Gary Wester

Gary Wester earned a graduate degree from the University of Missouri in 1992. His career experience includes working as a chemist.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Gary Wester was born in St Louis City Missouri and has lived most of his life in Missouri. He earned a high school diploma from St Mary's High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia in 1975, a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri, St Louis in 1988, and a master's degree from the University of Missouri, St Louis in 1993. His career experience includes working with the Missouri Department of Conservation, industrial chemistry laboratories, environmental chemistry laboratories, and pharmaceutical chemistry laboratories. He was affiliated with the American Society for Quality and was a certified quality auditor and certified quality engineer.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

EDUCATION - We need public schools that are fully funded, including institutions of higher learning. Better schools and universities that result in an educated populace THAT is what brings businesses to our state. Our children/grandchildren deserve opportunities in all fields of education in order to obtain employment that will pay a living wage and beyond.ECONOMY - We do not need another round of tax breaks to entice businesses to relocate to Missouri. Let's first agree that everyone needs to pay their fair share and even if they eliminate income taxes and personal property taxes, higher sales taxes being proposed by Jefferson City will only increase the cost of living for most Missouri residents. That is why I voted NO on Amendment 4 and Amendment 5 in the August 2026 Primary Election.ENVIRONMENT - Whether we like it or not, data centers are going to be a fact of life, and we need a regulated process ensuring that datacenters pay their share of utilities and not shift the burden to Missourians. I am also concerned of the noise, water, land, and air pollution that data centers may cause. Let's be proactive and put regulations in place before we find ourselves at risk.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Every Missouri child should have access to free, quality public education regardless of their zip code. As your representative, I will work to strengthen our public schools and fully fund our commitment to our kids.

A strong economy is one that works for everyone. As your state rep, I’ll fight for those who truly build up our economy—our workers—for the wages, benefits, and protections they deserve. I’ll work to bring new businesses here that want to capitalize on our skilled Missouri workforce and quality of life. But, I’ll always put workers’ interests before the special interests of large corporations.

Healthcare is a decision that should be made between the patient and their doctor without political intervention.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Missouri AFL-CIO

Missouri Kansas LiUNA!

Tri County Labor Legislative Club

Everytown for Gun Safety

314 Action Fund

Sierra Club

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Gary grew up in south St. Louis, the third son of six children, where he attended parochial schools from grades K-12, learned to play hockey, played baseball, umpired CYC baseball, and worked his way to become an Eagle Scout. He continued his education at Mizzou, earning a BA in Zoology, then continuing and completing his education with both BA and MS degrees in Chemistry at UMSL.

During his career, Gary held many positions with several companies and organizations that provided him a unique vision for investigation and improvement: working in wildlife conservation, aluminum and aerospace industries, as well as, research chemistry. He is now retired after working as a validation and compliance professional in the pharmaceutical industry.

Gary and his wife, Jan, have been married almost 50 years and have two children and two grandchildren. After living many places in and out of the state of Missouri over the years, Gary and Jan have been settled in O'Fallon, Missouri for the past seventeen years.

Currently, Gary spends his retirement volunteering with the Missouri Master Naturalist program, Stream Team, and was elected to the University of Missouri St Charles Extension Council where he now serves as the treasurer.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Quality, accessible, and affordable health care is every Missourian’s right. But every year Missouri families must make increasingly difficult decisions for how they prioritize spending on prescription drugs and medical bills over the basic costs of living.

At the same time, the Republican-led House has left millions of federal dollars on the table meant for expanding health care access to Missourians. Their inaction means less healthy communities, higher premiums for those with coverage, and the loss of hospitals, especially in rural areas.

As your state representative, I’ll support common sense measures like expanding Medicaid, so no Missourian is forced to choose between a decent job and keeping their health care.Every Missouri child should have access to free, quality public education regardless of their zip code. As your representative, I will work to strengthen our public schools and fully fund our commitment to our kids.

I will support universal early childhood education, because investing in our kids from an early age is the best way for us to invest in our future. I will also support investment in higher education and workforce training, to ensure all Missourians have the opportunity to gain the skills to compete in our economy.Every person should have the autonomy to make decisions about their body and their life. Republicans have passed extreme abortion bans in recent years, limiting access to abortion even in cases of rape, incest, or medical need.

Mothers die from childbirth in Missouri in numbers far greater than the rest of the industrialized world, and instead of promoting health care, Missouri legislators have placed burdensome restrictions on it.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Restoring reproductive freedom and protecting it from any limitations by the state.

Using taxpayer money only for public education and not funneling millions of dollars to private institutions not subject to legal oversight.

Expanding renewable energy creating good paying union jobs.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Listening to constituents and not lobbyists.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Answering to my constituents.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Assassination of President John F Kennedy, I was 11.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The executive branch and legislative branch should be able to work together to move our state forward.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Fully funding public education for the 21st century. Presently, schools are funded as though it is 2005. We need to pay teachers a living wage so that they stay in their vocation.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Previous political experience is beneficial but that experience sometimes gets in the way of serving the people not just the largest donors.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Relationships and compromise are the key to enacting legislation that is most beneficial to the majority of Missourians.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Stuart Symington

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Allowing medical practitioners to perform all approved medical procedures.

What committees interest you?

Energy, environment, and conservation.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

We have Sunshine Laws on the books that the current political party ignores. Let's work on getting compliance with those laws first and then we will not have to worry about transparency.

The state should enact legislation to get dark money out of politics.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

No changes to the initiative petition process.