Nixon withholds appointment to Board of Probation and Parole

Missouri’s Board of Probation and Parole is governed by three members with expired terms while one spot remains unfilled, due to Gov. Nixon’s failure to update board appointments.

The delay is not due to a lack of qualified candidates for the governor to choose to fill the role. Sen. Will Kraus (R-Lee’s Summit) said he has recommended a former state representative, Gary Dusenberg, to the board every year since 2011, to no avail.

“This board is essential to the functioning of our correctional system, and the governor has neglected to do his duty to ensure its smooth operation,” Kraus said. “Gary Dusenberg is extremely qualified to be a member of the board, but the governor refuses to appoint him.”

Dusenberg’s qualifications include a bachelor’s and master’s degree in criminal justice administration, service as a Marine in the Vietnam War and a 26-year career as a Missouri Highway Patrolman.

The governor’s failure to keep appointments current on the Board of Probation and Parole is one of many instances in which Nixon has failed to carry out his duties in a timely manner, Kraus said.

“This is the exact same mentality that caused him to put off special elections for vacant seats in the House,” Kraus said.

Gov. Nixon allowed a House seat left vacant by the resignation of Noel Torpey in December of 2014 go unfilled for almost a year, despite the fact that the special election could have been called for April, the next available election date. Had the special election been held then, it would have been in conjunction with a local election, lowering the state’s cost for the election.

“The governor’s negligence is inhibiting state boards from functioning as designed, leaving citizens without proper representation and wasting taxpayer dollars,” Kraus said. “It’s unacceptable.”