Airplane sale: All about money -- or politics?

~ State official announced plans to sell a hangar and two aircraft owned by the state.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state's top administrator decided to sell off an airplane hangar and two older planes because, he says, they're not used enough to justify the expense.

But the decision comes at a time when Republican Gov. Matt Blunt has largely forgone use of the state airplanes, instead flying privately for both official and political business and paying for his air travel through campaign funds.

An Associated Press review of state airplane logs shows the most frequent flyer on the state planes from January 2005 through last month was Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon, who is expected to challenge Blunt for governor in 2008.

Nixon used the plane 45 times over that 18-month period, the logs show. The next most-traveled official is Transportation Department director Pete Rahn.

Office of Administration commissioner Mike Keathley says the decision to sell the planes has nothing to do with Nixon making more use of the aircraft than other officials.

Under the plan, a newer King Air plane that was under the Office of Administration will be transferred to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which is losing two older planes and a hangar at the Jefferson City airport and taking over the larger administration hangar.

The state hopes to get about $650,000 from selling the hangar and planes, and to save at least $175,000 a year by not operating the aircraft.

Priority for patrol

The patrol will have first priority for using the newer plane for its duties, and other state officials can use it when available.

But Keathley said he doesn't anticipate Nixon or any other official being without use of an airplane when needed. And if the next governor wants to resume flying on state planes, Keathley said, that person should be able to without the state shelling out for another aircraft.

Nixon's chief of staff, John Watson, said the attorney general flies so often because he has offices around the state and needs to visit regularly with staff to discuss lawsuits and other matters.

Watson said Nixon flies, rather than drives, when it's the most efficient use of his time and state resources. If he flies, he generally handles many issues in one trip, such as an office meeting, a speech and a news conference.

Keathley said the sale was a money issue and the decision would stand even if Nixon never flew and Blunt had the same rate of travel as his predecessors on state aircraft.

Others smell a whiff of politicking and say the decision could go beyond dollars and cents.

"It surely looks as if there might be something more behind it," said Rick Althaus, a political science professor at Southeast Missouri State University.

Democrats take issue with Blunt's policy of flying privately. They say flying on state aircraft is appropriate because those logs are public records of a flight's date, destination and passenger list.

Blunt's regular campaign finance filings have included information on how much the campaign spent on air travel and who was paid. But such disclosure doesn't list the date and location of flights, or other passengers, or where the money to cover the flight expenses originated.

Democratic critics

Democrats argue that gives wealthy contributors opportunities regular citizens couldn't dream of by covering a flight's costs -- perhaps even hopping aboard for some face time with the governor.

"Governor Blunt's hoping that by selling the airplanes, Missourians will forget that he's selling access to lobbyists and businesses who are flying him all around the state," Democratic Party spokesman Jack Cardetti said.

Blunt counters that his method saves taxpayers money. The Office of Administration has estimated he saves the state $405 per hour of private flight.

Althaus, the political scientist, said voters must decide which rationale makes sense, if they agree state officials must fly some to do their jobs.

"If those are legitimate governing or public policy reasons, then should those flights be paid for by the taxpayers, or should they be paid for by outside organizations who may be wishing to curry favor with the officials?" he asked.

Meanwhile, the Republican Party makes clear its indignation at Nixon's frequent flights and suggests he has abused the state system, mixing official business with campaign work.

"Jay Nixon has broken his pledge to Missourians not to campaign for governor on state time," party spokesman Paul Sloca said.

Sloca notes that Nixon flew on a state plane to Springfield and Joplin in mid-June, at a cost of about $1,200, and met during the trip with the editorial boards of newspapers in those cities. He argued Nixon should reimburse the state for the trip's cost, saying the talk turned to his campaign for governor.

Answering questions

Scott Holste, spokesman for the attorney general, said Nixon met with the editorial boards to discuss water quality issues but ended the sessions by opening them up to other questions. He said Nixon doesn't use the state airplane for political business, but if the topic arises while he's at an official event, he'll respond.

"Jay doesn't back off answering questions from reporters," Holste said. "That certainly wasn't our purpose on going down there."

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Newswoman Kelly Wiese covers state government and politics for The Associated Press.