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State Rep. Jo Doll On Her Entry Into Missouri Legislative Politics And Overseeing School Districts

Missouri State Rep. Jo Doll, D-Webster Groves
Jo Doll via Facebook
Missouri State Rep. Jo Doll, D-Webster Groves

State Rep. Jo Doll of Webster Groves is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the freshman Democratic lawmaker talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about her first few weeks in office.

Doll represents Missouri’s 83rd District, which takes in portions of Richmond Heights, Webster Groves, Brentwood, Maplewood and St. Louis. In addition to being a state lawmaker, Doll is a member of the Webster Groves Board of Education.

Here’s what Doll talked about on the show:

  • Her early impressions of the Missouri House, especially with the session being truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Some of the complexities of fully reopening schools, which she's had firsthand experience with as a member of the Webster Groves school board.
  • How the state should distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Her opposition to a wide-ranging education bill, which includes an expansion of charter schools.

Doll is a physical therapist with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Washington University. After Gina Mitten departed the Missouri House due to term limits, Doll squared off against Tyler Merkel in the Democratic primary — which was the main contest in the heavily Democratic district.

Doll won by roughly 23 percentage points and easily defeated Libertarian Andrew Bolin in the November general election.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jo Doll on Twitter: @doll_jo

Jason is the politics correspondent for St. Louis Public Radio.