NewsMarch 3, 2005
Kinder, Kruse and Rust join government overhaul panel
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- With its membership finalized, the newly created Government Reform Commission now faces the monumental job of reviewing all aspects of state operations and presenting recommendations for change to Gov. Matt Blunt within one year...
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- With its membership finalized, the newly created Government Reform Commission now faces the monumental job of reviewing all aspects of state operations and presenting recommendations for change to Gov. Matt Blunt within one year.
Among the final 18 commissioners Blunt announced on Wednesday are Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and Rust Communications chairman Gary Rust of Cape Girardeau and Missouri Farm Bureau president Charles Kruse of Dexter.
Blunt had previously named Stephen Bradford, a Cape Girardeau Democrat, and Warren Erdman, a Kansas City Republican, as co-chairmen of the commission, which he created by executive order in January.
Blunt has charged the commission with finding ways to streamline Missouri government, which has a $19 billion budget and more than 60,000 employees.
'Large undertaking'
"This is something that hasn't been done for over 30 years," Blunt said. "It is a large undertaking, and I'm convinced the members we've announced today are willing to dedicate the time and make the sacrifice to help us craft a state government that will better serve the people of Missouri."
The commission's first meeting will be Tuesday in Jefferson City. It will later split into subcommittees, each tackling different areas of government.
As a state representative in 1974, Rust sat on a legislative conference committee that hammered out the final version of legislation implementing much of the last major restructuring of Missouri government. Rust Communications owns the Southeast Missourian.
"I think there is money that can be saved by approaching state government in a business-like manner," Rust said.
Although the commission has much ground to cover in a year, Rust said he is confident it will produce some solid recommendations for the governor and legislature to consider.
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Kruse, who leads one of the state's most influential lobbying groups in Farm Bureau, said the reform effort is long overdue. Kruse also has served within state government as director of the Department of Agriculture and as a member of the University of Missouri Board of Curators.
"I commend the governor for wanting to pull a group together to look at government and how it can be more effective and more efficient," Kruse said.
Kinder is the only sitting elected official named to the commission. As a state senator before winning higher office last fall, Kinder had been closely involved with dealing with the state's lingering budget problems in recent years.
"What I've seen is there are a lot of tough choices that need to be made -- tough choices that elected officials make every year in the budget process," Kinder said. "I don't come in with a laundry list of changes that need to be made. I'm listening and learning rather than offering my own 14-point agenda."
Republican majority
Although Blunt appointed both a Democrat and a Republican to lead the commission, its membership appears dominated by Republicans, including Kinder, Kruse and Rust.
"I couldn't tell you what the majority of these members' political affiliation is, but certainly there are some people here that are known Republicans," Blunt said.
According to The Associated Press, 12 of the appointees combined to give $49,065 to Republican candidates for statewide executive branch offices during the 2004 election cycle. Two appointees, one of whom also donated to Republicans, gave a total of $1,625 to Democrats seeking executive branch elected offices.
mpowers@semissourian.com
(573) 635-4608
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