This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Dec. 28, 2012 - Missouri Secretary of State-elect Jason Kander, a Democrat, has created some buzz by hiring Julie Allen, executive director of the Missouri Ethics Commission, to become his top staffer in charge of elections.
Allen had worked for Gov. Matt Blunt, a Republican, before taking charge in 2008 of the Missouri Ethics Commission, which oversees campaign fundraising and spending in the state and tracks lobbyists and their spending on behalf of officeholders.
Kander’s campaign manager, Abe Rakov – soon to be the new chief of staff for the secretary of state – said in an interview that Allen’s hiring “signals that Jason is following through on a campaign promise to run a nonpartisan office.”
Rakov added that Allen is seen by many officeholders in both parties “as a nonpartisan, straightforward person’’ who has done a good job at the Ethics Commission.
“We’re really happy with what she brings to the job,’’ Rakov said.
Allen’s official new title will be director of elections and information technology. She will, in effect, be the state’s top elections official, aside from Kander himself.
Kander also snatched Andrew Hartnett, the veteran chief of staff for Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat (and former Republican) who just won re-election. Hartnett, a lawyer, has been named the new state commissioner of securities, another arm of the secretary of state’s duties.
Kander’s new hires are attracting attention because he is Missouri’s one new statewide officeholder. All of the other statewide officials to be sworn in on January 14 are incumbents who won re-election.
Kander won narrowly over Republican Shane Schoeller, who many GOP activists – and some donors -- had expected to win on Nov. 6.
Kander’s victory also has produced kudos for Rakov, who has made several lists of top 2012 Missouri campaign operatives. (Earlier, Rakov had worked for outgoing Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, also a Democrat, and often accompanied her during her unsuccessful 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate.)
Only the new appointments of Gov. Jay Nixon, also a Democrat, have produced as much attention.
Said Kander in a statement: “I am thrilled to have such an experienced team of professionals on staff to help me run the secretary of state’s office. One trait shared by everyone I have hired is a commitment to public service, which I know they will bring to the office every day. I look forward to working with this high-quality team to serve all Missourians from across the state.”
Kander’s other hires include:
- Liz Abram-Oldham as his director of communications; she currently is an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
- John Scott as director of policy and governmental affairs, leading Kander’s efforts to connect with legislators in the Capitol. Scott previously served as a special assistant to Koster.
- Casey Clark has been hired to be senior counsel.
Kander is retaining at least five of Carnahan's senior-staff members:
- Waylene Hiles, director of administrative rules
- Val Heet, director of fiscal and facilities
- John Dougan, state archivist
- Margaret Conroy, state librarian
- Barbara Wood, as general counsel and a new post as deputy secretary of state.
