Blunt fills gap on Scott County Commission

BENTON, Mo. -- Despite the absence of a Republican name on last November's county ballots, Scott County government is no longer exclusively Democratic.

Last week Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Ron McCormick, a Republican who lives near Commerce, to the Scott County Commission, where he will represent the 2nd District covering the county's northern section.

Democratic commissioners Jamie Burger and Dennis Ziegenhorn aren't worried about the presence of another party's man on their governing body, though. In county politics, Burger and Ziegenhorn say, party shouldn't matter and won't to them.

"We more oversee the money," Burger said. "We don't make laws or do anything that would involve party politics."

Elections held last year weren't directly responsible for McCormick's appointment. He fills a seat formerly occupied by Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger, who was elected to that position in the middle of his term as 2nd District commissioner. McCormick is the county's first Republican commissioner since Ralph Boyer, who was appointed to fill a vacancy in 1989. Boyer ran for election and lost in 1990 in a county where Democrats have a lock on county government.

The 2nd District seat won't come up for election until 2008, but McCormick is already eyeing a run for office if things go well over the next two years.

After a talk with Ziegenhorn on Tuesday, McCormick said he was reassured that party labels will have little effect on the way the commission conducts business.

"It doesn't make me nervous that I'm probably the only Republican in that building," McCormick said. "I feel very safe, very comfortable working in that environment."

McCormick has political experience, but not in government. He's served as a member of the Scott County Republican Central Committee for two years, three of them as vice chairman, and worked on campaigns for the Republican Party's U.S. Senate and presidential campaigns in Missouri. In 2005, McCormick contributed $1,000 in two payments to Blunt's campaign committee. In 2004, he contributed $500 in two payments to Blunt's committee. His only foray into county politics occurred several years ago when he ran for commissioner in Bollinger County and lost.

McCormick owned Heartland Supported Living, which works with the developmentally disabled people in their homes through contracts with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, for 10 years before selling the business last year. At the time of sale, McCormick said, his business employed about 150 people and had become too big for him to want to run anymore.

Considered House run

The new commissioner had considered a run for the Missouri House of Representatives District 160 seat, which was up for election in November. McCormick said he backed out due to pressure from local party members who backed Ellen Brandom of Sikeston. Brandom won the seat, which was vacated by the term-limited Peter Myers.

"I wasn't extremely happy about backing out, but after a little while I thought maybe I'd get my feet wet in local politics, and maybe six to eight years from now I might be ready for Jefferson City," McCormick said.

Scott County Republican Party chairman Perry Waltrip said he thinks McCormick is very capable of performing his new duties. Waltrip said he hopes McCormick will seek re-election if the next two years are productive ones.

McCormick was one of three names submitted to the governor's office by the county Republican committee. Blunt spokeswoman Jessica Robinson said McCormick was the best qualified of the applicants but didn't specify which particular qualifications made him ideal for the job.

Regardless of party affiliation or future political aspirations, Burger and Ziegenhorn are glad to have a full commission now and another hand to help formulate the coming year's budget, which must be approved by Feb. 1.

The county commission will meet every day this week to work on the budget, leaving McCormick without a lull in county business he could use to prepare himself for the office.

But McCormick said he's ready to face the budget process with help from Burger and Ziegenhorn.

"I think they're making it easier for me because they've got the experience of a few budgets behind them," McCormick said.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 18