The legislative assistant to indicted Missouri House Rep. Tricia Derges has told colleagues he will be leaving the House.
Steve Coller sent an email to his colleagues in the House Wednesday stating he would be “closing my time” after 17 years in the House, and a total of 30 years service to the state of Missouri. His parting message was encouraging members of the House to reach out to someone different than themselves and a plea for an attempt at more unity.
Here is the text of his email:
Very shortly I will be closing my time with the Missouri House of Representatives after 17 years of service (a total of 30 with the state of Missouri).
It has been and [sic] honor and pleasure to work in the House. I have made many friends of all persuasions. I have learned that everyone’s story is important, everyone’s opinion deserves to be heard, and everyone must be valued and appreciated as a member of our society.
I pray that each and every one of you will accept and appreciate each other as brothers and sisters and treat each other accordingly. I was raised to accept and treat everyone a child of God. I pray that each of you, as members and staff of the House, will make an opportunity to get to know and learn about those who don’t look like you. It is vital to the future of our state and country that we stop finding reasons to be separate and find opportunities to becomes united as one people. We must stop talking at each other and begin to talk with each other. There is a reason we have two ears and only one mouth.
We have so much to celebrate together.
God bless you and keep you and yours and the state of Missouri.
Rep. Derges is fighting multiple federal charges, including charges connected with alleged defrauding of Greene County over COVID-19 relief funds.