Roll Call: Ultimate outsider Billy Long chooses insider as chief of staff

Billy Long was elected Seventh District Congressman after a campaign in which he styled himself as opposed to Washington insiders, but the person who will run his office is a dyed-in-the-wool insider, according to an article in today's Roll Call:

After the election was sealed, Long’s rhetoric didn’t cease. When he came to the Capitol in November for orientation, he announced in a press release, “Mr. Outsider Meets the Insiders.”


But Long not only met the insiders, he hired one of them as his chief of staff. Joe Lillis has been legislative director to Rep. Lynn Westmoreland since 2005, and before that, he worked for the Georgia Republican’s predecessor, Rep. Mac Collins (R), and former Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.).

Carnahan: Hold government accountable throughout the year, not just at election time

In an op-ed issued today, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan previews the 2011 legislative session and issues a challenge to keep government accountable:

Today was the first day of Missouri's legislative session, our 96th since we became a state in 1821. This year, more than half of the Representatives will be serving in state government for the first time. As I watched them take the oath of office, I thought about the big challenges we will all face in the months ahead.


As Secretary of State, it's my duty to preside over the House of Representatives until a Speaker is elected. I used that opportunity to remind the incoming legislators that despite representing different parties, regions, constituencies and backgrounds, they all share a common purpose -- to ensure a brighter future for Missouri families.

Given the budget challenges facing our state and nation, there is no doubt that the coming months will stir up a lively debate about priorities in Jefferson City. But, you and I both know that we've been through tougher times before. By staying focused on the common purpose that unites us -- like protecting the things that make Missouri a great place to live, raise a family and find a good job, affordable health care and world-class schools -- we'll meet these challenges as well.

But to do that, we've all got to stay engaged and involved. All too often, staying focused on what's important gets lost in the midst of distracting and divisive political theater. Whether in Jefferson City or Washington, we can't just hope that our elected leaders will get it right. We need to hold government accountable for results throughout the year...not just at election time.

Bond: I joined this law firm to become a lawyer, not a lobbyist

Retiring Sen. Kit Bond elaborated on his new job as a lawyer for the Thompson Coburn law firm during a news conference Tuesday. The video is courtesy of Jason Rosenbaum of Missouri Lawyers Media:

Hartzler: Nancy Pelosi and her crew were taking our country to ruin

In this video clip from Fox News Channel's Hannity, a focus group consisting of freshman GOP representatives, including Fourth District Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler, is questioned about its plans for 2011:

Gannett, News-Leader employees ordered to take furloughs

It's back to normal for Gannett, which will require its employees at newspapers across the United States, including those at the Springfield News-Leader to take an unpaid one-week furlough at some point during the first quarter.

Gannett executives said the unpaid time off is in response to revenues that remain short of where they were a year ago.


"This was, quite frankly, an option I had hoped we could avoid," Bob Dickey, president of Gannett's U.S. Community Publishing .

Pierce City students pay tribute to beloved teacher

(The following is my column for this week's Newton County News, KY3, and KSPR.)

Over the past few years, social networking sites have become the bogeyman for everything that is wrong with America. People are spending so much time on them, the critics argue, that they are losing touch with their humanity.


Sometimes, though, social networking sites become evidence of the good that exists in our society.

Such was the case after tragedy struck Dec. 13 at an East Newton High School basketball game. A heart attack claimed the life of Pierce City High School girls junior varsity coach Doug Weatherly. The death, which came with no warning, traumatized the young girls who played for him and had been students in his junior high social studies classes.

It also was a shock to everyone else who was in the gymnasium that night.

Mr. Weatherly was only 44 years old, in the prime of life, and in the blink of an eye he was gone.

While I am sure the Pierce City school district provided counseling to any students and staff members who needed it, thanks to modern technology and the power of social networking, those who loved Doug Weatherly found a way to deal with their grief and at the same time to provide a lasting tribute to a favorite teacher and coach.

A tribute site, “Mr. Weatherly is the Best Teacher Ever,” has been set up on Facebook and in the days since his death, students and colleagues have left messages describing what he meant to them and relating stories about the man and the effect he had on the Pierce City School District.
Among the comments left on the site:

"During his funeral today his wife told us he was an organ donor. She said a friend had commented that she wished someone could have gotten his heart. Looking around the gym she knew that we all had a piece of his heart and asked that we all "pay it forward" for him. That is a great tribute to him."

"Coach, words can't describe what you meant to everyone. But to me you were an inspiration, a wonderful coach, and an amazing teacher. I will never forget you, I know you will be watching us as the season moves on telling Coach Perry they missed a box out or something like that, but you will never be forgotten.

"There will never be words to define Doug Weatherly. I am so blessed to have had him in my life. He has been one of my lunch buddies for 12 years and PCHS will never recover from losing him. I know I won't."

These sites have become a way for people to constructively deal with the loss of loved ones, but there is one thing about this site, which was created by Trevor White, that sets it apart from all of the others and makes it perhaps even more special.

This page, which Trevor created to honor his favorite teacher was created January 23, 2010... 11 months before Mr. Weatherly’s death.

Though the comments on the site have increased since December 13, dozens had already praised Mr. Weatherly.

We teachers are always told that we will never know how much of a positive effect we have had on our students’ lives. It is something that we have to accept as true, something that keeps us going. Thanks to a creative use of social networking, students, current and former, were able to pay tribute to a beloved teacher, taken from them far too soon.

Thanks to that site, Doug Weatherly had irrefutable evidence of the positive impact he had on a generation of Pierce City youth."

New Ethics Committee chairman receives $1,220 worth of MU-KU tickets

New House Majority Leader and Ethics Committee chairman Timothy Jones, R-Eureka, received $1,463.05 worth of lobbyists' gifts in November, including $1,220 worth of tickets to the MU-KU football game, according to documents posted earlier this month on the Missouri Ethics Commission website.

Jones' total for the month does not include $251.67 worth of gifts to his wife and children, according to the documents.

The football tickets came courtesy of Matthew Forck, lobbyist for Ameren, $280; Craig Felzien, AT&T, $720; and John Kristan Jones, Sprint Nextel, $220.

Forck and Ameren also took care of $360.56 worth of meals and entertainment for Jones and his family on Nov. 13, according to the documents.

Including the gifts to his family, Jones has surpassed the $17,000 mark since he took office four years ago. His earlier gifts were chronicled in the December 4 Turner Report :

This year, special interests have footed the bill for a dozen golf outings, to the tune of more than $1,500.

His most recent excursion (reports for November will  not be posted online until December 1, came October 4, when David Michael Jackson, the lobbyist for billionaire Rex Sinquefield paid the $375 for Jones to play in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Tournament.

Other lobbyists joining in on Jones pay to play fun time were Craig Felzien, AT&T; Charles Simino, Missouri Cable Telecommunications Association (Simino also bought a $50 pair of sunglasses and paid for a $10 meal), Jorgen Schlemeier, Missouri Fire Service Alliance; David A. Smith, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield; Terry Briggs, Site Improvement Association; Travis Brown, AT&T; John R. Sondag, AT&T; Heath Clarkston, Affordable Equity Partners; and Brent Hemphill, Brent Hemphill and Associates.

Most of Jones' golf outings were in Missouri, but he also played at the lavish Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego while attending a taxpayer-financed junket to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) annual conference.

AT&T lobbyists Travis Brown and John R. Sondag paid for two rounds of golf for the conservative Republican, whose chief claim to fame has been as a plaintiff in the Birther lawsuit against President Barack Obama.

Billy Long not sure about wisdom of working with GOP leadership

Our newly elected Seventh District Congressman Billy Long questions the wisdom of working with the GOP leadership since it might get in the way of his "fresh new ideas," according to an article in today's Wall Street Journal:

Asked if he foresaw working well with the GOP leadership, freshman Rep. Billy Long (R., Mo.), who says he shares many of the tea-party activists' priorities, said, "I think it's a little too early to say yet...We'll want to bring our fresh ideas into it. We came with a big mandate. This is a huge class and I think the American people have spoken."

Hohulin signs on with Senate Majority Leader

Former Rep. Bubs Hohulin, R-Lamar, (referred to many times in my wrirings as the Abominable No Man) has joined the staff of Senate Majority Leader Robert Mayer, R-Dexter, according to a news release issued by Mayer last week.

Hohulin most recently was the chief of staff for term-limited Sen. Carl Vogel, R-Jefferson City.

(Photo: Bubs Hohulin, working for me as a photographer for the Lamar Democrat in 1984, poses with Barney the Bear at the opening of Taco Palace. Bubs is the one on the right.)

Fired Up Missouri also noted that among the policy advisers for Mayer and the GOP Senate majority will be Mark Tucker, who until last week was a lobbyist for retired billionaire Rex Sinquefield.

Mayer's column is printed below:

Senate Leader-elect Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter, today announced his leadership team for the 2011 legislative session that begins next Wednesday. Mayer’s staff members are in place and are preparing for the upcoming session, in particular, the opening weeks when the Senate will meet in working groups to consider ideas submitted by Missourians on how to “Reboot Government” through control, alterations and deletions.


Mayer’s primary office staff includes his previous Chief of Staff Corey Jackson, who is continuing in his role, as well as new hires and legislative veterans Doris Broeker, Bubs Hohulin, and Susan Dunn. Broeker comes from her role as Administrative Assistant to Sen. Norma Champion. Hohulin joins the team after having served as Sen. Carl Vogel’s Chief of Staff and a former member of the House of Representatives. Dunn worked for past President Pro Tems Kinder and Gibbons and will be assisting Mayer’s office during the legislative session that runs January through May.

Mayer also announced three Senate Majority Caucus staff members who work at the pleasure of the president pro tem, but assist all majority caucus members. They include Policy Directors Patrick Baker and Mark Tucker, as well as Communications Director Farrah Fite. Baker and Fite are continuing in their roles, while Tucker joins the team. Tucker comes from the private sector where he worked in the health care industry and then as a health care policy expert.

“We’ve assembled a great team that will be at the beckon call of constituents, keep the office running efficiently and help us have a productive legislative session,” Mayer said.

Not even in office yet, but Lamar Republican leads area reps in lobbyists' gifts

Mike Kelley, R-Lamar, has not even begun his first term as 126th District representative, but he accepted more lobbyists' gifts than any other Joplin-area legislator during November, according to documents posted Saturday on the Missouri Ethics Commission website.

Thanks to the generosity of Kansas City lobbyists, Kelley accepted $390.12 in gifts from November 19-21, according to the documents. Kelley's total almost doubled his nearest competitor, Senator-elect Ron Richard, R-Joplin, and was only $12.02 less than his predecessor, Rep. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, accepted during the first 11 months of 2010.

Richard received $225.71 in gifts during November, and tops area legislators with $2,996.59 in 2010. The only other legislator to accept gifts in November was Rep. Tom Flanigan, R-Carthage, with $66.48. He has received $1,131.25 worth of gifts in 2010.The four term-limited representatives, Emery, Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin, Rep. Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City, and Rep. Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho, did not accept any gifts in November. Their totals for 2010 are Emery, $402.14; Mrs. Ruestman, $1,505.19; Stevenson, $1,070.17, and Wilson $426.11.

Kelley appears to have been part of a junket set up to promote Kansas City interests, according to Ethics Commission documents. He and other freshman legislators across the state were treated to goodies by the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and Kansas City Civic Council.

Kelley's haul included the following:

From Jason Stuart Dalen, lobbyist, Kansas City Civic Council

Nov. 19- travel, night at Westin Hotel, $27.80
Nov. 19- dinner at Union Station, $21.63
Nov. 20- lunch at Kansas City Community College, $3.01
Nov. 20- night at Westin Hotel, $27.80
Nov. 20- breakfast at Westin, 70 cents
Nov. 20- Dinner at Big Sky, $18.97
Nov. 21- Bus ride $2,67
Nov. 21- Chiefs ticket, $26.25
Nov. 21- Food at Chiefs game, $9.72

From Kristi S. Wyatt, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Nov. 20- Gift, notebook and pen, $59.58
Nov. 20- Meals, food, and beverage, $114.05
Nov. 20- Chiefs tickets, $78.75