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Former GOP Missouri Lt. Gov. resigns from federal agency, says salary was waste of taxpayer dollars
Former Missouri Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder resigned his position with a federal agency because it's a waste of taxpayer dollars, he said. Kinder has taken a job in the private sector, which he said also influenced his decision. (Image source: YouTube screenshot)

Former GOP Missouri Lt. Gov. resigns from federal agency, says salary was waste of taxpayer dollars

Former Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a Republican, said Friday he resigned from a leadership position with a federal agency because it was a waste of taxpayer dollars.

What was his job?

President Donald Trump appointed Kinder to the Delta Regional Authority in 2017 and he was sworn in as an alternative federal co-chairman in September. His appointment did not require Senate confirmation.

Kinder resigned June 1 but did not publicly announce it until Friday.

He told the Southeast Missourian he plans to continue living in Cape Girardeau and is taking a job in the private sector. Kinder chose to not disclose the job, but indicated the opportunity helped fuel his decision to leave the Authority.

Kinder said he has no plans to re-enter politics or the state government, the report states.

Regarding his lieutenant governor position, Kinder said, “somebody else can do that.”

The lieutenant governor position opened up after Mike Parson was recently was sworn in as governor following the resignation of then-Gov. Eric Greitens resigned in May, according to the report.

In a statement to the Southeast Missourian, Kinder wrote:

Upon taking office in September, I found a bloated administrative budget at the DRA. Upon my request, staff brought me over $400,000 in cuts to the administrative budget. In my first weeks on the job, I presented these reductions to the board and won unanimous approval of the savings. Every dime saved is now going to the poor and distressed communities that need help — the DRA's very reason for being.

Kinder told the Southeast Missourian that the ARC has been around for more than 50 years and during most of that time, the position of alternate federal co-chair has remained unfilled.

What advice did he offer the agency?

"What I am proposing, and I have no idea if it will be adopted or not, is that the Delta Regional Authority do the same, leave it unfilled,” Kinder said in the report.

The agency’s staff is capable of doing all of the necessary work, he added.

When Kinder joined the Authority, about $8.6 million of its $30 million budget was being spent on administrative costs. Agencies should limit administrative costs to 5 or 6 percent of the total budget, he told the Southeast Missourian in October.

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