Gov. Matt Blunt, who’s been having a tough time getting the Legislature to take much action on any of his initiatives this session, isn’t giving up.

In a release just sent out, the governor said he was “renewing his call for the General Assembly to pass legislation removing all elected officials from the Missouri Housing and Development Commission (MHDC).”

 The governor, lieutenant governor,  state treasurer and attorney general are among the members of the 10-member commission, which directs state tax breaks to housing projects.

Blunt has sought the ouster of the officials for some time. He said that “a state audit released today” by state Auditor Susan Montee “reinforces a recommendation” made last year by a bipartisan panel set up by Blunt to review the council’s operations.

“This Blue Ribbon Panel suggested a change to remove elected officials from the Commission to remove the perception that politics may play a role in its decisions,” Blunt said.

“Lt. Gov. Kinder and I have called for legislation to remove elected officials from the Commission and the release of an audit today stating there is a perception that ‘political influence impacts project selection’ reinforces the need for this change

“Making this aggressive change will allow the Commission to focus on its core mission of providing affordable housing to Missourians and eliminate any perception that politics are at play in the Housing Commission’s actions.”

The upshot of Blunt’s proposal:  The governor would appoint all the commissioners.

That wouldn’t be a political move, would it?