warrenton Oil, which operates convenience stores. The legality of the machines are in question due to gray areas in state gambling regulations. Torch spent $657,648 in political donations between 2018-2023, primarily through PACs managed by Tilley.[19]In 2023, attorney generalAndrew Baileywithdrew from a lawsuit between both companies andMissouri State Highway Patrolafter receiving donations from five of Tilley's PACs.[20]In 2024, state treasurerVivek Malektold legislators that he chose to place advertisements on Torch machines following a meeting arranged by Tilley in Torch owner Steve Miltenberger's private hanger inChesterfield.[21]
In 2024, Tilley's clients Torch Electronics and New Day Healthcare donated a total of $120,000 toLincoln Hough's lieutenant governor campaign by way of six PACs managed by Tilley.[22]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steven Tilley | 8,394 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steven Tilley | 12,769 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steven Tilley | 9,265 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steven Tilley | 7,847 | 54.5 | ||
| Democratic | David Cramp | 6,562 | 45.5 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steven Tilley | 2,600 | 57.7 | ||
| Republican | Gary Romine | 1,904 | 42.3 | ||
References
edit- ^Virginia Young (13 August 2012)."Speaker Tilley resigns from Missouri House to be consultant".Stltoday.Retrieved2012-08-14.
- ^"Tilley named house speaker; historical election".Archived fromthe originalon November 5, 2010.RetrievedNovember 5,2010.
- ^"Tilley changes committee; sets sights on lieutenant governor seat".Stltoday. 2010-12-13.Retrieved2012-08-14.
- ^abcdMember Biography - Retrieved March 29, 2009ArchivedMay 28, 2010, at theWayback Machine
- ^Jake Wagman. (2011-10-11)."House Speaker Tilley tells colleagues he's getting a divorce".Stltoday.Retrieved2012-08-14.
- ^abVirginia Young. (14 August 2012)."Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley resigns".Stltoday.Retrieved2012-08-14.
- ^Member Biography - Retrieved March 26, 2009ArchivedFebruary 18, 2012, at theWayback Machine
- ^2007 House Special Committee on General Laws Members - Retrieved March 29, 2009
- ^2008 House Ethics Committee Members - Retrieved March 29, 2009
- ^2009 House Ethics Committee Members - Retrieved March 29, 2009
- ^2009 House Leadership Directory - Retrieved March 26, 2009
- ^"Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley: Flood Cairo, Illinois To Save Farmland".The Huffington Post.2011-04-28.Retrieved2011-04-29.
- ^"House Speaker Tilley Apologizes".KOMU-TV. 2011-04-28.Retrieved2011-04-29.
- ^"Army Corps Breaks Missouri Levee to Save Cairo, Illinois - ABC News".Abcnews.go. 2011-05-03.Retrieved2012-08-14.
- ^McDermott, Kevin (2016-06-05)."Four years later, an ex-politician is still benefiting from his campaign fund".STLtoday.Retrieved2024-02-27.
- ^Rivas, Rebecca (2023-12-18)."Company behind Missouri marijuana recall poses legal challenge to state's regulations • Missouri Independent".Missouri Independent.Retrieved2024-02-27.
- ^Bess, Gordon (2018-02-14)."County hires lobbyist; somehow we managed to go two centuries without having one".Leader Publications.Retrieved2024-02-27.
- ^Keller, Rudi (2021-03-31)."UM curator worried he'd lose his seat if he didn't 'play ball' with controversial lobbyist".Missouri Independent.Retrieved2024-03-13.
- ^Keller, Rudi (2023-03-11)."Missouri lawsuit accuses Torch Electronics of violating racketeering law • Missouri Independent".Missouri Independent.Retrieved2024-02-27.
- ^Hancock, Jason."Missouri AG faces criticism for dropping out of gambling lawsuit against highway patrol".Columbia Daily Tribune.Retrieved2024-02-27.
- ^Keller, Rudi (2024-02-27)."Missouri state treasurer removes ads on unregulated slot machines after grilling by lawmakers • Missouri Independent".Missouri Independent.Retrieved2024-02-27.
- ^Hancock, Jason (2024-06-24)."PACs connected to Missouri lobbyist take in $530K from pair of companies".Missouri Independent.Retrieved2024-06-24.
- ^"Specify a Race - State Representative - District 106 - Summary".State of Missouri. 2010-11-30. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-10-05.
- ^Missouri Secretary of State Election Archives - Retrieved March 29, 2009
- ^Missouri Secretary of State Election Archives - Retrieved March 29, 2009
- ^Missouri Secretary of State Election Archives - Retrieved March 29, 2009
- ^Missouri Secretary of State Election Archives - Retrieved March 29, 2009