Kurt Schaefer, negotiator for Katy Connection to KC, now running for legislature

Kurt Schaefer, who played a key role in negotiating the settlement with AmerenUE that led to the agreement to connect the Katy Trail to Kansas City, is now running for the Missouri Senate in the 18th District.

Schaefer, who worked on the Katy Trail deal during his tenure with the Department of Natural Resources, recently rode a section of the Katy to bring attention to the issue of the Katy Connection to KC, according to a recent article in the MU Maneater:

On Saturday, Kurt Schaefer, the Republican candidate for the 19th state senatorial district, biked the Katy Trail on a 25-mile trek from Hartsburg to Columbia, to celebrate his negotiation which helped to secure expansion of the trail

"One of my first priorities in the Senate will be to secure the necessary legislative approvals to get the Rock Island extension completed," Schaefer said in a news release.

"The Katy Trail is a vital recreational and economic asset and I am proud to have played a role in helping expanding it for the thousands of Missouri families like my own who take advantage of it each year," Schaefer said.

Schaefer's opponent in the 18th District is incumbent Senator Chuck Graham.