JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Ethics Commission welcomed new member Clem Smith to return a quorum to the commission on Monday.
Gov. Mike Kehoe announced the gubernatorial appointment of Smith to the commission last week. The Senate approved his appointment in a routine motion on Monday.
Smith is a former state representative for District 85, which includes parts of St. Louis County.
"We have to have transparency in government, accountability, and we have to have compliance," Smith said at a Senate committee hearing Monday on his nomination. "I would live my life that way, and I think this is kind of an extension of how I already live, and that's what I want to bring to the board."
Smith currently serves as a director of the Hazelwood School District Board of Education, secretary of the Uplift Foundation of Greater St. Louis and as a unit committeeman with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399.
Restoring a quorum means the commission can take action on official matters, such as complaints about finances involving candidates and political action committees. The first meeting with Smith is on Thursday.