Bill Otto (Missouri politician)
Bill Otto | |
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Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 70th district | |
In office January 7, 2013 – January 4, 2017 | |
Succeeded by | Mark Matthiesen |
Personal details | |
Born |
St. Louis, Missouri | January 1, 1956
Political party | Democrat |
Spouse(s) | Kathy |
Children | six |
Residence | Maryland Heights, Missouri |
Occupation | Air Traffic Controller (retired) |
Website | billotto.org |
Bill Otto is a former Democratic[1] member of the Missouri House of Representatives, representing District 70.[2] He is a Navy veteran and retired air traffic controller. In 2016, Otto choose to run for the 2nd Congressional District seat rather than run for re-election on the state level. He ran a campaign with no primary opposition for the 2nd District Congressional seat and lost to Rep. Ann Wagner. In March 2017, Bill Otto was hired as the Executive Director of the St. Charles County Democratic Central Committee.[3] In February 2018, Otto announced his run for the Missouri House District 65, located in St. Charles County.[4]
Personal
Bill was born on New Year’s Day in 1956. At age 15 his mother died, and he was sent to a boys home. Bill was provided food and shelter until he was 17, when state law forced him to leave.[5]
Bill went on to earn his GED, attend college and join the United States Navy. In 1983, after serving 7 years, he received an honorable discharge from the United States Navy.[6]
After his service in the U.S. Navy, Bill worked as an air traffic controller for 31 years. He is a founding member of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and served as a leader in the St. Louis area and later as President at the National level.[7] Rep. Otto retired after 31 years as an air traffic controller.
He and his wife Kathy have been married for over 20 years and raised two sons and three daughters in Bridgeton, MO.
Political career
From 1989 to 1995, Otto served on the Bridgeton City Council and worked on numerous candidates' campaigns. In 2012 he was elected to his first term in the Missouri House and was a leader in the efforts to end lobbyists gift. He accepted zero dollars or gifts in all four of the years he served.[8]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Otto | 5,309 | 50.7% | ||
Republican | Joe Corica | 5,155 | 49.3% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Otto | 9,254 | 52% | ||
Republican | Eugene Dokes | 8,537 | 48% |
In his 2016 Congressional race against U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, Otto raised more than $400,000.[9] After a campaign with no primary opposition, Otto lost his bid for the 2nd District Congressional seat to Rep. Ann Wagner.[10]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ann Wagner | 241,954 | 58.54 | |
Democratic | Bill Otto | 155,689 | 37.67 | |
Libertarian | Jim Higgins | 11,758 | 2.84 | |
Green | David Justus Arnold | 3,895 | .94 |
Committee membership
- Consumer Affairs
- Veterans
- Banking
- Insurance
References
- ↑ "Bill Otto". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ↑ "Rep. Otto". Missouri House of Representatives. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ↑ "Bill Otto hired as new executive director of St. Charles County Democratic Central Committee". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
- ↑ Peters, Benjamin (12 Feb 2018). "Otto looking to rejoin House in new district". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ↑ "Missouri Rep. Bill Otto plans to challenge U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner in 2016". St. Louis Public Radio.
- ↑ "Rep. Bill Otto announces run for Congress". KSDK. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ↑ "Otto, Bill". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ↑ "Bill Otto hired as new executive director of St. Charles County Democratic Central Committee". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
- ↑ "Politically Speaking: state Rep. Otto expounds upon his 2nd Congressional District bid". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
- ↑ "Bill Otto hired as new executive director of St. Charles County Democratic Central Committee". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
- ↑ http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/s_default.asp?id=results