Shake-up in Parson administration may stem from feud with powerful fellow Republicans
Did patronage politics play a role in Gov. Mike Parson’s decision to remove a top cabinet member from her job?
Missouri lawmakers need to ask him that, sooner rather than later. The future of higher education in Missouri may be at stake.
Tuesday, Parson’s office announced the removal of Sarah Steelman from her post as the head of the state’s Office of Administration, which is responsible for procurement, risk management, and other duties.
The statement was terse and vague. “Commissioner Sarah Steelman has stepped down as OA Commissioner, effective immediately,” the release said.
No reason was given for her abrupt departure. When asked for a comment Tuesday, Steelman told the Missouri Independent she was not told why Parson wanted her resignation.
“I asked if I did something wrong,” she told the news organization in a text, “and (the office) said ‘no.’ So I resigned.”
Various theories about the decision were floated Wednesday, including her involvement in a bizarre incident that included a tracking device placed on her car. A grand jury is reportedly investigating that mystery.
But it’s also possible that Sarah’s marriage to David Steelman played a role.
David Steelman, a lawyer and longtime Republican operative, became deeply involved in a bitter and public dispute with Parson earlier this year, over Steelman’s seat on the University of Missouri System Board of Curators.
David Steelman, appointed in 2014, was considered an important and powerful voice on the board. This spring, he watched as Parson pushed Todd Graves for a vacant seat on the nine-member body.
The controversial pick struggled in the state Senate. That prompted Parson to summon super-lobbyist Steve Tilley, the former Missouri House speaker and a Parson pal, to twist an arm or two.
That worried David Steelman. His reappointment as a curator would be in jeopardy, he believed, unless he “played ball” with Tilley, who has dozens of other clients. Steelman shared his concerns about Tilley with university officials.
That, in turn, infuriated Parson. He wrote David Steelman in April, demanding his resignation. Steelman refused. By June, however, with the Legislature no longer in session, Parson named a new curator, Keith Holloway, and Steelman was out.
Is that why Sarah Steelman is out, too?
It would be highly objectionable for the governor to take the job of one spouse for the alleged sins of the other spouse, of course.
And the intersection of ugly power politics with the University of Missouri System should worry every Missouri voter. Increasingly, Parson has treated the university system as a political plaything, turning what should be a non-partisan endeavor into a patronage outpost.
That’s unacceptable. It risks the quality of instruction at all of the system’s four campuses, including the University of Missouri-Kansas City, which fought a losing effort to stop the board from choosing Mun Choi as the system’s president and MU’s chancellor.
We invite Missouri legislators to hold hearings on this sordid mess. No governor should be allowed to treat higher education in such a blatantly political way.
Holloway, David Steelman’s replacement as curator, must still be considered by the state Senate. That would be a good time for a hearing on the links among Tilley, Parson, and the Steelmans.
