By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Governor Matt Blunt's chief of staff has resigned to take a job at Missouri State University.
Ken McClure led Blunt's transition into office after Blunt's election in 2004; McClure then stayed to become chief of staff.
McClure, 55, was Blunt's boyhood Sunday school teacher. He also served as a policy adviser during Blunt's campaign. In returning to work in his hometown of Springfield, McClure will become the university's associate vice president for administrative services. He is to begin work there Aug. 28, a day after ending his tenure with Blunt.
"Moving onto Missouri State is the right opportunity at the right time for me and my family, and I look forward to my new responsibilities," McClure said in a statement released by Blunt's office.
He is the second high-ranking official in Blunt's administration to announce his departure in the past week. Department of Social Services Director Gary Sherman said last Friday that he was leaving effective Aug. 15. The departments of higher education and mental health, which are overseen by commissions, also are searching for new directors.
McClure will be paid $95,000 in his new job, a pay cut of more than $17,000 from the governor's office. He replaces Fred Marty, who retired in March. His responsibilities will include overseeing environmental management, facilities management and analysis, and safety and transportation.
Before joining Blunt's staff, McClure worked for eight years at City Utilities in Springfield and served from 1990-1997 on the Missouri Public Service Commission, which regulates utility companies. From 1981-1990 he served as a deputy director for the Department of Economic Development. Before that, he worked for seven years as a staff member for the state Senate Appropriations Committee.
OFFICE IN ST. LOUIS
Meanwhile, Missouri State University plans to open an office in St. Louis, noting that's where nearly one-sixth of the school's students come from. About 13,000 alumni also live in the St. Louis area.
The university is physically 200 miles from St. Louis, and officials say the office will better serve alumni and help recruit students.
Chad Sisk has been named regional admission counselor in St. Louis, pending approval by the university's board of governors.
For the 2005-06 school year, 712 freshmen - about 28% of the total freshman class - were from the St. Louis area.