TRUE HEADS UP SATELLITE OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL IN JACKSON; JEFFERSON CITY NATIVE HANDLES CONSUMER AND CRIMINAL CASES

JACKSON - Cape Girardeau Assistant Attorney John Treu has been hired by Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon to work in the Jackson satellite office.

Nixon announced Treu's appointment Friday. He said the Jefferson City native will handle state cases including consumer affairs and criminal prosecutions.

Treu will replace Allen Moss also a former Cape Girardeau assistant city attorney who has gone into private law practice in Cape Girardeau.

"I am looking forward to being involved in defending the Second Injury Fund and working with other attorneys in that area of the law," Treu said. "I want to go in and help ensure that the Missouri workers' compensation system is fair, efficient and smoother than it now appears to be."

The Second Injury Fund was the key issue in last year's gubernatorial race between then-Attorney General William Webster and Mel Carnahan.

Carnahan, the former lieutenant governor, was elected after a bitter contest that included charges of impropriety and favoritism in Webster's handling of the workers compensation fund.

Treu said his primary goal as an assistant attorney general will be to restore the credibility of the attorney general's office and its administration of the fund.

"I think it's going to be quite a bit more of a challenge for anyone defending the Second Injury Fund, because the attorney general's office will be working under a lot of scrutiny," Treu said. "We'll be working in a fish bowl.

"But I always considered myself to be ethical and someone who doesn't let politics really get involved in my decisions. I'm not a politician at heart."

Treu said Attorney General Nixon likely will promote new legislation in workers' compensation that will allay the perception that the Second Injury Fund has been exploited.

"Nobody really knows what's gone on, and I don't care really to lay blame on anybody," he said. "My goal is to restore the credibility to the office."

Nixon expressed confidence in his newest assistant, who will start his job March 29.

"John is highly regarded in the Cape Girardeau area," Nixon said. "He came to us with excellent references and a high degree of motivation. He is a skilled trial attorney, and I am pleased to have him join the office of the attorney general."

Treu's last day as assistant city attorney and the city's prosecutor in municipal court is March 19. He said Friday he thinks the position with the attorney general's office will be a good career move.

"It's something I pursued once I heard that they would be defending the Second Injury Fund again," he said. "It's a field that broadens your range and allows career moves that I wouldn't have otherwise."

Treu has a business administration degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and earned his law degree from MU in 1990. He has been an assistant city attorney for Cape Girardeau since June 1991 and before that, he has worked in various private firms in Columbia, Kansas City and Sedalia.

Treu is married to the former Deanna Scallorns of Cape Girardeau. His parents are Brig. Gen. William and Rosemary Treu of Jefferson City. Brig. Gen. Treu is the chief of staff for the Missouri Air National Guard.