Blunt building team with government vets

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- During last fall's election campaign, a major knock against Matt Blunt was that at age 34 he lacked sufficient experience to be Missouri's governor. In assembling his administration, Blunt has sought assistance from a number of old hands.

"We certainly don't practice age discrimination," Blunt quipped when asked about his appointment of several veterans of Republican administrations of the 1970s and 1980s to key roles.

Blunt's latest such move came last week when he named Larry Schepker as state budget director. Schepker worked in the state Budget and Planning Office during the Kit Bond administration in the early 1970s and also served as transition budget director in 1980 when Bond prepared to return to office.

Others who worked for Bond and his successor, John Ashcroft, that Blunt asked to join his team include Dexter native Bill Ringer as chairman of the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission, Ken McClure of Springfield as his chief of staff and Warren Erdman of Kansas City as co-chairman of the State Government Review Commission, which is charged with spearheading the first major reorganization of state agencies in 30 years.

The other chairman of that commission, Stephen Bradford of Cape Girardeau, also has ample government experience. Bradford has served in the administration of five governors -- both Democratic and Republican -- dating to Warren Hearnes in the late 1960s.

Blunt said these veterans bring a range of experiences to his administration as all earned success in the private sector in between their stints working for the state.

Lawmaker under fire

Some Democrats are calling on state Rep. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, to resign as chair of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, claiming she has created the appearance that she bought the post.

In a letter on official state letterhead to Republican House members dated Nov. 29, Cunningham touted her expertise at raising money for GOP candidates as a reason why she should retain the post she has held since 2003. Attached was an itemized list of donations totaling $381,220 that she helped deliver for the party.

Freshman state Rep. Rachel Storch, D-St. Louis, said Cunningham's actions were at best "unethical and inappropriate" and at worst "tantamount to bribery."

"We need to rid ourselves of the specter of someone trading political contributions in exchange for a chairmanship," Storch said. "People need to know special interests do not have special access in the Capitol."

Cunningham has dismissed the criticism.

House Speaker Rod Jetton, who reappointed Cunningham as education chair last month, said a member's fund-raising prowess wasn't a factor he considered when picking committee heads. Jetton, R-Marble Hill, said Cunningham's letter was an innocent attempt to inform colleagues of her dedication to Republican causes.

"Jane is a go-getter and she works on the campaigns hard and she tries to help people get elected," Jetton said. "Like anybody, she wants recognition for that."

Single focus

Speaking of education, state Rep. Gayle Kingery, R-Poplar Bluff, has established himself as Southeast Missouri's go-to guy on the subject in the legislature as all four House committees on which he sits deal exclusively with education issues.

In addition to chairing the House Higher Education Committee, Kingery also serves on the elementary and secondary education and education appropriations panels, as well as the Special Committee on Education Funding, which was formed to craft a new system for financing public schools.

Before retiring, Kingery spent 36 years as a public school teacher and coach, primarily at Poplar Bluff High School.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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