Today Governor Mike Parson named St. Louis immigration attorney Vivek Malek to be the next State Treasurer. He will be the first person of color to hold a statewide office in Missouri.
This is Gov. Parson’s second statewide appointment in the last month. He appointed his General Counsel Andrew Bailey to serve as the next Attorney General, as current Attorney General Eric Schmitt ran for and won the U.S. Senate seat left open by Sen. Roy Blunt.
“A proud Republican and a strong capitalist, his conservative values are unimpeachable. And we know he will work hard every day to safeguard the people’s money and trusts,” Parson said during the announcement.
The position of Treasurer became vacant when the current Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick ran and won the race for State Auditor this past November. Fitzpatrick beat Dr. Alan Green and will replace Nicole Galloway, the only Democrat to hold statewide office in Missouri.
The treasurer serves as Missouri’s Chief Financial Officer. They are in charge of the state’s budget and other finances. The office also manages the state’s wealth of unclaimed property, which can reach into the value of a billion dollars.
Perhaps one of the office’s biggest responsibilities is maintaining the state’s bond rating. Currently Missouri holds the coveted Triple A bond rating, something that many states do not have. Now Malek will step into the position.
“I believe that Missouri needs a steady conservative hand in the Office of Treasurer and I will work every day to make sure taxpayers money is invested wisely and protected in the most prudent ways possible,” Malek said.
Malek came to Missouri from Rohtak, India to attend graduate school at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. There he received a Masters in Business Administration and later he received his JD/LLM from the University of Illinois College of Law. Now he lives with his wife and three children in Wildwood, Missouri.
“I can attest with strong conviction that the American dream is alive and well because I have lived it right here in Missouri,” Malek said.
Malek has over 15 years of experience practicing law in Missouri. His firm, Law Offices of Vivek Malek, specializes in all forms of immigration law. The firm has an office in St. Louis as well as one located in Fresno, California.
This will be Malek’s first time in public office but he is no stranger to Parson. In 2020, Parson appointed Malik to the Southeast Missouri State Board of Governors.
During the announcement, Malek stated that he would run for the position in 2024.
Kelton is a 2023 graduate of the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. He is a native of mid-Missouri and likes to write politics at both the state and federal levels. Kelton joined the Missouri Times in April 2022
