Green, Gross top Missouri Senate Hall of Shame

Normally, I would start off my Missouri Senate Hall of Shame listing with the senator who has received the most gifts from lobbyists, but not this time, thanks to a man who is no longer a senator.
When I last listed a Senate Hall of Shame in the April 1 Turner Report, Chuck Gross, R. St. Charles, was nowhere near the top 10. Now he's not even in the Senate, having left to take a county commission post in St. Charles County, but he started grabbing the goodies right and left and leapfrogged all the way to number two on the list, with $1,911.05, and the list could have gone higher, if it included the money an Ameren UE lobbyist spent on Gross' wife and children.

Missouri Ethics Commission documents show that Ameren lobbyist Otis Cowan gave "tickets" worth $88.25 apiece and paid for meals worth $40.25 apiece for Gross, his wife Leslie, and daughters Madelyn and Megan on May 17, for a grand total of $514.

Gross' other gifts included two golf sessions with lobbyist Scott Swain. Ethics Commission documents show one round was played May 22 with Swain representing Centurytel for $60, while the other round was on April 20 for $100 with Swain working for the Missouri Health Care Association.

AT&T lobbyist Craig Felzien paid $50 for Gross to attend a charity ball on March 10.

David Hale, lobbyist for the Missouri Hospital Association, paid for a $170 meal for Gross on May 17 and Jillian Harris, representing Laclede Gas chipped in with a $109.77 meal on March 2.

Best of all is the $211 meal paid for March 28 by Jim Cooper, lobbyist for St. Charles County. I wonder where Gross is working now.
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Despite all of Gross' accomplishments, he did not come close to overtaking the number one senator in the Hall of Shame. For the second straight time, Tim Green, D-Florissant, mopped the floor with his competition, collecting $3,172.78 worth of lobbyists' gifts.

Four of the top five, and six of the top 10, are Democrats. Others making the top 10 were: 3. Maida Coleman, D-St. Louis, $1,776.89; 4. Ryan McKenna, D-Clarence, $1,493.70; 5. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, $1,430.27; 6. Luann Ridgeway, R-Smithville, $1,414.51; 7. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, $1,389.07; 8. John Griesheimer, R-Washington, $1,357.48; 9. Wes Shoemyer, D-Festus, $1,323.54; and 10. Scott Rupp, R-Wentzville, $1,321.38.

Southwest Missouri senators and their rankings are:

17. Dan Clemons, R-Marshfield, $913.54; 18. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, $800.81; 24. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, $509.58; 25. Delbert Scott, R-Lowry City, $352.25; and 28. Norma Champion, R-Springfield, $253.06.

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During May, the most recent month posted on the Ethics Commission website, the biggest gift recipient was Gross with $638.43, followed by:

2. Ms. Coleman $401.35; 3. Nodler $373.88; 4. McKenna $315.83; 5. Green $313.48; 6. Clemons $311.87; 7. Chris Koster, R-Harrisonville, $305.89; 8. Charlie Shields, R- Kansas City, $274.26; 9. Harry Kennedy, D. St. Louis, $244.20; and 10. Ms. Ridgeway $236.11.

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Senators who did not accept any gifts during May were: Matt Bartle, R-Kansas City; Mrs. Champion; Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, who has only accepted $4 worth of gifts during the first five months; and Carl Vogel, R-Jefferson City.