Sen. Mike Gibbons' campaign committee brought in $83,500 during the third quarter of 2007 for his bid to become Attorney General, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission.
Gibbons' lackluster performance during the third quarter can be largely attributed to the fact that he only recently officially announced his candidacy after the quarter closed. Gibbons, the only Republican officially in the race, received contributions from an only slightly more geographically dispersed range than Democratic candidate Rep. Margaret Donnelly, who announced her candidacy during the third quarter.
An MPN analysis of Gibbons' in-state campaign contributions over $100 shows strong financial support for Gibbons in the St. Louis region, the source of 83 percent of his contributions amounting to $69,850. Gibbons received no support during the third quarter from the Northeast, Northwest or Southeast regions of the state and less than 2 percent from Kansas City and the Southwest.
The greatest diversity in fundraising for the Attorney General race based on geographic distribution during the third quarter was from former House Democratic Leader Jeff Harris who was the only candidate to receive contributions in all regions of the states, based on MPN's previously published analysis for each candidate.
All three Democratic challengers - Donnelly, Harris and Sen. Chris Koster - raised more than Gibbons during the quarter.
Related Stories:
MPN Analysis: Donnelly's first campaign report
MPN Analysis: Harris has far reaching but slow quarter
MPN Analysis: Koster collects 60 percent from political committees
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
MPN Analysis: Gibbons' 3Q contributions marginally more diverse than Donnelly
Unemployment up in 5 of 7 Missouri metro areas since 2005
Unemployment rates surged in Missouri's metropolitan areas in September, increasing from 2005 levels in 5 of Missouri's 7 metropolitan areas, according to data released today from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is currently 5.3 percent, the highest rate in 2 years. Nationally the unemployment rate in September was 5.2 percent, and unemployment rates increased in roughly half of the country's metropolitan areas.
In St. Louis, the unemployment jumped from 5 percent in 2005 to 5.2 percent this year. In Columbia, the rate increased from 3.1 to 3.7 percent, the largest increase in the state. Unemployment rates also increased in Jefferson City, Joplin and Springfield relative to 2005 levels.
Unemployment rates in Kansas City and St. Joseph remained level from 2006.
Month to month comparisons are not conducted since the available has not been normalized to account for seasonal variations in employment, as is done with state and national employment data.
Related Stories:
St. Louis Business Journal: Unemployment up in September
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Anti-abortion committee to study effects of abortion
A committee formed by Gov. Matt Blunt met last week to study the effects of abortion on women. The committee, the Governor's Task Force on the Impact of Abortion on Women, is composed entirely of anti-abortion members, according to the AP.
Among the issues to be considered by the panel: whether abortion leads to higher crime rates. Some consider this question definitively answered, including at least one economist (of all people).
"In the early 1990s, just as the first cohort of children born after Roe v. Wade was hitting its late teen years-the years during which young men enter their criminal prime - the rate of crime began to fall," said Steven Levitt, an economist at the University of Chicago and author of Freakonomics. "What this cohort was missing, of course, were the children who stood the greatest chance of becoming criminals. ... Legalized abortion led to less unwantedness; unwantedness leads to high crime; legalized abortion, therefore led to less crime." [p. 127]
Levitt posits a controversial viewpoint on the potential benefits of abortion, but one based on a strong relationship in empirical data.
But Missouri is no neophyte to creating controversial relationships with abortion. Last year a report from the Republican dominated legislature received national attention with the conclusion that abortion is linked to illegal immigration because it causes a shortage of American workers. Only Republicans endorsed the report; all Democrats opposed it.
"To be honest, I think [the report's] a little delusional," said Rep. Trent Skaggs, one of the opposing Democrats.
Blunt and leading anti-abortion groups in the state have not always seen eye-to-eye, particularly over Blunt's Lewis and Clark Initiative that originally called for a large chunk of money to fund a life sciences project at the University of Missouri in Columbia. The project was eventually scrapped, but only after Missouri Right to Life "declared war" on Blunt and said he cannot be considered pro-life due to his support for embryonic stem cell research.
Some of Blunt's critics have already called his task force study of the effects of abortion a political stunt aimed at aligning Blunt's interests closer to the pro-life community after the fallout last year, all before the 2008 election.
A recent poll conducted by Survey USA found that 49 percent of the respondents in Missouri considered themselves pro-life, but 40 percent of the pro-life crowd disapproved of Blunt's job performance. And that trend has held strong in Survey USA's polls for several months.
Note that the committee is not listed on Blunt's website as an official group recognized by the state.
Related Links:
Missouri historical abortion rates from DHSS
One vote less for Blunt: why Scott Eckersley was pushed from the Blunt train
It was a claim first announced on FiredUp Missouri last month, then denounced by conservative blog The Source last week. Today the truth is revealed: Gov. Matt Blunt's Deputy General Counsel, Scott Eckersley, was ousted Sept. 26 for questioning how the office handled public records, maybe. Or it might be due to poor choices in the use of state resources.
Blunt's staff bizarrely accused Eckersley, a devout Mormon and graduate of Bingham Young University, of accessing lewd websites from his office and general incompetence in completing assigned tasks. Yet, Eckersley shot back and said his opinion of Blunt's handling of public records was the reason for his firing.
Links to the full coverage from Tony Messenger and Jo Mannies are below.
Featured Stories:
PD: Blunt's lawyer claimed fired because questioned office handling of emails
Messenger: Attorney speaks out about being fired
Political Fix: Blogs, Internet play interesting role in Eckersley case
Related Links:
Scott Eckersley profile from Lathrop & Gage
Letter from Blunt's staff to Eckersley
SBJ Op-Ed: Blunt's healthcare plan requires close study
An op-ed by Eric Dixon, editor for the Show Me Institute, featured in the Springfield Business Journal last week calls for close study of Gov. Matt Blunt's plan to replace the state's Medicaid system:
Gov. Matt Blunt’s new low-income health care plan, Insure Missouri, may cover more than 100,000 people by the middle of 2008 by subsidizing insurance policies for working families.
The plan includes some worrisome details that warrant careful study, but if the government is going to subsidize health care, the best way to do it is through direct subsidies to low-income recipients. Here’s why.
In any society, scarce resources will be allocated by a system of rationing. In ordinary retail markets, rationing is determined by price, ensuring that whomever most values a good will be the one who receives it. If government policy mandates that everybody is supposed to receive a share of some scarce resource, rationing will usually take a form that we don’t measure directly in dollars and cents. This might include waiting in a line, bribing officials, nepotism or some other form of competing for political favors. ...
Read the full op-ed here.Friday, October 26, 2007
Koster's new website online today, no change in logo
State Sen. Chris Koster's website for his attorney general bid officially went live today making clear that he is running on his experience as a former county prosecutor. Three of the four issue sections specify as much.
Also note the resemblance of the new logo to the old one from Koster's senate campaign. They are strikingly similar, perhaps an implication for creativity and innovation in the Attorney General's office if Koster were to win? Leave your thoughts and comments below.
Click here for the website.
Blunt disapproval at 52%
Gov. Matt Blunt’s disapproval rating stands at 52 percent with a 42 percent disapproval rating according to a poll released Friday by Survey USA.
Disapproval climbed by 4 percentage points from the same survey last month. Blunt received 47 percent approval from males but just 37 percent approval from females.
A new question on the survey this month about health insurance shows that those without health insurance are more likely to disapprove of Blunt. This statistic is likely linked directly to Blunt's reeducation or elimination of Medicaid benefits to 200,000 Missourians back in 2005.
The poll surveyed 600 individuals including 31 percent evangelicals, 24 percent union member, 49 percent pro-life, 17 percent without health insurance and 49 percent gun owners. The margin of error is 4.1 percent.
For those close to the Missouri-Kansas state line, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' approval is at 69 percent. Up north, Iowa's Gov. Chet Culver has a 53 percent approval. The ratings for the rest of the states adjacent to Missouri have not yet been released.
Highlights of disapproval ratings:
Regions: Ozark (39%), KC (48%), Central (45%), St. Louis (63%)
Political Parties: Republicans (24%), Democrats (73%), Independents (54%)
Ideology: Conservatives (32%), Moderates (57%), Liberals (68%)
Pro-lifers (40%)
Veterans (47%)
Stem Cell Opponents (40%)
Evangelicals (43%)
Gun owners (46%)
Koster declares for AG, says treatment unfair
Just a few years ago Missouri's media could not spell his name correctly, but state Sen. Chris Chris Koster finally and officially announced his candidacy for attorney general Thursday night at a Cass County Democratic Central Committee meeting (although some travel guides can't spell the name of the restaurant correctly either).
“I bring a background to this candidacy that no attorney general in the last 40 years brings to the race,” Koster said.
Koster's opponents have noted that the responsibilities of the attorney general's office are mostly out of the courtroom and that the attorney general rarely, if ever, tries cases personally. But Koster says that if elected that may change.
Prior to his tenure in the state Senate, Koster served as Cass County's Prosecuting Attorney. MPN noted earlier this week that the prosecutor who followed Koster has opted to support former House Democratic Leader Jeff Harris for attorney general instead of Koster.
Koster announced a switch from the Republican to the Democratic Party at the beginning of August and has since been surrounded by controversy due to his voting habits in the Senate, past donations to conservative Republicans, and the acceptance of nearly $100,000 in contributions from wealthy Republican activist Rex Sinqufield.
"This is a brazen circumvention of our campaign laws and of our Democratic principles," said Rep. Margaret Donnelly, a contender for the attorney general nomination, said of Koster's acceptance of the Sinquefield donations. " Democrats will not sit idly by and let those who do not support our core values to manipulate our party's process. We will not let the Republican Party ramrod their candidate Chris Koster through our Democratic Primary."
Harris also responded to Koster's campaign finance reports with a strong statement, but in the form of a video.
Koster replied yesterday that the criticisms from Donnelly and Harris are unfair.
“No other candidate is being asked to agree with every opinion their contributors may or may not hold,” Koster said. “There are things I agree with Rex Sinquefield on. There are things I disagree with him on.”
And the absence of specific details on what Koster and Sinquefield agree on is undoubtedly the center of this controversy. Those were the details that Harris sought to determine in a press release earlier this week that pre-emptively offered questions for Koster to answer.
From Harris' press release:
1. What message does it send when a candidate for Attorney General knowingly skirts the campaign finance law by accepting contributions from a single donor like "Right Wing Rex" Sinquefield in excess of the contribution limits put in place by Missouri voters? Why did you take this laundered money from Sinquefield and when do you plan to give this money back?
2. Why should Democrats trust that you share their values when you helped champion Matt Blunt's agenda in the Senate, including his cuts to Medicaid and the unconstitutional voter ID bill that would have hampered the voting rights of seniors and poor Missourians?
3. You claim to be a champion of working families, who are struggling to finance higher education, and yet you conspired to help Matt Blunt's pork-barrel agenda on MOHELA, taking money that could have gone toward lowering the rates on student loans and instead putting it toward photo-op groundbreaking ceremonies to boost Blunt's re-election. How do you reconcile that?
4. Why haven't you joined Jeff Harris and Margaret Donnelly in returning your over-the-limit contributions? Do you disagree with Missouri voters who overwhelmingly approved the campaign finance limits? And as Attorney General, will you be similarly reluctant to comply with rulings from the Supreme Court?
5. Again, you claim to be on the side of working families, yet as a state Senator you received a perfect 100% score from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and a 0% score from ProVote. How do you explain the discrepancy between your actual record and your rhetoric today? Do you know of any other "champions of working families" with 100% voting records from the Chamber of Commerce?
Related Stories:
KC Star: Koster formally announces
Photo Credit: ChrisKoster.com; Koster and likely Republican nominee Michael Gibbons on the floor of the state Senate.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Blunt praises creation of 300 low-wage government jobs
Gov. Matt Blunt Wednesday praised the creation of 300 state government jobs at a correctional facility in Chillicothe.
The Chillicothe Correctional Facility was originally opened in the late 19th century and served as transitional housing for inmates preparing to re-enter the population. In recent years the state cut dozens of staff positions from the prison, including 8 chaplains. In 2005 the Office of Administration estimated the facility needed $9 million in upgrades to remain operational, on top of its $10 million annual operation cost. Some recommended the prison be closed. But Missouri's prison population is expected to swell in the next 5 years, according to estimates from the Office of Administration and confirmed by a projection from the Pew Center for Public Safety. Instead Blunt decided the prison should be replaced.
“This facility is badly needed,” Blunt said at the groundbreaking ceremony of a new prison last year. The expected capital cost of $120 million, will more than double the capacity of the prison, according to Blunt's release. But this won't be enough to meet the growing demand on Missouri's prison space.
Pew estimates that despite Missouri having the 6th highest incarceration rate in the country, the state's prison population will increase 7 percent by 2011 from the current level, a jump of 2,100 inmates.
But don't get too excited about the new fad in job creation at prisons, those are state government jobs. The jobs at the Chillicothe Correctional Facility will pay an average of $29,935 in the next fiscal year. That's down from an average of about $10 a year from 2006, not even including the effects of inflation (for reference, Missouri's median household income was $42,841 last year these jobs are more than $12,000 lower).
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, since Blunt took office in 2005 Missouri's state government now employs 3,900 more people at a total of 107,100. This increasing trend is also supported by a previous MPN analysis and by data from the Missouri Economic and Research Center that shows Missouri's state government employment for the first quarter of 2007 exceeded the same time period the preceding year.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
It's slow blogging in Missouri markets
Sorry blogging fans, but a new report says there just aren't enough of you out there - at least in Kansas City and St. Louis.
A report released today by Scarborough Research shows the top blogging markets in the country are Austin, TX; Portland, OR; and San Francisco, CA.
“Not surprisingly, the cities that rank highly for bloggers are also prominent Internet usage
markets. Austin and San Francisco adults, for example, are more likely than the average
to have a broadband connection at home,” said Gary Meo, Scarborough senior vice president. He added that the cities with high percentages of bloggers "are markets with large high-tech economies.”
In Austin 15 percent of adults blogged - read or contributed - sometime within 30 days of the survey. Compare that to Kansas City where 8 percent of adults blogged and to St. Louis where bloggers are just 6 percent of adults.
We at MPN are nonetheless thankful for those 8 and 6 percent respectively from Kansas City and St. Louis that regularly read and comment on this blog.
Missouri education group calls for rejection of Sinquefield donations
The Missouri Education Roundtable, a coalition of statewide public education organizations, is calling on politicians to reject donations from wealthy school choice activist Rex Sinquefield.
“We are calling on candidates for public office in Missouri to reject contributions from Mr. Sinquefield's political action committees,” Education Roundtable chairman Robin Krause said in a press release. “Mr. Sinquefield is attempting to buy candidates through massive campaign contributions that violate the spirit of contribution limits in Missouri.”
The press release added that Sinquefield is “trying to buy public policy in the state by forming 100 political action committees designed to circumvent campaign contribution limits."
The Roundtable's opposition to Sinquefield's donations is rooted in his support for school voucher systems designed to channel public funds to private schools, the release said.
MPN previously addressed state Sen. Chris Koster's acceptance of nearly $100,000 from Sinquefield's PACs. Other beneficiaries of Sinquefield's wealth this year include Gov. Matt Blunt, Sen. Jason Crowell, House Speaker Rod Jetton, House Budget Chairman Allen Icet, Rep. Rodney Hubbard, and Rep. Ted Hoskins, among others.
The Roundtable represents the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals, the Missouri Association of School Administrators, the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals, the Missouri PTA, the American Federation of Teachers, Missouri, the Missouri National Education Association, the Missouri School Boards’ Association and the Missouri State Teachers Association.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tie$ that bind: Koster logs first contribution to a Sinquefield Democrat
Just one week after becoming a Democrat, state Sen. Chris Koster made his first contribution to a fellow Democrat.
Koster's $600 donation to the senate campaign of Rodney Hubbard came from a personal account and not from his own campaign committee according to finance reports released last week by the Missouri Ethics Commission.
Koster's contribution also marks his first to a Missouri candidate in either major political party since at least 2002. However, as MPN reported yesterday, Koster logged nearly $2,500 to conservative Republicans vying to represent Missouri in Congress in 2000 and 2002 as well as a contribution to President George W. Bush's first campaign.
In recent months Koster built a relationship with Hubbard. In July, prior to the big party switch, Koster attended Hubbard's Senate kick-off celebration. When it was Koster's turn to make an announcement in August - the party switch - Hubbard was there. Their relationship is not one that reciprocates with contributions as Hubbard logged no donation to Koster's campaign fund.
But there's another strong tie between the attorney general aspirant and would-be senator: Rex Sinquefield. Hubbard and Koster are both pro-school choice, pro-voucher Democrats who benefited substantially in the last quarter from Sinquefield's wealth. Hubbard received $30,000 directly from Sinquefield while Koster received nearly $100,000 through a series of 75 PACs created by Sinquefield to funnel funds to politicians.
Some Democrats such as former House Democratic Leader Jeff Harris and Rep. Margaret Donnelly, both also vying for the attorney general nomination in 2008, have denounced Koster's acceptance of funds from Sinquefield suggesting that he represents everything that is not Democratic.
“My opponent thumbs his nose at Democratic values when he allows himself to be bought and paid for by a conservative ideologue and think tank that trashes public education, praises pay day loan sharks and opposes universal access to health care,” Harris said.
On a related note, the Institute for Money in State Politics released a report earlier this month addressing the increasing influence of wealthy donors in state campaigns. Sinquefield's donations only support the report's conclusions.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Before party switch Koster logged donations to Bush, Graves and Ashcroft
Republican turned Democrat Chris Koster logged several contributions of note to some of the most conservative Republicans representing Missouri and the country during the 2000 and 2002 election cycles.
According to the Federal Elections Commission, Koster donated $1,200 to then Sen. John Ashcroft, $250 to Rep. Sam Graves and another $1,000 to the first campaign of President George W. Bush.
The donations will not come as a surprise to many, especially given that Koster rose to one of the highest positions in the Missouri Republican Party prior to his declaration in August that he was switching parties to become a Democrat.
Since becoming a Democrat, Koster has attempted to distance himself from former Republican ties. One instance in particular caught the attention of political foes and bloggers, when Koster removed a photo with Republican Vice President Dick Cheney from his campaign website.
To date, the FEC shows no contributions from Koster to Democrats.
From the FEC:
KOSTER, CHRISTOPHER A.
BELTON, MO 64012
CASS COUNTY MISSOURI/PROSECUTING
| ASHCROFT, JOHN D VIA ASHCROFT 2000 | |||
| 05/26/2000 | 1000.00 | 20020210694 | |
| 07/15/2000 | 200.00 | 20020240640 | |
| GRAVES, SAMUEL B 'SAM' VIA GRAVES FOR CONGRESS | |||
| 04/26/2002 | 250.00 | 22991244904 | |
| BUSH, GEORGE W VIA BUSH FOR PRESIDENT INC. | |||
| 07/28/2000 | 1000.00 | 20990189114 | |
Koster's replacement as Cass Co prosecutor supports Harris for AG
When attorney general candidate Chris Koster left the Cass County Prosecutor's office to become the first Republican state senator in his district in half a century, he was replaced by Democrat Teresa Hensley.
In 2004 Koster defeated Democratic candidate Larry Snider by a 2-to-1 margin for the state senate seat, a stunning defeat in Democratic territory held by legendary Sen. Harold Caskey for 28 years before he was term limited out of the Senate. But the defeat of Snider and the turnover of the seat to a Republican left many Democrats in Cass County questioning just how such a defeat had been possible.
Since Koster's party switch earlier this year, he has gained quite a bit of support from Democrats throughout the state, including some in Cass County. The one noticeable absence in support comes from the woman who replaced him. Hensley, a long time county resident and Democratic activist, was appointed by then Gov. Bob Holden to fill the vacancy when Koster was sworn into the Senate. She previously ran for a House seat in the historically Republican 123rd District in 2002, narrowly losing to Rep. Brian Baker, and has seen her name tossed around in recent months as a likely replacement for Koster's Senate seat, which he is abandoning to run for attorney general.
According to the round of campaign finance reports released Monday by the Missouri Ethics Commission, Hensley's family law firm, Hensley & Hensley, donated $200 to former House Democratic Leader Jeff Harris' attorney general campaign in the third quarter of 2007 while making no contribution to Koster. The size of the contribution is overshadowed by the weight of support that accompanies Hensley's endorsement.
Anonymous reports to MPN suggest that Hensley may know the shortcomings of Koster's tenure as Cass County prosecutor better than anyone else. Those shortcomings remain secret and Koster is free to flout during the campaign his experience and so far unconfirmed accomplishments as a county prosecutor.
As for now, Hensley's endorsement of Harris' campaign is sure to raise questions about why she is not supporting Koster, Cass County's new Democratic hometown hero.
Note that Hensley cannot currently practice with the firm due to her capacity as prosecutor, but her husband Ken maintains the operation.
KC Star: MO policymakers shortsighted in funding education
The Kansas City Star editorial board today offers a critique of Gov. Matt Blunt's and the Republican-led legislature's approach to solving Missouri's deficient educational funding situation.
In citing Missouri's education woes, the Star draws attention to a recent Corporation for Enterprise Development study that gave Missouri a "C" grade in overall educational innovation. Other points include the fact that Missourians are less likely than Americans to hold a college degree and that 16 Missouri counties have been labeled persistently impoverished by the federal government.
From the Star:
Robust public universities help raise educational levels, reduce poverty, and train doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers and other essential workers.
But many Missouri lawmakers seem unwilling to grasp the connection between strong universities and a thriving economy with a healthy population. Few states in recent years have treated their higher education systems so poorly.
Depending upon which ranking one uses, Missouri is either 45th or 47th in per capita spending for colleges and universities. ...
Gov. Matt Blunt convinced the legislature last spring to approve his plan to raise $335 million for construction projects at colleges and universities. Unfortunately, Blunt’s plan called for raiding a student loan fund to get the money, and lawmakers approved a grab bag of political favors rather than a coordinated blueprint to benefit students or economic development.The danger now is that lawmakers will pat themselves on the back and consider the needs of higher education fulfilled. Clearly, they are not.
Leaders who think that Missouri can solve problems and thrive economically with a noncompetitive university system have some gaps in their own education.
Read the full editorial here.Saturday, October 20, 2007
Politics more reliant on wealthy individuals than ever, report says
Wealthy individuals continue to play a large role in funding political parties and changes in federal campaign finance laws have had a real effect at the state level, according to a new report recently released by the National Institute on Money in State Politics.
Nationally in 2006, contributions from the top 10 largest donors gave $25 million, up from 2002 when the top 20 donors gave less than $9 million.
"Businesses, special interests, labor unions and individual donors — all outside the party apparatus — became the mainstay of the party committees" in recent years, the report said. "In the 2006 elections, these donors provided 71 percent of the money raised by state party committees."
Here in Missouri the effects of a decline in soft money contributions are evident. In 2006, the Missouri Democratic Party raised just $2.3 million, down from $12 million in 2002. The party lost about $6.5 million in soft money contributions as part of recent changes in federal campaign finance laws which previously enabled larges sums to be funneled through national party committees.
Similarly, the Missouri Republican Party raised only $3 million in 2006, down from $10.7 million in 2002. State Republicans were unable to replace $6.4 million in soft money contributions.
Campaign finance in Missouri was a hot topic last week as the Missouri Ethics Commission released third quarter reports for all candidates.
In the attorney general race former House Democratic Leader and attorney general candidate Jeff Harris criticized state Sen. Chris Koster for accepting nearly $100,000 in contributions from Republican Rex Sinquefield. The money was funneled through 100 political action committees created by Sinquefield to skirt the state's contribution limits to candidates and represented about a quarter of Koster's total fundraising for the quarter.
View the full NIMSP report here.
(Democrats and Republicans)
Year - Total Contributions
2000 - $23,360,931
2002 - $22,928,830
2004 - $22,177,595
2006 - $5,264,219
Soft Money Contributions in Missouri
2000 - $14,832,287 - $8,528,644
2002 - $12,182,521 - $10,746,310
2004 - $14,738,101 - $7,439,494
2006 - $2,307,477 - $2,956,742
Missouri unemployment holds at 2 year high
In August Missouri's unemployment rate hit a two year high and the rate was unchanged in September, holding at 5.3 percent.
As MPN reported last month, since Gov. Matt Blunt took office in 2005 Missouri's unemployment rate has exceeded the national average in three-quarters of monthly job reports, including 10 months in the past year. The jump last month was the single largest increase in the unemployment rate in Missouri's recorded history. The national rate edged upward last month from 4.6 percent to 4.7 percent.
The state posted a net gain of 2,900 jobs in September according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By sector, Government added 2,900 jobs, Trade and Transportation increased 2,200, and Manufacturing increased by 1,500, Construction decreased by 1,100, Financial services decreased by 1,100 and Education and Health services were down 1,000.
As a percent of the total Finance sector, Missouri lost more of these high wage jobs than any other state. In total jobs lost the Finance and Construction sectors were both the 5th largest losses in the country.
“
The last line of Blunt's press release stated Missouri's unemployment rate, an economic indicator denounced last month by the Blunt administration and Department of Economic Development Deputy Director Spence Jackson. Jackson last month told the AP the rate was an inaccurate indicator of Missouri's employment situation.
Missouri's job growth rate since Blunt took office stands at 3.6 percent, well below the national growth rate of 4.4 percent and the average state growth rate of 4.5 percent. If Missouri had added jobs at the average rate of other states, Missouri would have added 24,000 jobs since Jan. 2005.
Some Democrats do not agree with Blunt that the state of the economy is strong or that it is growing quickly enough.
"Our economy is moving backwards because our governor puts wealthy corporate types ahead of regular Missourians time and time again," Missouri Democratic Party spokesman Jack Cardetti previously said in a written statement.
Related Stories:
MPN: Fact Check: Blunt comments on economy as government size increases
MPN: Economic expansion continues downward spiral in Missouri
MPN: Fed: Missouri economy loses 6 months of gains in index, continues fall in rankings
AP: Blunt has campaign expenditures at Governor's Mansion
From the AP:
Gov. Matt Blunt's campaign denied Tuesday that it has raised money at the Gov.'s Mansion, even though its own finance reports seem to suggest otherwise.
Reports filed Monday with the Missouri Ethics Commission show payments of $20,306.50 for "fundraiser expenses" to Missouri Mansion Preservation, the nonprofit group that coordinates events and helps pay for decorations at the governor's official state house.
The mansion preservation organization frequently allows groups to host events at the house for a fee. But mansion fundraisers - whether for the governor or a charity - are prohibited, said Mary Pat Abele, the longtime executive director of the preservation group.
Read the full story here.MPN Analysis: Koster collects 60 percent from political committees
State Sen. Chris Koster raised $441,000 in the third quarter of 2007 for his attorney general bid, more than half of which came directly from political committees.
Only $141,000 of Koster's total fundraising for the quarter came from in-state individuals and businesses not attached to political committees.
MPN's regional analysis of Koster's contributions greater than $100, excluding political committees, shows his strongest support in the Kansas City and St. Louis regions, tied at 41 percent of the total in-state non-committee donations (see map below). The two weakest areas were in the Northwest and Southeast from which Koster received no donations.
Koster's report has stirred controversy among Democrats due to the presence of $100,00 in donations from conservative Show Me Institute creator Rex Sinquefield, who announced earlier this week he had created 100 political action committees to fund candidates throughout the state. Koster received donations from three-quarters of them.
"Chris Koster has not learned much in his first 77 days as a Democrat,'’ Harris said in a statement today. “My opponent thumbs his nose at Democratic values when he allows himself to be bought and paid for by a conservative ideologue and think tank that trashes public education, praises pay day loan sharks and opposes universal access to health care,” Harris said. “I have a long and strong relationship with educators around the state and have fought tirelessly to protect and fund our public schools. You don’t fix public education by starving it. That is what my opponent supports by standing with ideologues like Right Wing Rex.”
Rep. Margaret Donnelly's attorney general campaign joined Harris in criticizing Koster's donations this quarter.
“I still don’t think Koster’s decided who he wants to be — whether or not he wants to be a Democrat or a Republican,” said Mike Kelley from Donnelly’s campaign. “The bulk of the money he took in during this last campaign came from Republican billionaires who are out seeking Republican issues. The reality is there’s definite questions about where his loyalties or if his loyalties are in the line with some of the core values of the Democratic party.”
Contribution figures in the map above represent regional totals based on addresses provided to the Ethics Commission. Percentages are total regional contributions divided by total in state contributions.
Monday, October 15, 2007
MPN Analysis: Harris has far reaching but slow quarter
Former House Democratic Leader Jeff Harris posted a slow quarter compared to the last, but still gained $92,000 during the third quarter of 2007.
Harris' net contributions to date are $301,576.61, which he accomplished without a personal loan to his campaign as two Democratic opponents have done, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission.
“We are very pleased with our efforts to date. We are on target to reach our goals and to have the funds necessary to run an aggressive campaign. Our support is broad based and diverse, just like the Democratic Party,” Harris said in a press release today.
In the third quarter of 2007, Harris' contributors spanned all seven regions of the state. Harris outraised fellow Democratic attorney general candidate Margaret Donnelly in six of the regions, but fell short of Donnelly's total fundraising during the period. Harris even raised more in Donnelly's home turf (St. Louis) than his own (Columbia) during the period.
Harris currently has about $350,000 on hand.
Harris also noted one particularly unique facet of the quarter - his first child. “The most important blessing last quarter was the birth of our daughter Grace,” Harris said. “My wife and I could not be more proud and happy.”
Contribution figures in the map above represent regional totals based on addresses provided to the Ethics Commission. Percentages are total regional contributions divided by total in state contributions.
More to come later this week on the 3rd quarter finance reports.
MPN Analysis: Donnelly's first campaign report
Eight weeks ago the Democratic field for attorney general grew to include Rep. Margaret Donnelly. Donnelly’s first campaign report shows support from a wide range of contributors in the St. Louis area as she amassed $233,000 in contributions during the third quarter according to figures released today from the Missouri Ethics Commission.
"I am honored and excited about the support I have received from all across the state," Donnelly said in a YouTube statement today.
But an MPN analysis of Donnelly's in-state campaign contributions in the last quarter over $100 show strong financial support for Donnelly only in St. Louis, the base of 95 percent of her contributions amounting to $198,000. The next highest ranked region was central Missouri, which accounted for just 2 percent of the total contributions. Donnelly received no support this quarter from the northwest region of the state and one percent or less in the Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Kansas City areas.
The $100 mark is the point at which candidates are required to include names and addresses for contributors on disclosure reports submitted to the Ethics Commission.
With regards to professions and business relationships of contributors, at least 36 percent of Donnelly's total contributions originated in legally-related firms or individuals, amounting to $78,206. Nearly $16,000, about 7 percent, came from medically-related professions and another $10,000 from consultants.
Donnelly also loaned herself $70,000 for the race this quarter.
Contribution figures in the map above represent regional totals based on addresses provided to the Ethics Commission. Percentages are total regional contributions divided by total in state contributions.
Donnelly returns $5175 in excess donations
Stay tuned to MPN for in-depth analysis of campaign reports submitted to the Missouri Ethics Commission today.
Friday, October 12, 2007
MPN Poll: Do you approve of Blunt's performance as Governor? (updated with results)
MPN is launching a new weekend poll this afternoon:
Do you approve or disapprove of the job Matt Blunt is doing as Governor?
Cast your vote on the side panel to the right. The poll will be open for two days.
The votes are in. Here are the results from the poll:
State pays $83k in sexual harassment case concealed by Blunt
After a year of concealment and months of politicization the sexual harassment saga involving former Agriculture Director Fred Ferrell comes to a close, but with a, $82,500 payout from the state.
The sexual harassment charges brought against Ferrell were originally concealed by the State Highway Patrol and followed by political maneuvering within the agency once the allegations became public.
As the harassment charges entered the public scene in March 2007, House Democratic Leader Jeff Harris called on Gov. Matt Blunt and Republican leaders to take a stand against sexual harassment. By that time, though, Ferrel had already resigned from his position, but not before some Democrats charged Blunt's office acted too late in reprimanding Ferrell. Blunt received further criticism for his office's male dominance, even though women in the GOP legislative caucus didn't see a problem.
"The fact that the governor didn't fire his director of agriculture 10 months ago may wind up being the biggest mistake of Blunt's political career," a March Kansas City Star editorial said.
For a while, Blunt attempted to divert attention from ignoring the problem to the contributions of Attorney General Jay Nixon, an argument that never really gained traction.
The latest from the AP:
The state of Missouri has paid $82,500 to settle sexual harassment allegations against the former director of the Department of Agriculture.
An attorney for the Agriculture Department says $70,000 will go to former department employee Heather Elder and $12,500 to her attorney.
Elder accused department director Fred Ferrell of sexual harassment and gender discrimination last year. After an internal investigation, Gov. Matt Blunt originally allowed Ferrell to remain on the job.
Gibbons to launch statewide announcement tour tomorrow
State Sen. Michael Gibbons will launch a nine city announcement tour tomorrow officially declaring his candidacy for Attorney General in 2008.
From Gibbons' email:
"Mike, along with his family, will be traveling the state on Saturday and Monday to announce his candidacy for Attorney General. Please come out and support Mike’s announcement."
The stops in the next week include the following:
10:00 AM: St. Louis: Gibbons’ Home
12:15 PM: Columbia: Courtyard Marriott Hotel
2:30 PM: Kansas City: KC Downtown Airport
9:00 AM: Hannibal: Quality Inn & Suites
10:30 AM: Kirksville: Depot Inn
2:45 PM: Joplin: Joplin Regional Airport
4:45 PM: Cape Girardeau: H&H Building
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Hanaway is out, Gibbons likely GOP AG candidate
One year ago politicos in Missouri saw the greatest primary challenge in the Republican bid for Attorney General. Today Sen. Michael Gibbons prevails even though no challenge ever came to fruition as US Attorney Catherine Hanaway announced that she would not run for the position.
"I love my job. I love my family, and I feel that I've made a commitment to both,'' Hanaway said. "I don't want to short-change either."And with that she was out of the attorney general race.
Hanaway informed Gibbons of her decision earlier this week over breakfast.
The situation is now flipped as three contenders for the Democratic nomination will face off to challenge Gibbons in the general election. Seeking the Democratic nomination are Rep. Jeff Harris, Rep. Margaret Donnelly, and state Sen. Chris Koster, who was formerly a Republican.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Prime Buzz: Hanaway may bail on AG race
From Prime Buzz:
It's just a rumor, although a well-placed GOPer said he believes there's something to it. "It" is the notion that U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway will not run for attorney general next year after all. ...
Some Republicans have thought for a while that Hanaway wouldn't make the race. ...
UPDATE: Jackson to meet with Blunt tomorrow (meeting cancelled)
Potential Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Jackson will meet with Gov. Matt Blunt tomorrow to discuss a potential run. Jackson, who ran a private poll last month to gauge statewide support, announced last week that he was pleased with the results.
“I want to discuss what I’ve found with the governor and I need to give him a chance to hear my side of it and hear his,” Jackson said of the meeting to the Columbia Tribune. “And as Republicans, I think it’s that we should sit down and talk.”
Jackson also identifies two policy choices of Blunt's with which he disagrees: the 2005 Medicaid cuts and the plan to sell assets from the state's non-profit loan agency to fund capital investments at higher education institutions.
Addendum: Jason Rosenbaum is reporting the meeting with Blunt has been canceled by Blunt.
Addendum No. 2: Jackson now says he will not run against Blunt.
Related Stories:
CDT Politics Blog: Jackson might challenge Blunt next year
MPN: Jackson considering bid against Blunt for governor
Gibbons to announce candidacy over weekend
State Sen. Michael Gibbons (R-Kirkwood) will officially announce his candidacy for attorney general in 2008 this Saturday, according to a newsletter statement from the Central Missouri Young Republicans.
"I would like to ask for your help in spreading the word and turning out a crowd for the official announcement of Mike Gibbons for Attorney General," Pat Thomas said in a statement.
Gibbons, who filed paperwork with the Missouri Ethics Commission for a run as AG long ago, will become the only official Republican candidate. In an online poll conducted by MPN in August, Gibbons collected just 2 percent of the total votes.
On the Democratic side are official candidates Jeff Harris, who was the first candidate to announce his intentions, and Margaret Donnelly, who announced her candidacy in July.
Two additional contenders are expected to enter the race, State Sen. Chris Koster in the Democratic field and former House Speaker Catherine Hanaway on the Republican side.
AP: Harris proposes Sunshine Law unit within AG's office
From the AP:
Attorney general candidate Jeff Harris wants to create a special Sunshine Law unit within the office as a way to boost enforcement of Missouri's open records and meetings law. ...
Harris, a House member from Columbia who is one of three Democrats seeking to succeed Nixon, has proposed the creation of a special Sunshine Law Enforcement Unit within the attorney general's office. He said Nixon is doing a fine job of handling Sunshine Law issues.
"What this does is just ramp it up," Harris said Monday. "It makes certain there are lawyers in that office who are dedicated to enforcing the Sunshine Law and prosecuting violations."
Read the full story here.Related Stories:
MPN: Jeff Harris pledges to create Sunshine Law Enforcement Unit as AG
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Fact Check: Blunt comments on economy as government size increases
FACT CHECK
In a stump speech to Republicans in Columbia today, Gov. Matt Blunt painted a rosy picture of the state's economy by touting job gains since he became governor. Here are the facts associated with Blunt's claims as part of the MPN Fact Check series.
Blunt claim: "When you pass pro-jobs, pro-growth initiatives, Missourians respond. They recognize that government doesn’t create the jobs but provides the environment. When the environment improves, Missourians respond."
Fact: Government does not create all jobs, but since Jan. 2005 the total number of Missourians employed by government swelled by nearly 11,000 according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the same time period Blunt uses to cite job growth, jobs in the federal government decreased by 600 as state government jobs increased by 3,700, a 3.6% increase. Local governments added the largest number of government jobs, 7,700, but only a 2.9 percent increase. Collectively, increased government jobs account for 11.6% of the estimated job growth in the state since Jan. 2005 (see chart below).
Interestingly, the state government increase come despite moves by Blunt to privatize janitorial services, mental health services, and drivers license offices, among other services.
Fact: From May to July 2007, Missouri's total employment dropped by 13,100 jobs. In August the economy partially recovered from the decline by adding 5,700 jobs in government.
Democrats are quick to note the Missouri economy is not where it should be relative to other states.
"Our economy is moving backwards because our governor puts wealthy corporate types ahead of regular Missourians time and time again," Missouri Democratic Party spokesman Jack Cardetti said in a written statement.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Nixon to repay state for car usage
Attorney General Jay Nixon's campaign today announced it will voluntarily reimburse the state for any costs linked to Nixon's transportation and security needs while campaigning.
"We take [the Attorney General's] security and transportation needs very seriously and political attacks from our opponents will not change that," campaign manager Ken Morley said in a statement today. " Nixon is Attorney General for the state of Missouri 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As one of the toughest Attorneys General in the nation, the reality is that there are some bad people who don't like him very much.
The statement continued: "In order to move the focus back to the issues that matter most, the Nixon campaign will begin voluntarily reimbursing the state for the Attorney General's security and transportation needs while on the campaign trail. The campaign will examine the campaign schedule going back to the beginning of the cycle in order to determine the appropriate reimbursement level. "
The Nixon campaign also called on Gov. Matt Blunt, who has sharply criticized Nixon's uses despite his own similar patterns of use, to pay for political use of state resources.
"Today, we call on the Governor's campaign to begin doing the same," Morley said. "His campaign should not only reimburse the state for security expenses associated with his political travel, but also for all security and travel expenses associated with the Governor's decision to commute to Springfield everyday instead of living in the Governor's mansion. The Attorney General has legitimate security concerns, yet his campaign is making this voluntary decision to reimburse the state for costs relating to his security at campaign events. The Governor also has legitimate security concerns, but there's no reason his campaign cannot also voluntarily reimburse the state for security costs associated with his political events.
Related Stories:
AP: Nixon to reimburse state for use of car
CDT Politics Blog: Nixon changes course on car usage
Photo Credit: Nixon for Governor
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Missouri foster care spending among worst in country
Foster care spending in Missouri is among the worst in the country according to a report released called Minimum Adequate Rates for Children (MARC).
Only Nebraska and Ohio would need to raise foster care rates by a greater amount than Missouri to meet the recommended standard.
Some Missouri foster parents can only agree with the report's finding that the state should increase foster care payments by about 125 percent.
"Common sense and experience tells me there's not enough funding," foster parent Cathy Pritchett told KOMU. "I always wonder where does the money go. I'm not sure."
The report comes amidst a national shortage of families to care for 500,000 children in foster care, including Missouri which has 9,700 children in the state foster care program.
According to the report, the US average for monthly costs for healthy foster kids is $629 for a 2-year-old, $721 for a 9-year-old and $790 for a 16-year-old. Missouri fell below the recommended costs in all age groups.
"Foster parents should receive the funds they need," says co-author Julie Farber, director of policy at Children's Rights, a New York-based advocacy group.
Former House Democratic Leader Jeff Harris, a 2008 attorney general candidate, supported various methods of reducing expenses to providers of foster care in the past two years. In 2005 Harris co-sponsored a bill to increase recruiting efforts for foster care parents. In 2006, Harris expanded his support as the only sponsor of a bill to provide tax exemptions for food and clothing purchased by foster care parents. And in 2007, Harris co-sponsored a widely supported bill to extend medical benefits to children in foster care until the age of 21.
None of these Democratic-sponsored foster care bills advanced out of committees in the Republican controlled House, nor did any other foster care bill filed in the past two years.
The MARC report was sponsored by Children's Rights, National Foster Parent Association, and the University of Maryland School of Social Work.| Current Foster Care Rates | Foster Care MARC | % increase needed | |||||||
| Age: | 2 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 9 | 16 |
| US Avg. | 488 | 509 | 568 | 629 | 721 | 790 | 29% | 41% | 39% |
| Missouri | 271 | 322 | 358 | 627 | 719 | 788 | 131% | 123% | 120% |
Jackson still mulling run against Blunt
Former Rep. Jack Jackson is still considering a bid for the Republican nomination for governor in 2008. Jackson's bid would, of course, be contested by sitting Gov. Matt Blunt.
Jackson recently received the results of a poll he commissioned in Sept. and he reports that the results were good.
"The numbers are better than I had anticipated, in my favor," Jackson said of the results Wednesday to Post-Dispatch reporter Jo Mannies.
Photo Credit: St. Louis Log Cabin Republicans.
Odd news from DED and its not about the record increase in unemployment
The Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) yesterday issued a press release that had nothing to do with the economy - its topic was instead breast cancer.
The press release in question was about Melanie Blunt's plans to "encourage" early detection of breast cancer. How exactly does this relate to anything DED does?
The important connection here is that DED has opted to issue press releases about Blunt's "encouragement" while ignoring reports on economic indicators, particularly a surge in unemployment rate last month that is the highest in two years. Director Greg Steinhoff said the administration of Gov. Matt Blunt now believes unemployment is not an accurate indicator of the economy.
It was just one year ago in Oct. 2006, DED issued this press release praising the decreasing unemployment rate. How times change...
Ethics Commission to meet today regarding overlimit contributions
| The Missouri Ethics Commission will meet today to consider the fate of millions of dollars collected in campaign contributions prior to the re-established caps on donations earlier this year. Stay tuned to MPN for further updates. Addendum: The Ethics Commission did meet today, but deferred a decision on the overlimit campaign contributions until their Nov. meeting. Related Stories: |
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
'Dozens' attend Blunt's inaugural Republican-only soirée
Gov. Matt Blunt took his 15 member Cabinet on a pricey road trip yesterday, setting up a temporary headquarters at the Pettis County Courthouse in Sedalia in what his office designated the "Capitol for a Day". The move was designed to be a public listening session for state officials but Democrats criticized the motives claiming it was nothing more than a taxpayer-funded political event from which Democratic members of the executive branch were deliberately excluded.
The Associated Press reports that “dozens” attended the gathering and at times "Blunt's department directors were simply standing around talking with each other for lack of public comments or questions." Local Sedalia media estimate no more than two dozen citizens attended.
An MPN estimate of the cost of the event shows the opportunity cost in labor alone is significant. State department heads receive salaries greater than $100,000. The cost of staffing the event just for the agency heads and Blunt was $2,700 (for two hours of driving, one hour of event, although the Cabinet members did engage in other activities while in Sedelia as well).
Blunt’s soirée with Sedalia residents then cost at least $27 per attendee in labor assuming a maximum attendance of up to 100, and a maximum of $112 per attendee if dozens really means about 24 people. At a minimum, that’s 700% more than Blunt spent per supporting vote cast for him in the 2004 general election ($5,408,803.97 for 1,382,419 votes = $3.91 per voter) without including the transportation expenses and additional staffing needed for the event.
“I understand that government exists to serve the people, not the other way around,” Blunt said yesterday during the event. “We are returning power to the people of Missouri by making government less burdensome, more effective, more accountable and more accessible.”
But in this case, Blunt neglected to include the phrase cost effective.
One can only wonder if Blunt's appearance yesterday really did have underlying political motives that drew some of Missouri’s most powerful political players to the state’s 34th largest city in the absence of the State Fair.
According to the US Census Bureau, Sedalia has a population of 20,669 and the remainder of Pettis County an additional 19,851. The estimated household income in Sedalia is just $30,300, which is $11,674 less than the state average. Not surprisingly then, those affected by poverty in the city and county exceed both the state and national rates.
In Sedalia, 12.5% of families are living in poverty, which includes 15.3% of the population and more than 3,000 individuals. Countywide, the poverty figures are even more bleak. In Medicaid terms, 35% of the county's children are on Medicaid, 10% of adults, and one third of ER visits are paid for by Medicaid - all above the state averages according to data from the Department of Social Services.
Where is the political motivation? In 2005, Blunt and the Republican-led legislature cut spending on Medicaid which reduced the number of enrollees by 18 percent since Blunt took office, some 180,000 individuals. 52% of those cut off the program were adults, 41% children, and the remaining 12% were comprised of the elderly and people with disabilities.
In Sedalia, where reliance on Medicaid is among the highest in the state, hundreds were directly affected by the cuts and that doesn’t necessarily mean they were the Medicaid users. In other words, the $37.4 million economic impact on business activity Medicaid produced back in 2004 with a direct impact on 665 jobs producing $19.2 million in wages means Medicaid is, or was, big business in this county. With the 2005 cuts now in full force, the economic effects beyond those cut from the program are now being felt by local residents and businesses.
In July, Pettis County’s unemployment rate of 5.6% was well above the state and regional levels. The average hourly wage slipped to just $13.13, also well below the state average of $17.85 per hour. The ailing economy in Sedalia and the rest of Pettis County add to Blunt’s increasing woes in advocating his “pro-jobs, pro-growth” economic initiatives since 2005, especially as the unemployment rate statewide surged to a two year high this month.
But there are still other possible connections to Pettis County for Blunt, and they are directly related to votes. Blunt carried the county in his 2004 bid for governor with 3,000 more votes than opponent Claire McCaskill, but at the same time Republican President George Bush carried the county by a 2-to-1 margin over Democratic Sen. John Kerry. Where other Republicans have beat Democrats so handedly, Blunt fell short.
Only two Democrats carried Pettis County in the 2004 general election, Rep. Ike Skelton and Blunt’s greatest political rival, Attorney General Jay Nixon. In fact, Nixon won the county in the AG race with just 392 votes fewer than Blunt did in the governor’s race, which had 322 more total voters than the AG race to begin with. More importantly, Nixon has carried Pettis County in every general election since 1996 (tallies for Nixon’s first election in 1992 were not readily available). But then again, Blunt carried the county when running for Secretary of State in 2000 and Governor in 2004.
In the end, the Capitol for a Day concept may be good at reaching the “dozens” of voters who attended the forum, but as for a wise use of state resources, probably not. The implications of Blunt’s choice for Sedalia to become the first “Capitol for a Day” extend far beyond the city’s proximity to the state Capitol. If that were the case, why not begin in Columbia or Jefferson City?
Blunt said that the goal of the program was to reach rural areas of the state. But Democrats charge another answer is clear: there is not much point in campaigning where the race is already lost.
Despite claims that the race was off limits, Blunt did not resist taking a few jabs at Attorney General Jay Nixon, who was not invited to attend the Republican only affair.
Related Stories:
Sedalia Democrat: Blunt sets up shop in Sedelia
Sedalia News Journal: Blunt comes to town
Photo Credit: Sedalia News Journal
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