Carter Seeks Second Term As Wentzville Judge

Michael "Mike" E. Carter was the first to declare candidacy for Wentzville's municipal judge.

Carter's opponent did not sign up on the first day to file for the office. This means Carter is first on the April 2, 2013 ballot. (see insert picture)

Carter only said of his opponent that he hopes Mr. Martin is "re-thinking his campaigning approach of 2011. I (carter) never bought into Martin 's type of negative campaigning, but, such is local politics I guess."

Carter says his campaign focus is on three main issues:

1) Carter's having spear-headed the cancellation of Wentzville's red-light camera program;
2) Carter ensuring Wentzville's court focuses on justice and not revenue; AND
3) Carter wants to get every Wentzville voter a copy of the U.S. Constitution. It is the foundation of every court room.

Carter Seeks Former Job As Wentzville's Municipal Judge

December 12, 2012 -- Michael "Mike" E. Carter was the first to declare candidacy for Wentzville's municipal judge today at city hall.

In a strange twist, the incumbent judge Martin did not file yesterday, which was actually the first day to file for the office. This means Carter will be placed first on the ballot.

Carter only said of Martin that he hopes the current judge is "re-thinking his campaigning approach of 2011. I (carter) never bought into negative campaigning."

Carter says his campaign will focus on three main issues:

1) Carter's helping rid Wentzville of red-light cameras;
2) His ensuring the court focuses on justice before revenue; AND
3) Carter wants to get every Wentzville voter a copy of the U.S. Constitution -- he says it worked for him and he'll make sure it works for everyone before his bench.

Former Wentzville Judge Helps Rid Community of Red-Light Cameras

Wentzville MO Rejects Red-Light Cameras, Former Judge and Lt. Gov. Candidate Carter Plays Role

Voting against renewal, Wentzville aldermen cited the necessity of officer discretion at traditional in-person red-light traffic stops and referenced the inconclusive nature of Wentzville Police Chief's red-light camera accident prevention data

Wentzville, MO , March 15, 2012- Wentzville Aldermen last night voted unanimously against renewing the city's red-light camera contract. In spite of the fact that city staff indicated the contract didn't end until the middle of 2013, the city's police chief recommended renewal and the mayor moved to table the discussion, the aldermen; nonetheless, after little discussion, made their intentions clear.

"Politicians take credit for whatever they can, right? I was at last night's meeting for this vote specifically with my daughter -- she gets good marks in civics class. Wentzville's mayor routinely criticized me about red-light cameras when I was the city's judge. I recall Mayor Lambi telling reporters that the only reason I was elected judge was because I sent out a mailer sensitive to red-light cameras. I really never understood his take. I won that election with two-thirds of the vote; so, given the mayor's reasoning, wouldn't that mean the citizens didn't want them? I am proud to have kept the issue at the forefront in Wentzville -- ask around, there's no doubt my name is synonymous with red-light-camera concern."

Carter has done millions of robo calls across Missouri asking Missouri voters about their thoughts on red-light cameras. He says he is always surprised that those for and against red-light cameras appear to split nearly right down the middle. However, "the citizens against traffic camera technology are far more vocal and irritated than their counterparts," notes Carter.

The Missouri Lieutenant Governor candidate has made no secret of his disdain for red-light cameras. He seeks a statewide ban against them much like the State of Mississippi currently has and that Iowa & Colorado are very close to passing. Carter says he feels encouraged that other states like Arizona and many cities on the west coast are moving away from the camera-ticketing technologies.

In voting against renewal, some Wentzville aldermen cited the necessity of officer discretion at traditional in-person red-light traffic stops, while mayoral candidates Tow and Guccione referenced the inconclusive nature of Wentzville Police Chief Harrison's red-light camera accident prevention data.

Carter said it's worth noting that Wentzville city attorney Paul Rost warned the aldermen that voting out the red-light camera service provider, RedFlex, would no doubt result in renewed RedFlex attempts to "woo" the aldermen to change their opinions.

Missouri Lieutenant Governor Candidate Mike Carter Renders Lager Hopeless

ST. CHARLES, MO May 1, 2012--Missouri's race for Lt. Governor is chock full of candidates; sadly, this has an adverse affect on the race's biggest fund raisers.

Right now, the GOP is represented in the race by incumbent Peter Kinder, and three other candidates, Brad Lager, Mike Carter, and Charles Kullmann. Polling in January showed that Kinder had a strong lead against the others, with Lager coming in as a distant second; Mike Carter close behind.



Brad Lager

Unless he hopes to yet again endeavor on a losing effort to attain statewide name recognition (lost 2008 Treasurer campaign to superior candidate Clint Zweifel), the numbers indicate that Brad Lager's hopes of eking  away at Kinder's lead are an exercise in futility as long as Carter maintains and/or improves his position in the polls. Carter has a strong Ron-Paul following that continues to grow --- ensuring Carter’s firm grasp on those undecided voters that well-funded Lager so badly needs.

Oddly, given that "Lt. Governor" serves as the prima facie “down-ballot” race, another difficulty in Lager's path is the similarity of names in the GOP's candidates Peter Kinder, Brad Lager, and Mike Carter. Name similarity can have a significant impact on election results when many voters select by party rather than basing their decision on actual knowledge of the candidates.  This establishment problem reared its head in Illinois’ 2010 election cycle for Lt. Governor with Scott Cohen.  People just don’t pay attention to these meaningless offices.

Mike Carter

Brad Lager's campaign finance report filed earlier this month showed an impressive cash-on-hand budget of over $1.1 million due in large part to contributions from an unusually low number of supporters.  Mike Carter has publicly announced that he has no intention of accepting donations for the August GOP primary and hopes to keep campaign expenses to a bare minimum. Regardless of this, Lager has no hopes of winning as long as Carter remains in the race.  Some say that Lager could raise 50 million and have no significant impact.



Peter Kinder

Carter’s most powerful ally is the fact that he doesn’t care if he wins.  Recently Carter conferred with his co-candidate, 90-year-old Charles Kullman, about criss-crossing the state together to conserve resources.  It appears Kullman is in a powerful position too because he cares not if he wins

Carter is an Independent-minded Republican candidate who has cast votes for Ross Perot and Ron Paul. He is a former judge, real estate attorney, Senior Lecturer for the University of Missouri, corporate counsel, and Director at the St. Louis Board of REALTORS. He supports Ron-Paul politics, non-partisan elections, advocates smaller government, abolishment of irresponsible spending, and a ban on unnecessary governmental intrusion into the private lives of citizens.

Mayoral Candidate Nick Guccione Says "Come Have Coffee" At My House During Wentzville Candidate Forum

Mayoral candidate Alderman Nick Guccione tells the crowd at candidate night that he will continue to answer phone calls, have coffee meetings at his house and walk Wentzville neighborhoods for feedback on issues important to citizens.

Wentzville Aldermanic Candidate Donna Sherwood Points Out In-Depth Civic Involvement At Wentzville Candidate Forum

Wentzville Aldermanic candidate Donna Sherwood points out to Wentzville voters that even though not a member of the board, she has attended nearly all the aldermanic meetings over the course of the past 3 years.

Wentzville Candidate Night -- Sonya Shryock Comes Prepared

Wentzville aldermanic candidate Sonya Shryock brings proof to Wentzville Candidate Night that she is not associated with the Home Builders Association and decries negative attacks on her and her family.