Bill Otto (Missouri politician)

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; he lost to incumbent Tom Hannegan by less than two percent in November.[4][5]

Bill Otto
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
from the 70th district
In office
January 7, 2013 – January 4, 2017
Succeeded byMark Matthiesen
Personal details
Born (1956-01-01) January 1, 1956
St. Louis, Missouri
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Kathy
Children6
ResidenceMaryland Heights, Missouri
OccupationAir Traffic Controller (retired)
Websitebillotto.org

Personal

Otto was born on January 1, 1956. At age 15 his mother died, and he was sent to a boys home. Otto was provided food and shelter until he was 17, when state law forced him to leave.[6]

Otto 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.[7]

After his service in the U.S. Navy, Otto 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.[8] 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 lobbyist gifts. He accepted zero dollars or gifts in all four of the years he served.[9]

Missouri House of Representatives — District 70 — St. Charles County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Bill Otto 5,309 50.7%
Republican Joe Corica 5,155 49.3%
Missouri House of Representatives — District 70 — St. Charles County (2012)
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.[10] After a campaign with no primary opposition, Otto lost his bid for the 2nd District Congressional seat to Rep. Ann Wagner.[11]

2016 Election for U.S. Representative of Missouri's 2nd Congressional District
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

In February 2018, Otto announced his run for Missouri House district 65. In the November general election, he lost to incumbent Republican Tom Hannegan by less than two percent of the vote.

Missouri House of Representatives — District 65 — St. Charles County (2018)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Tom Hannegan 8,288 50.97% −3.17
Democratic Bill Otto 7,973 49.03% +6.21

[12]

Committee membership
  • Consumer Affairs
  • Veterans
  • Banking
  • Insurance

References
  1. "Bill Otto". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  2. "Rep. Otto". Missouri House of Representatives. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  3. "Bill Otto hired as new executive director of St. Charles County Democratic Central Committee". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  4. Peters, Benjamin (12 Feb 2018). "Otto looking to rejoin House in new district". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  5. "State of Missouri - General Election, November 06, 2018". Missouri Secretary of State. November 30, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  6. "Missouri Rep. Bill Otto plans to challenge U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner in 2016". St. Louis Public Radio.
  7. "Rep. Bill Otto announces run for Congress". KSDK. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  8. "Otto, Bill". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  9. "Bill Otto hired as new executive director of St. Charles County Democratic Central Committee". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  10. "Politically Speaking: state Rep. Otto expounds upon his 2nd Congressional District bid". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  11. "Bill Otto hired as new executive director of St. Charles County Democratic Central Committee". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  12. "Missouri Election Results". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
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