Thursday, July 02, 2009

Nixon tops state officeholders in lobbyists' gifts for June; Kinder leads for year

A gift of three models of aircraft manufactured by Boeing in Missouri was enough to put Gov. Jay Nixon at the top of statewide officeholders in the amount of gifts received from lobbyists in May, according to Missouri Ethics Commission documents.

The models were valued at $480. Nixon also received a $15 meal from Boeing lobbyist Jeffrey Sweet at an awards ceremony the same day for a total of $495.

The only other officeholder to receive any gifts in May was Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, who picked up a $36 meal from Guy William Black, lobbyist for Transcanada Corporation on May 28.

THe other statewide officeholders, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, Attorney General Chris Koster, State Treasurer Clint Zweifel, and State Auditor Susah Montee did not receive any gifts from lobbyists in May, according to the documents.

For the first five months of 2009, the dollar value of gifts received by Kinder more than doubled the amount recorded by the other officeholders combined, thanks to a two-day period in April.

Lobbyist Matthew Forck, representing Ameren UE, paid for meals, food, and beverage totaling $1,000 for Kinder. The next day, Kinder had $150 for a ticket to the St. Louis Cardinals home opener from Anheuser-Busch lobbyist Ted Powers. Powers' disclosure form also shows he gave two tickets to Nixon worth $300, but the governor returned the tickets.

For the year, Kinder has received lobbyists' gifts worth $1,366.89. Next is Nixon, with the $495 from May, followed by Zweifel at $110.59, and Ms. Carnahan at $21.95.

Koster and Ms. Montee have not accepted any gifts.

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