Bill Otto (born January 1, 1956) is a former Democratic member of the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

, representing District 70. He is a

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

veteran and retired

air traffic controller Air traffic control specialists, abbreviated ATCS, are personnel responsible for the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. Usually stationed in air traffic control centers and control ...

. 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 Ann Louise Wagner (née Trousdale, September 13, 1962) is an American politician and diplomat serving as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 2nd congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, she was the United States ambassador t ...

. In March 2017, Bill Otto was hired as the Executive Director of the

St. Charles County St. Charles County is in the central eastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 405,262, making it Missouri's third-most populous county. Its county seat is St. Charles. The county was organized Oct ...

Democratic Central Committee. 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.

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. Otto went on to earn his

GED The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...

, and attended

Meramec Community College Meramec is a name for several places in the United States: * Meramec River in Missouri * Meramec Caverns on the Meramec River * Meramec State Park in Missouri See also * Merrimac (disambiguation) * Merrimack (disambiguation) Merrimack may refer to ...

and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He was in the United States Navy from 1976 to 1983 and served in

VAQ-136 Electronic Attack Squadron 136 (VAQ-136) also known as "The Gauntlets" is a United States Navy electronic attack squadron flying the EA-18G Growler and is currently attached to Carrier Air Wing Two, a composite unit made up of a wide array of ai ...

Prowler Squadron at

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI) is a naval air station of the United States Navy located on two pieces of land near Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island, in Island County, Washington. The main portion of the base, Ault Field, is about ...

. 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 The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) is a labor union in the United States. It is affiliated with the AFL–CIO, and is the exclusive bargaining representative for air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Admini ...

and served as a leader in the

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

area and later as president at the national level. 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, Missouri Bridgeton is a second-ring suburb of Greater St. Louis in northwestern St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. Bridgeton is located at the intersection of the St. Louis outer belt and I-70. Bridgeton serves as the primary transport hub with ...

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. In his 2016 Congressional race against U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, Otto raised more than $400,000. After a campaign with no primary opposition, Otto lost his bid for the 2nd District Congressional seat to Representative Ann Wagner. 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.

Committee membership

*Consumer Affairs *Veterans *Banking *Insurance

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otto, Bill 1956 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Air traffic controllers Missouri city council members United States Navy sailors 21st-century American politicians Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University alumni