Did Jetton Move 11th Hour Bill Change in Return for Support of Client Romney?

The public tension is becoming palpable now between GOP House back-bencher Dennis Wood and Speaker Rod Jetton as Wood continues to urge Jetton to answer for a controversial legislative change made late in the 2007 session.  Wood says Jetton is personally responsible for a provision that will allow developers to avoid oversight of county governments by incorporating small subdivisions into "villages," claiming:

"Rod Jetton has done some wonderful things for the state of Missouri; I just don't think this is one of them."

As the News-Leader makes clear, most believe that the legislation was moved by Jetton at least partially at the behest of businessman Robert Plaster of Lebanon, who attempted to take advantage of the new provision on the very first day it was in effect.

And alas, the controversial provision is not the sole tie between Speaker Jetton and Robert Plaster.  While the News-Leader points to the recent history of contributions given by Plaster (none were to Jetton) and received by Jetton without identifying a connection, the paper ignores an important facet of Jetton's career: his sidelight as a political consultant.

 While Plaster or his company may not have plied the Speaker with contributions to his own campaign committee (Jetton is term-limited and won't face election in 2008) he does pop up as a key supporter to perhaps Jetton's most important client, Mormon Mitt Romney's Presidential campaign.  As pointed out back in April by the inimitable Randy Turner of the Turner Report, Plaster and his wife each gave a maximum contribution to Romney's campaign, sending $2,100 a piece to the former Massachusetts governor through his Missouri political director, Rod Jetton.

In sum, we know that Plaster acquiesced to Jetton's fundraising demands in the first quarter of 2007, sending in excess of $4,000 to the campaign of the Speaker's key client.  We also know that a few short months later, Jetton took personal steps to intervene in the legislative process and add a controversial provision to a bill that was on its way to becoming law.  Finally, we know that immediately as it went into effect, Robert Plaster moved decisively to take advantage of the new law and reorganize his property in a way that would cheat county government out of thousands of dollars and make the property much more attractive to potential purchasers or developers. 

Given what we already know, asking about the possibility of a quid pro quo between Plaster and Jetton seems eminently reasonable.