For the first time in six years, St. Joseph will have a say in the Missouri Silver Haired Legislature.

The addition of representatives Denise Kerns and Stanley Hall to the legislature should boost funding and other prospects for the city’s senior citizen services, one supporter said.

“I’m very, very encouraged,” said Nancy Kelley, a member of the city’s Advisory Commission on Aging. “There’s been such an obvious vacancy for so long.”

Both Ms. Kerns and Mr. Hall were elected this month to serve two-year terms with the assembly that begin with the annual fall session in Jefferson City.

The state’s Silver Haired Legislature was created in 1973 and was the first of its kind in the United States to advocate for senior citizen issues. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the state’s area agencies on aging serve as sponsors, with the lieutenant governor assisting as the chief senior advocate.

During its two-day annual sessions, the delegates vote on five priority bills that are submitted to the subsequent Missouri General Assembly for consideration. In the past, the sessions have produced successful recommendations on living wills, revisions to nursing home inspections and changes to the guardianship code.

Ms. Kerns and Mr. Hall will represent Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton and DeKalb counties. The News-Press was unable to reach them for comment on the selections.

St. Joseph’s presence in the legislature has been absent since 2003, when Donald Kelly served as a senator.

“We definitely need that representation,” Ms. Kelley said. “No one picked up or passed that torch.

“They’re awesome,” she said of Ms. Kerns and Mr. Hall.

The elections mean St. Joseph’s senior issues will stand more of an opportunity against other topics set before the legislature, she added. Funding for Older Adults Transportation Services and identification of other senior needs help comprise the list. The delegates also help steer funding priorities for projects such as Meals on Wheels.

The City Council appoints members such as Ms. Kelley to the advisory commission, which reports to the council each quarter. Ms. Kerns and Mr. Hall are also members of the commission, which helps the council identify senior needs and survey services.

Claude Brandon of Savannah was elected to serve a two-year term as senator. State groups such as the Northwest Missouri Area Agency on Aging hold elections each May for approximately half of their delegation and alternates. The Silver Haired Legislature has 120 representatives, 30 senators and about 30 alternates, who must be at least 60 years old and live in the planning and service area they represent.

InterServ Executive Director Dave Howery called the elections key to assisting St. Joseph’s changing demographics that include an aging population.

“It’s certainly important for communities to have representation at the table,” he said. “What we continue to find is those issues come back to the community. ...What can we do locally?”

InterServ’s programs range from senior meals to homemaking and personal care services for elderly residents.

Ray Scherer can be reached at rscherer@npgco.com.