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Keeney: Treasurer change not an attempt to hide Jetton tiesThursday, October 9, 2008
Shelley Keeney, the Republican nominee to replace House Speaker Rod Jetton in the 156th District Missouri House race, said Thursday that she didn't change her campaign treasurer to hide her ties to the speaker. Keeney has been a paid employee of Jetton since he was Speaker Pro Tem of the Missouri House. She mentions Jetton, and state Sen. Jason Crowell, in the biography posted on her campaign Web site. Keeney is facing Democratic nominee Michael Winder, who impressed political observers by taking 43.5 percent of the vote against Jetton in the 2006 race. Jetton is being forced out of office because of term limits. On Sept. 24, Keeney filed paperwork with the Missouri Ethics Commission that switched Jetton, previously her campaign treasurer, to the post of assistant treasurer. Dr. Beverly Peters, previously the assistant treasurer, was named as treasurer. Since the legislative session — Jetton's last with the powerful speaker's gavel in hand — ended, he has come under fire from top Republicans for his work as a political consultant to other lawmakers, including Crowell. Keeney said the switch in the jobs for the two supporters — both of whom are unpaid — was all about campaign logistics and had nothing to do with trying to distance herself from perceptions that Jetton has a tarnished image. "Absolutely that is not the case at all," Keeney said in an interview Thursday. "If I were trying to do all that, I would have taken him off completely." Keeney said she has been a political supporter of Jetton since she began volunteering at his annual skeet shoot when he was a member of the Bollinger County Commission. But with Jetton's consulting work and activities supporting candidates for the Missouri House around the state, it isn't practical for him to serve as the primary treasaurer of her campaign. "The treasurer is someone who needs to be there, to help with deposits, help with ethics reports," she said. "Rod is busy." "I am clearly not trying to hide from him," she said.
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Rudi Keller is a reporter with 19 years experience covering government from city councils to the Missouri Legislature and politics from school board races to statewide political campaigns. A native of Louisville, Ky., Keller has worked at the Southeast Missourian since July 2005.
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Why doesn't anyone know where Mrs. Keeney stands on vertually all issues. I know she has ducked and hid from any public debate with her opponent. She has cancelled opportunities to speak with educators about important educational issues. I guess that means she is a strong supporter of vouchers and tax credits like her good buddies Rod and Jason. What is she going to do to attract jobs to Bollinger County? Rod certainly hasn't done anything
I have to agree with the previous post, it is odd that it took Mrs. Keeney soooo long to get back to Rudy Keller about this "under the radar" treasurer's change.
I also found it very, very ironic that suddenly Mrs. Keeney suddenly found time for Rudy's interview, one day after a very critical Letter to the Editor appeared in the Banner Press newspaper exposing this "under the radar" change and listing reasons why Keeney would want to distance herself.
As Mrs. Keeney says, Jetton is very much part of her campaign, but as Deputy Treasurer, Rod Jetton doesn't have to be mentioned in any of her advertisements.
Of course the Missouri Ethics Commission might be interested in knowing that Rod Jetton's name still appears as treasurer of her campaign on all of her campaign signs throughout the district.
Give me a break Sheeley! Why did you wait till 09/24/08 then to make the change. Then on top of that why did you not address the insure as to possible ethics problems.
Seems one more time your taking advice from Rod and not from yourself! This is a lame excuses and don't make you look any better now then before.
Bollinger, Wayne, and Madison don't need another person, who don't have there best interest at heart. And not one that has worked for Rod and Jason.
Come on Sheeley. You can do better then that.