State term limits champion on education board

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The man who led the effort to limit the terms of Missouri lawmakers won Senate approval Thursday to serve on the board that oversees colleges and universities.

But the vote on the appointment of attorney Gregory Upchurch, of Manchester, was delayed by some Democratic lawmakers who believe voter-approved term limits were the wrong way to go.

Sen. Pat Dougherty, D-St. Louis, complained that term limits are "beginning to shift the balance of power to the executive branch or the lobbyists."

Upchurch's nomination by Gov. Matt Blunt to serve on the Coordinating Board of Higher Education was eventually approved on a voice vote, with a couple of senators voicing opposition.

The Senate also easily confirmed other Blunt appointments, including that of Gregory Steinhoff, a Columbia pharmacist, as director of the Department of Economic Development; Col. King Sidwell, of Sikeston, as adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard; and insurance defense attorney Bill Ringer, of Lee's Summit, as chairman of the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission.