WILSON BLASTS KELLY OVER FUND INQUIRY

Sen. Roger B. Wilson Wednesday derided Missouri Auditor Margaret Kelly for failing to adequately examine the state's Second Injury Fund.

Kelly, a Republican, and Wilson, a Columbia Democrat, are candidates for state lieutenant governor.

Wilson who held a news conference Wednesday at the workmen's compensation building in Cape Girardeau asked Kelly to contract with an independent firm to audit the Second Injury Fund.

For the past few months, the media and opponents in Attorney General William Webster's gubernatorial bid have criticized his handling of the fund.

Kelly has said her special review of the Second Injury Fund is already under way.

But Wilson said Kelly's earlier audit of the fund failed to discover apparent abuses and urged the matter be turned over to an independent auditing firm.

"I don't know what a review is," he said. "I do know what an audit is. My question is why weren't those problems found in the audit.

"Now she's going to review it, but that's only come about because the pressure's been increased through the press and the campaign."

Wilson said he doubted whether Kelly would fairly examine the fellow Republican's handling of the fund, particularly when Kelly's husband Clark works in the attorney general's office.

"We've seen her jump on other elected officials and land with both feet, and in this case she missed a target bigger than a barn," he said. "I don't think the public will tolerate croniness."

But Kelly said she's confident her auditors are above politics and that the results of her review will be made public before the Aug. 4 primaries.

The auditor's review was prompted by news reports of spiraling claims against the Second Injury Fund.

Wilson said the most serious charges in the reports are that lawyers who donated to Webster's campaigns received larger settlements from the fund. Webster has denied wrongdoing.

The Second Injury Fund is something most Missourians have little knowledge of a fact Kelly has taken advantage of, Wilson said.

"People are not familiar with it, therefore the story has not been easy to tell," he said. "But the public is starting to clear the picture on this, and it's a scary picture.

"It seems the auditor has relied on the fuzziness of the picture to drag her feet in examining it."

Wilson said Kelly's audit of the Second Injury Fund raises questions about her general competence, and he said he wanted a status report of those audits currently under way.

"Obviously, she's been late on most of the audits she's turned in," he said. "I doubt that I'll get that information, even though it wouldn't involve critical documents.

"That information should be available for the taxpayers who are funding those audits. I'm a taxpayer. She works for me, and I work for her. If you're doing the job, what's to be embarrassed about?"

Wilson is one of five Democrats running for lieutenant governor, and Kelly is one of three Republican hopefuls.

The other Democrats running for lieutenant governor Aug. 4 are Prentess E. Clifton Sr. of Independence, Rich Bullet Train Pisani of St. Louis, Larry Rice of New Bloomfield and Mary Ross of St. Louis. Other Republicans are Don Stubblefield of Joplin and Jerry Malone Peters of Pierce City.

They are trying to succeed Democrat Mel Carnahan, who is leaving the lieutenant governor's office to run for governor.