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McKenna appointed to State Tax Commission

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Ryan McKenna, the outgoing director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, to the State Tax Commission Friday. The former state senator and representative from Ballwin and longtime labor advocate has served as the director of the department since Dec. 2013.

The Missouri State Tax Commission primarily works with county assessors to ensure fair tax assessment programs. It also performs statewide assessments on the property of railroads, airlines, pipelines, electric and telecommunication companies, and it hears appeals from taxpayers. Last year, the commission came into conflict with the legislature when it recommended an increase in the valuation of agricultural land across the state.

The commission only has three members at any given time, and McKenna will join Chairman Bruce Davis and Commissioner Victor Callahan as a member of the body.

McKenna comes from a long line of public servants; his father and grandfather both served in the General Assembly. McKenna himself served in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007 and in the Senate from 2007 to 2013.

His term in the State Tax Commission will end in 2020.

Michael Pritchett, the general counsel of the department, will become acting director.