To underscore its role in the coming years as the political opposition, the Missouri Republican Party just sent out an e-mail highlighting the lobbyist work conducted by Kelvin Simmons, named earlier this week by Gov.-elect Jay Nixon, as Democrat, as his choice for the state Office of Administration.

Simmons is the former head of the Missouri Public Service Commission and had been a top aide to former Gov. Bob Holden, also a Democrat.

Said the Mo GOP: “In a remarkable development, the big-city liberal media has refused to report that Kelvin Simmons, Governor-elect Nixon’s first pick for a cabinet position, is a registered lobbyist.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, they just seem obsessed with Republican lobbyists and their ties to elected officials so we felt obliged to comment on this little pearl.

“Kelvin Simmons is a registered lobbyist for SWOPE Community Builders who currently has a $1.4 million tax credit application pending before the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) to which Nixon is a voting member….”