Blunt's highway appointee grilled for role in campaign

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republican Gov. Matt Blunt's appointee to the state transportation commission survived a grilling Wednesday by the Senate Democratic leader over his role in Blunt's gubernatorial campaign.

Mid-Missouri vehicle dealer Mike Kehoe leased his personal tour bus to Blunt's campaign last year, and drove Blunt around the state in it during the final weeks before the November elections. As of last month, the campaign still had not paid for the bus.

The state Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint alleging the bus amounted to an excessive, unreported campaign contribution after Blunt nominated Kehoe last month to the state Highways and Transportation Commission.

Under questioning Wednesday by Senate Minority Leader Maida Coleman, Kehoe said Blunt's campaign recently sent him a check for the bus. An invoice released later by Blunt's campaign spokesman showed $6,158.70 in costs for mileage and repairs.

Kehoe said he had delayed the invoice -- dated just days after his appointment -- until all the repairs had been completed.

Blunt's campaign had placed a plastic wrap over the bus -- bearing his campaign slogan "Vision Leadership Change" -- that pulled some of the paint off when it was removed. That cost $1,811.46 to repair, according to the invoice. Plus, Kehoe said, the passenger side mirror broke off when he hit a tree limb on the campaign. Its cost: $82.50.

The invoice also shows $869.47 to repair luggage doors and $143.27 to fix a motorized step, which Kehoe said took until March to complete. Blunt's campaign was billed $3,252 for mileage costs -- a charge of 75 cents for each of the 4,336 miles the bus was driven on the campaign.

Coleman, D-St. Louis, was the lone dissenter in the 7-1 vote to confirm Kehoe by the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee. Kehoe's nomination still needs the consent of the full Senate.

Coleman said she believes Blunt's campaign never would have paid for the bus -- and Kehoe never would have requested the money -- if Democrats had not filed the ethics complaint.

"I believe Mike Kehoe is just another one of those people who have been caught up in this cycle of doing personal favors for Matt Blunt, and then being put into a position of having to justify that," Coleman said.

In retrospect, Kehoe said, he probably should have sent an invoice more quickly to Blunt's campaign. But Kehoe said he always expected that Blunt's campaign would pay.

"I was a little disappointed we didn't get to spend more time on qualifications" for the transportation commission during the confirmation hearing, Kehoe said.

Blunt campaign spokesman John Hancock said Kehoe's invoice -- and Blunt's payment of it -- should be cause for the ethics complaint to be dismissed.