This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, March 26, 2013 - John W. Maupin, a lawyer from Creve Coeur, has been tapped by Gov. Jay Nixon for one of the Republican seats on the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners.
The nomination requires confirmation by the state Senate – an interesting angle in Maupin’s case because he was on the bipartisan panel that redrew the boundary lines of the 34 districts in 2011, following the 2010 census.
Maupin, a lawyer with the firm of Eckenrode-Maupin, has practiced law for about 30 years. Earlier, he served as assistant general counsel for the Missouri Highway Commission and was a member of the Missouri Ethics Commission from 1993 to 1996, during Gov. Mel Carnahan’s tenure.
The four-person St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners – two Democrats and two Republicans -- oversees the bipartisan staff that conducts all public elections in the county. The board is among several urban and suburban boards around the state that are appointed by the governor.
Although the members serve four-year terms, in practice they serve at the will the governor. Sometimes they serve longer than four years and sometimes much less.
Maupin would replace fellow Republican Julie Jones, a Nixon spokesman said. The governor had appointed Jones to the board shortly after he took office in early 2009. She has been the board’s secretary for much of her tenure.
Jones figured in a controversy last summer when the board, controlled by Democrats (because Nixon is a Democrat), surprised county Republicans by unexpectedly ousting the longtime GOP elections director, former Judge Joseph Goeke.
Jones had voted against the ouster, while then-new GOP member John W. Siscel III abstained. Also on the board are chairman Richard Kellett and Ann Pluemer, both Democrats.
The current executive directors are Democrat Rita Days and Republican Gary Fuhr.
