Photos in Black and White: Matt Blunt's Curious Appointee Scrapbook
From the beginning of 2007 through yesterday, a very peculiar behavioral tic manifested itself in the Governor's press shop. During that stretch, every time Matt Blunt published a release on the Governor's website to note the appointment of one individual to a state post, it included a photograph of the appointee only when he or she was an African American.
From the Governor's website...
A 1/2 release on the appointment of Doug Ommen as director of the Department of Insurance included no photo.
A 1/4 release on the appointment of Carol Wilson to the St. Louis Election Board included no photo.
A 1/31 release on the appointment of Vince Bommarito to the St. Louis Police Board included no photo.
A 2/1 release on the appointment of Brad Bedell to the SE Missouri State University Board of Regents included no photo.
A 2/20 release on the appointment of Marion Lucas as State Fair Director included no photo.
A 2/28 release on the appointment of Don Ross to the Appellate Judicial Commission included no photo.
A 3/1 release on the appointment of William Seibert to the Board of Probation and Parole included no photo.
A 3/19 release on the appointment of Rudy Farber to the state Transportation Commission included no photo.
A 3/22 release on the appointment of Rick Sullivan to the St. Louis Transitional School Board included no photo.
A 5/2 release on the appointment of Katie Smith as Agriculture Department Director included no photograph.
A 5/9 release on the appointment of Bob Onder to the Life Sciences Board included no photo.
A 6/8 release on the appointment of Derio Gambaro to the State Board of Education included no photo.
A 6/18 release on the appointment of Ken Legan to the Missouri Ethics Commission included no photo.
A 6/19 release on the hiring of Angeletta McCormack Franks included her photo.
A 6/28 release on the appointment of Kathleen Carter to the Mental Health Commission included no photo.
A 7/9 release on the appointment of Brian Wimes to the bench included his photo.
A 7/10 release on the appointment of Steve Long to the Board of Probation and Parole included no photo.
A 7/11 release on the appointment of George Scott to the bench included no photo.
A 7/18 release on the appointment of Don Johnson to the Missouri Conservation Commission included his photo.
A 7/23 release on the appointment of Ben Parnell to the Clean Water Commission included no photo.
A 7/24 release on the appointment of Reynaldo Anderson to the State Council on the Arts included his photo.
The Governor finally broke his streak of including photos only in the online releases of African American appointees with Wednesday's release regarding Vince Schoemehl's appointment to the Bi-State Metro Board. Yet for a minimum of seven months, Blunt was very careful to make sure only black appointees got photographs posted on his press release website.
I wonder what that's all about?
*A hat-tip to KM for the lead.
