LaTonya Williams focuses on affordability, education and listening to the St. Joseph community

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- LaTonya Williams, a St. Joseph School District Board of Education member, is running as a Democrat for Missouri House District 10, which encompasses much of Buchanan County. 

For Williams, it is important for people to understand what is happening at the state and national levels, but she believes those conversations should start with what is happening closer to home. 

“Local issues are what affect our everyday life. And what’s going on at the state level isn’t right. We need a strong voice not just a rule follower,” Williams said.  

Williams said there are plenty of pressing issues facing St. Joseph right now, making it difficult to decide which one needs attention first. 

Still, she pointed to affordability and the challenges people face in their everyday lives.  

“If you look at the gas prices or the prices of the groceries or even the prices of medical care, I mean it is hard and what you're making is not matching with what you put out,” Williams added.  

Public education is another major focus for Williams. As a current school board member, she said she is often associated with the challenges facing public schools.  

“I am doing all I can now to navigate all these issues attacking public education at this point because it is not the policies, rules or regulations it all comes down to, also affordability,” she said.  

When asked what St. Joseph needs from the state that it is not receiving right now, Williams had a simple answer: “Funds and support.” 

She said rural communities like St. Joseph are often expected to accomplish big things without being given the resources to do them.  

For Williams, one of the most important things leaders can do is listen to the people they represent rather than simply deciding what they think people need. 

“I think a lot of times it is a problem, like I have been in lots of rooms and lots of tables over the years, they don’t like me there, but I am pulling up a chair anyways,” she added.  

Williams said she appreciates leaders who want to bring new and exciting things to the community, but she also believes it is important to ask whether those things are actually useful or accessible to the people who live there. 

Childcare is one of her biggest priorities because she sees it as both a workforce and community issue. Williams said many families simply cannot afford childcare, while others struggle to find accessible options.  

“Then it becomes our problem; it is not only his or her problem. We need to go back to caring about problems of our neighbors because if it is your problem, it is my problem,” Williams said.  

Williams also acknowledged that St. Joseph has opportunities available, but those opportunities are not necessarily accessible to everyone. 

She said it can be easy to look at someone who is struggling and simply tell them to get a job. But, she said, the questions that come next are just as important: Where? Who is hiring? And who is going to train them? 

Williams said she believes the community is at an important moment.  

“I am a product of the community. I worked at non-profit agencies and was extremely underpaid with no insurance. I have debt; those are the bad things about me, but look at the good things,” she said.  

Williams wants people to look at what they already know about her rather than making judgments based on what they may have heard from others. 

More than anything, she wants people to pay attention to the voices within the community — including people whose experiences may look similar to her own. 

She was raised in the same community she is now hoping to represent and she believes that experience gives her an understanding of the everyday challenges many local residents face. 

Williams looks to take over for Bill Falkner (R-District 10), who is terming out of the seat. She is running against Republican candidate Paul Gatewood.