Curator nominee is longtime ally, donor, to Gov. Jay Nixon
JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Jay Nixon’s first nominee to the University of Missouri Board of Curators is St. Louis lawyer Don Downing, a longtime ally and former employee of Nixon. He’s also a trial attorney whose firm was a big donor to the governor during his campaign.
While that’s hardly unusual — governors frequently appoint big donors to various government boards — it’s also an issue that Democrats criticized Gov. Matt Blunt over during his tenure. So, in the game of politics, turnabout is fair play. In this sense, Downing is a triple threat: a former Nixon employee, a political donor, and (drumroll please) a trial lawyer.
I featured Downing in a column during the campaign in which Nixon and Republican candidate Kenny Hulshof were fighting over the issue of “tort reform.”
Depending on your perspective, it’s either money for consumers and their attorneys, or it’s money for big businesses and their shareholders.
Attorney Don Downing of Gray, Ritter & Graham chooses the consumer perspective. Downing, a former chief deputy to Nixon, said his firm “dug deep” to fund its $100,000 donation to Nixon because it believes Nixon will be the best governor for consumers.
Downing points out that Nixon has built a reputation for going after consumer fraud during his long tenure as attorney general. On the campaign trail, Nixon makes it clear that he wants to protect the rights of consumers to seek legal redress through the courts.
“For those who are victimized or hurt by the actions of others, electing Nixon will be good for those people,” Downing said.
Nixon still has two spots open to appoint on the Board of Curators.
Not only is Don one of the sharpest legal minds in the state, he has long been committed to the University of Missouri’s success. He most certainly deserves this appointment.
As for the fact that he worked for Jay Nixon and supported him for Governor over Congressman Hulshof — that just further speaks to his good judgment.
If having supported Jay Nixon makes you ineligable for an appointment, there will be a very short list of people left from which to choose. (I don’t recall Hulshof getting much support last year.)
If you think this appointment is pay for play worthy of Blago, just wait until Nixon tries to re-appoint his big donor Don Walsworth to the Curators Board. The difference is that Walsworth and his family personally and from their companies gave large amounts to Nixon angling for a second six-year term as a Curator.
Amen to the comment about Walsworth.
I know from my dealings through the year with the MU athletic dept. that they are way too close to Walsworth and he has way too much power in athletic business. Check out the athletics orthopedic dealings for an example. Walsworth forced MU administration to swallow a bad contract that set up his pals the private clinic ortho doctors for exclusive care of the men’s teams at the expense of MU’s own expert doctors. He pads his own nest and the nests of his good buddies. We do not need six more years of Walsworth the curator. If Nixon appoints Walsworth it is a scandal.
Don Downing is a fine man and a fine attorney. I knew Mr. Downing from law school days and later from private practice. He is honest, works hard and has much experience that will help our alma mater. He will look out for UM St. Louis, too. Mr. Downing has a high bar to meet in terms of commitment and experience, as set by Mrs. Marion Cairns, my former state rep. whom he is succeeding. I know he will excel. Congratulations to both Mr. Downing for his appointment, and to Mrs. Cairns for her fine service to our public research institution,