The records, obtained through a Sunshine Law request, show Reps. Brad Christ of south St. Louis County, Travis Wilson of St. Charles, Tony Lovasco of St. Charles County, Bill Owen of Springfield, Dan Houx of Warrensburg and Chad Perkins of Bowling Green, all sent letters to House leaders advocating for a new constituent services software program.

The push is highlighted in a 43-page lawsuit the House Chief Clerk Dana Rademan Miller filed last month that accused Plocher and his Chief of Staff Rod Jetton of retaliation after Miller reported possible wrongdoing.

Miller had resisted a contract with the company Fireside, which she argued in a July 11 email to Plocher was costly, redundant and unnecessary. Plocher did not respond, according to the lawsuit.

Instead, the lawsuit said two days after the email, lawmakers began to write Plocher and Rep. Dale Wright, chair of the administration and accounts committee, expressing their support for “acquiring a modern constituent services software solution.”

The lawsuit referenced eight lawmakers besides Plocher, but doesn’t name them. The Post-Dispatch requested records through a Sunshine Law request and received copies of seven letters Thursday.

One of the letters, by Wilson, is dated Aug. 3. The remaining six came in on or before July 19.

An eighth lawmaker, Rep. Bennie Cook, was referenced in a separate email by Miller to Wright that mentions “those members who have contacted your office.”

The lawsuit said Miller “is aware of eight other Representatives” besides Plocher “who expressed support to Representative Wright regarding Fireside. Most of these representatives are known to be close associates to Dean Plocher.”

Lovasco said Thursday he didn’t specifically write in support of Fireside. He said lobbyist John Bardgett, who was pushing the software, approached him about the letter.

“You probably noticed that the letters are all very similar,” Lovasco said. “I made some modifications because I wasn’t comfortable saying that I supported a particular program that I hadn’t actually had experience with.”

“But I did support the idea of looking at other options since I think what we’ve got currently sucks,” Lovasco said.

All the letters except ones from Lovasco and Christ said House staff knew of software that is “competitively priced, has a successful track record around the country, and can train all 163 offices in less than eight weeks.”

“I was very careful in my letter to, you know, not pinpoint a specific company or industry,” Christ said Thursday.

Miller, according to the lawsuit, reported concerns about the Fireside issue, and a separate conflict over expense reports, to House Ethics Chairwoman Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, on Oct. 5.

“Plaintiff was reporting what she believed to be policy violations, potential violations of campaign laws, abuse of authority, mismanagement and a waste of public funds,” the lawsuit said.

The ethics committee earlier this year voted down taking action against Plocher.

In one conversation, Wright told Miller that Plocher was “furious” she was not cooperating with the Fireside plan and that Plocher “was concerned about how things would go for the Plaintiff (Miller) if she did not capitulate.”

Miller said she thought this was an “explicit threat” due to her continued opposition.

Miller’s lawsuit said she thought it was “a flawed project meant only to line the pockets of a political contributor to Plocher that would result in him receiving political contributions despite the fact that the House did not need or want this expensive program.”