Former state representative pens angry letter to Crowell over refusal to sponsor appointment

A former Perry County commissioner and state representative said he's "madder than hell" that state Sen. Jason Crowell has refused to sponsor his renomination to a state board that oversees health care for more than 100,000 public employees.

Patrick Naeger, a Perryville Republican, wrote Crowell, a Cape Girardeau Republican, an "open letter" in which he said he tried repeatedly to contact Crowell about the nomination but received no response. Naeger had been chairman of the Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan Board of Trustees, a post he held since 2006 when he was nominated by then-Gov. Matt Blunt. He was on the board for two years when he was a lawmaker.

Gov. Jay Nixon announced the reappointment in August.

"Senator Crowell, you have offended me and the hard-working people I serve, and I believe you have blatantly abused the authority the people of the 27th District have given to you," Naeger wrote. "In view of my many years of experience dealing with these issues, I fail to understand why you lack the courage and common courtesy necessary to explain to me your refusal to even consider me!"

But Crowell said he told Nixon's office early in the process that he would not sponsor Naeger, who he said had served long enough. "No one is entitled to these positions for life," Crowell said.

Crowell added that he did not respond to Naeger's calls because "it was clear he was going to be adversarial" and that it was an issue between the Senate and the governor's office. If it had been a constituent problem, he said, he would have responded.

"I am disappointed," Crowell said. "I don't know what he thinks he is going to accomplish."

Because Crowell refused to sponsor the nomination, it could not be considered by the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee. Crowell is a member of the committee. Naeger's appointment was made in August while the Missouri Legislature was not in session, so it needed to be confirmed by the Senate within 30 days of the beginning of the legislative session or Naeger would be barred from being reappointed to the same job.

The vast majority of sponsorships are nonpartisan. In 1993, Crowell's predecessor, then-Sen. Peter Kinder, a Republican, praised his opponent from the 1992 Senate election, Betty Hearnes, a prominent Democrat, as he sponsored her nomination to the state Mental Health Commission.

"Senator Crowell, the behavior you have exhibited has made a mockery of this process," Naeger wrote. "Your behavior in this matter is an embarrassment to all of us who desire a true statesman as our representative in the state Senate."

Nixon made more than 300 appointments while lawmakers were not in session. Last week, before the Feb. 4 deadline for approving those nominations passed, Nixon withdrew 88 nominations, including Naeger.

In an interview, Naeger said he felt he was doing something he loved, for no compensation, to serve the public. Naeger represented the 106th District in the Missouri House from 1995 to 2002 and was an associate commissioner of Perry County from 2004 to 2008.

The letter, he said, was toned down from its original version. "I am madder than hell, and I have never been so disgusted with an individual."

That is of little concern to Crowell, who noted he had sponsored Naeger's appointment in 2006.

"The narcissism that is associated with this is beyond the pale," Crowell said. "Other legislators had said, 'Pat's going to get you,' and that is exactly what he is doing. It is not going to get me to change my mind."

Crowell also said he was unsure whether Nixon pushed the appointment forward, knowing it would not be approved, in an attempt to embarrass him.

Naeger in December was awarded the Perryville Department of Revenue license office, where motorists pay sales taxes, obtain new licenses and register vehicles and the private operator earns a fee set by law. He also held the license office under Blunt's administration.

The Missouri Legislature today is dominated by the Republican Party. While he was in the Missouri House, Naeger always was in a minority but felt he was part of the effort to bring the GOP into control. "It is a pretty sad day when you feel like you helped pave the way for these young guys and then, like, you are asking 'What is going on and why can't my friend even call me or e-mail me or text me to explain?'"

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

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Missouri State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO