KINDER WEIGHS BID FOR AUDITOR; WILL DECIDE BY JANUARY

State Sen. Peter Kinder may run for state auditor next year.

The Cape Girardeau Republican said Wednesday he has been considering running for auditor since incumbent Margaret Kelly announced in mid-September that she won't seek re-election.

Kelly has served as state auditor since being appointed by then-Gov. Christopher "Kit" Bond to the post in 1984. She won elections in 1986, 1990 and 1994.

Kinder, 43, said he expects to decide by early January whether to run. He said people across the state have encouraged him to run.

"The encouragement has come from party leaders, financial supporters, my colleagues, elected officials and friends around the state," he said. "Whenever any public official gets encouragement on that level from that many different people, you have to consider it," Kinder said.

State lawmakers who have encouraged him to run for auditor include Republican Sen. Steve Ehlmann, minority floor leader from St. Charles; and Rep. Mark Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff.

Kinder is assistant to the president of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian, and a columnist for the newspaper.

If he runs and is elected, Cape Girardeau would be home of two state officeholders; Missouri Secretary of State Bekki Cook is from Cape Girardeau.

Running for state auditor wouldn't cost him his Senate seat, unless he wins the November 1998 election.

State Rep. Joe Heckemeyer, D-Sikeston, said it has been rumored for some time that Kinder would run for auditor. "This is a safe race for him. He's got a job if he loses," said Heckemeyer.

Kinder was elected to the state Senate in 1992. He was re-elected in November 1996, by a wide margin to a second term as senator in the 27th District of Southeast Missouri. That term won't end until 2000.

In 1996, Kinder defeated Southeast Missouri State University political science professor Rick Althaus by a vote of 40,412 to 22,999.

He carried all six counties in the district. The district includes Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Madison, Mississippi, Perry and Scott counties.

A persistent and vocal critic of Gov. Mel Carnahan and his Democratic administration, Kinder said the issues in the race for auditor are clear. "We have had one-party rule in Missouri, with the Democrats controlling every executive branch office except this one, plus both houses of the Legislature," Kinder said.

"We have a tax-and-spend administration that will want to elect its own auditor to eliminate the last independent watchdog that the taxpayers have in state government," he said.

He said issues such as the state taking in more revenue than allowed under the Hancock Amendment and reassessment are key concerns to taxpayers.

Kelly is a certified public accountant. Kinder, who has a law degree, doesn't have such training.

But Kinder said most of those who have served as state auditor weren't accountants. Kelly is only the fourth CPAs to serve as state auditor.

Kinder said the state auditor doesn't need to be an accountant to do the job.

"The office consists of a staff of CPAs and it is primarily a management function in how you deploy those resources to make sure the watchdog job gets done.

"Margaret Kelly has been doing a good job, and we have to keep that kind of independent approach to the office in mind," Kinder said.

Kinder admits he doesn't have widespread name recognition statewide. But he said that any candidate who is making his first run for statewide office is in that position.

Kinder estimated it would cost close to $1 million to campaign for state auditor. "It is a staggering undertaking," he said.

Kinder said he doesn't know of any other Republicans who are looking at entering the race.

On the Democratic side, St. Louis Alderman Stephen Conway is considering running. Conway is the son of former St. Louis mayor James Conway.

Kinder said he expects the Carnahan administration to come out firing against his candidacy should he run.

"It would be uphill running against an entrenched establishment," Kinder said. "It is a big challenge."

Heckemeyer believes Kinder would have to carry at least 40 to 45 percent of the vote in Kansas City and St. Louis to have a chance of winning the auditor's post.

Heckemeyer, who is often at odds with Kinder on legislative issues, doesn't think the Cape Girardeau lawmaker can win statewide.

"He has accumulated too many enemies in Jefferson City," Heckemeyer said.

If Kinder runs and is elected, a special election would be held to fill the remaining two years of his Senate term. Kinder said such an election likely would be held in March 1999.

Heckemeyer said he would consider running for the Senate post if a vacancy occurs. But Heckemeyer said he wouldn't be alone.

"I think you would see a bucketload of people run," he said.