Friday, October 18, 2013
Casteel to Exit RCGA
Chip Casteel is telling people that he will be leaving the St. Louis Regional Chamber in January.
Source 1: “Chip is an intense guy that I have personally known for over 25 years. His passion and intelligence are his greatest strengths. He is challenging, but fair. I think he truly tried to balance the various interests (and strong minded CEOs) well over his tenure. It will be interesting to see what kind of person Joe (Reagan, the new head of RCGA) has in mind for this position.”
Source 2: “I’m not terribly surprised. Joe Reagan’s new model is to tear down the entire old model – contract lobbyists, PAC donations, a broad agenda where RCGA assists but rarely leads – in exchange for an in-house lobbyist, no PAC, a narrowly focused agenda and a much more active/engaged leadership role. The model he tore down is Chip’s model.”
Emery in Hospital
From the Facebook Page of Sen. Ed Emery: Prayer request please share. I found out today that Senator Ed Emery is in the hospital with blood poisoning and would covet your prayers! The bacteria that caused this has possibly damaged his heart and I just pray for complete healing. For anyone that knows Ed, knows he is a man of great faith and he is standing on that faith!
Cards may be sent to:
Ed Emery
Barton County Memorial
29 NW 1st. Lane
Room 32
Lamar, MO 64759
Please keep Ed and his family in your prayers.
Joyce: HB 331, 345 Unconstitutional
The two major telecommunications bills of last session – HB 331 and HB 345 – were ruled unconstitutional by Circuit Court Judge Patricia Joyce.
She rules that they violated the single subject rule. In particular the pole attachment provision and the railroad right of way provision were outside the title and original purpose of the bill.
Observers felt like it was a pretty strict interpretation of that constitutional rule, and wondered if it stands – the Supreme Court will presumably weigh in – how it might change law-making in Jefferson City.
One reader writes, “I have to think that this precedent, if allowed to stand, will forever change how the General Assembly operates. Will any amendment ever be germane going forward?”
$15,000 Portrait
In Governor Jay Nixon’s October quarter was a $15,000 expenditure for a “portrait.” The artist paid was Gilbert Early (see his stuff here). I don’t begrudge a governor paying top dollar for an immortalizing rendering perhaps to be hung in some royal hall. But the House Dems, all they do is groan and shake their head, and imagine that $15K could have helped win one of their races last cycle… Nixon’s campaign account now has $488,028 cash on-hand.
That 6-2 Map
One Democrat thinks that the vote to avert default on our national debt shows the extent to which the Republican crafters of the congressional redistricting map created six safe seats. All six of Missouri’s Republican Congressmen voted against re-opening the governing and extending the debt ceiling. If any of them were truly worried about a Democratic challenge next year, they would have had to take a less strident position – and voted with US Senator Roy Blunt for example.
Zimmerman Watch: Zimmerman Watching
Observers have imagined two paths for St. Louis County Jake Zimmerman’s political future. One would have him staying in St. Louis County politics and ascending to the County Executive spot, perhaps succeeding Charlie Dooley.
The other would return him to Jefferson City with a statewide bid, perhaps state treasurer in 2016, taking the spot of termed Clint Zweifel.
With Dooley (whom Zimmerman supports) facing a vigorous primary challenge from Steve Stenger, there are some moving pieces to his future. If Stenger upsets Dooley, he’ll likely have a grip on that office for the foreseeable few decades. And that would seem to push Zimmerman toward a statewide bid. If Stenger loses, that opens the possibility of Zimmerman for County Executive in 2018. We’ll see…
Kelly: No Mas
Rep. Chris Kelly tells the Columbia Daily Tribune that he won’t run for re-election in 2014, and he’ll support Rep. Stephen Webber for Senate 19 in 2016. Read it here.
Elmer Against Gay T-Shirts?
Rep. Kevin Elmer took to twitter to express opposition to a t-shirt worn at his child’s elementary school. Elmer believed the t-shirt was promoting a sexual relationship. It featured the word “harmony” of all things. Read about it here.
Bits
Huffington Post reports that Monsanto has hired former US Senator Blanche Lincoln as a lobbyist. See it here.
In St. Louis Business Journal’s listing of state tax liens this morning… GOP Party Chair Ed Martin owing $12,934.09.
Front page story on today’s Kansas City Business Journal… “Conflicting translations: KC’s $800M tax plan has clear aim, fuzzy details.” Read it here.
Sen. Brian Nieves – always good for a quote – gives an interview to Jo Mannies, Jason Rosenbaum and Chris McDaniel. Listen to it here.
$5K+Contributions
Friens of Tom Schweich - $20,000 from Roy Pfautch.
Freedom PAC - $46,975 from The Adam Smith Foundation.
Lewis & Clark Ozarks Mountain Forum - $15,000 from Mark Gardner.
Lobbyist Registration Follow-Up
Earlier this week Judy Dungan deleted her registration of SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. It appears that Dungan was part of the massive SSM reductions (see article here).
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Jim Talent and Ray McCarty.
Saturday: Sen. John Lamping (51), and Nieves’ Dave Bailey.
Sunday: Rep. Ben Harris (37), and Kevin Gunn (43).