Monday, March 19, 2007

Blunt Highway Commission appointment is top political contributor

You can't blame the area media for emphasizing the positive when it comes to Governor Matt Blunt's latest appointment to the Missouri State Highway and Transportation Commission.
Yes, the appointment of Rudy Farber, chairman of the board at Community Bank and Trust, marks the first time someone from Newton County has held a position on the board, which determines how highway funds are spent throughout the state.
A Blunt news release also notes this is the first time any of the counties in this far southwestern corner of the state has had representation on this board, which obviously makes decisions that are vital to this area.
However, as is usually the case when Matt Blunt makes a major appointment, it doesn't come down to your typical red Republican or blue Democrat considerations, the color in question is green... and Rudy Farber and his family have supplied Matt Blunt, his father Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt, and state Republicans with plenty of it.
A cursive glance at Federal Elections Commission and Missouri Ethics Commission documents indicates Farber has contributed well in excess of $150,000 to the Blunts and other GOP interests this decade and is one of a three-man board that controls where the money raised by the Nodler Leadership Fund goes. A partial list of Farber contributions includes the following:

Missouri Ethics Commission documents show Farber donated $1,200 to Matt Blunt on Dec. 2, 2005, $1,200 on Aug. 26, 2004, and $1,175 on March 14, 2003. All of those are the maximum amounts allowable at the time. Dorothy Farber contributed the same amount in 2003 and 2004, the documents show.
Farber also contributed $2,550 to Sandra Thomas' unsuccessful state auditor campaign last year, and he and Mrs. Farber each contributed maximum $600 donations to Nodler in 2005.
Maximum donations were also made to Republican candidates Catherine Hanaway, Chris Byrd, Blaine Luetkemeyer, and Lt. Governor Peter Kinder.
Farber pumped in $7,000 to the 32nd Senatorial District Republican Fund on Oct. 20, 2006, and made two separate $10,000 contributions, the first in 2003, and then again in 2006, to the Nodler Leadership Fund, as well as contributing $20,000 to the Missouri Republican Party in 2006.
Federal Election Commission (FEC) documents show that in the past three years, Farber and his wife have contributed:
-$26,700 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee
-$12,000 to the Seventh District Congressional Republican Committee.
-$10,450 to Jim Talent
-$14,000 to Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt
-$7,000 to Senator Kit Bond
-$14,100 to the Missouri Republican State Committee
-$3,000 to the Republican National Committee
-$5,000 to the Seventh District Committee


When you add the money Farber and the Nodler Leadership Board controls, you are well past a quarter of a million dollars he has put into Republican coffers since the turn of the century.

Rudy Farber may turn out to be the best Highway Commissioner this state has ever had, but when you consider the track record of Blunt appointments, there seems little doubt that his pathway to power was paved with greenbacks.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe this new appointee will come to Branson and look first hand at the Taneycomo bridge on 76 in downtown Branson. Loose gravel on the surface, pot holes, and steel showing. The Highway Dept. guru in Springfield said it had been inspected and was perfectly safe. The smaller bridge going up Mount Branson toward Forsyth is in worse shape yet. All kind of reinforcing steel showing in it. I guess we will need to get KY3 to come do a series on these bridges in order to shame the MODOT people in Springfield to repair them. But if you travel these roads as many of us do each day, we take great comfort in the fact that MODOT built Pete Herschend a private road on West 76 to Silver Dollar City. It sees very little traffic, but Good Ole' Boy Ashcroft declared it an Economic Emergency to get federal funding on the fast track!Good job guys, those of us on E 76 don't need a road anyway, the cowpath to town is plenty good enough. Herschend doesn't travel our road, bet if he did it would sure be on the fast track for repair!
Drust

Anonymous said...

Mr. Farber may very well become the best Highway Commissioner the state has ever had. He is a very smart man who can "get things done."

And I find it interesting how this blog spent so much space talking about his political donations. You would think that no Democrat or Republican chief ever before appointed someone who supports his/her political party or personal campaign. If you want to degrade this appøintment, Randy, drag up all the failures of the appointee and prove he/she isn't up to the job. That, in the end, is the meat of the matter.

Anonymous said...

Randy -

You live and work less than 20 miles from Mr. Farber's office. Do you know him? If not, give him a call and drive down to Neosho. He's not without fault -- none of us is -- but he's a GREAT community supporter and friend to Neosho! Oh, yeah -- he IS a Republican, so in your book I guess he's too corrupt to help....
Why not congratulate the boy-governor, who HAS made some truly stupid appointments on making a GOOD ONE, instead of trying to sully Mr. Farber's good name!

Anonymous said...

It's always good for a laugh to see the Republican supporters stay "anonymous" Whats the matter afraid to put your name on something? They always have some blather, but afraid someone in their community might not agree, therefore, they want to stay in the dark. Kinda' the way deacons buy liquor after dark at the drive-up window, or better yet have the taxi bring it! Come on, sign your name to your posts.
David Rust

Anonymous said...

We do it to annoy Democrats.

Anonymous #1

Anonymous said...

Good God, how much money does this guy make?

Anonymous said...

Hey Turner,

Tack Back The MDC blog breaks story on campaign favor
At the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Cequal III and Howard Wood employee Don Johnson
receives commission appointment just months after Wood gives blunt
$40,000.

Both Wood and Johnson now control the Conservation Federation of Missouri, MDC and the Conservation Heritage Foundation!!!!

Read the blog at http://www.takebackthemdc.com