JEFFERSON CITY | Don't get too comfortable, Joe.
Missouri state Sen. Kurt Schaefer, a Columbia Republican, this morning announced he was "holding" his support for Joe Bindbeutel's nomination to the state's Administrative Hearing Commission.
Bindbeutel was appointed to the commission by Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, early this summer, after serving for several months as a deputy director of the Department of Natural Resources.
The appointment came after the legislature had adjourned for the year, allowing Bindbeutel to move into the post immediately. He must still, however, win Senate confirmation next year to remain on the job. As Bindbeutel's senator, Schaefer carries significant sway in how the nomination proceeds.
He stopped short of rejecting the nomination outright in his statement today, but said he needed to speak with Nixon before he could lend his support to Bindbeutel's appointment.
Bindbeutel was at DNR in May and June when test results showing high levels of E. Coli at the Lake of the Ozarks were withheld from the public and two public beaches were opened despite dangerous levels of E. Coli.
The issues have blown up into a major controversy for the department and the governor's office. A Senate committee is investigating the matter and Nixon's office is drawing scrutiny over what it knew about the testing and when. Yesterday, it was revealed that DNR provided erroneous information to the governor's office regarding beach closures, leading Nixon to suspend DNR Director Mark Templeton.
Bindbeutel in recent weeks has publicly taken the blame for withholding the report on high bacteria readings at the lake.
The escalating controversy and Bindbeutel's apparent role in it are giving Schaefer pause in supporting the Administrative Hearing Commission nomination, he said.
"While I continue to call Joe a friend, I cannot in good conscience support his pending nomination to the Administrative Hearing Commission without further consultation with the Governor’s office and reviewing the evidence being collected by the senate committee examining these actions," Schaefer said in a statement.
A Senate committee investigating the issue will interview Bindbeutel this afternoon.
