An e-mail from a local chamber of commerce announcing Sen. Gary Nodler's intent to run for Congress was a "misunderstanding," according to its director.

Dixie Meredith, executive director of the Webb City Chamber of Commerce, said that last week's e-mail was presumptive, and cannot speak for Nodler's intents. The e-mail contained the subject line, "Nodler Announces!" and stated that he would officially enter the race for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt.

"It was truly a misunderstanding," Meredith said. "No one at the chamber can say whether he is running."

Official announcements are expected today for a press conference where Nodler will make an announcement about the U.S. Representative Dist. 7 seat. Nodler confirmed last week that a press conference would be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Granny Shaffer's on North Range Line Road.

Is Sen. Gary Nodler running for Congress? The Webb City Chamber says yes, but Nodler is not ready to confirm that yet.

According to an e-mail from the Webb City Chamber of Commerce, Nodler will announce his candidacy for U.S. Representative, 7th District, at 2 p.m. Thursday at Continental Catering in Webb City. The subject line of the e-mail states, "Nodler Announces!"

When asked about the event, however, Nodler said that he had not had any conversation with chamber officials. He wouldn't confirm that he was throwing his hat in the ring.

"I will end speculation about whether I will run during that event," Nodler said.

Nodler did confirm that an event would be held at that time and place. He said he will make announcements to the press on Tuesday about the event and a similar event in Springfield.

Attempts to reach chamber officials were unsuccessful.

If Nodler announces, he will join a race that includes Republicans Mo. Sen. Jack Goodman, auctioneer Billy Long and Greene County Prosecutor Darrell Moore.

A Joplin on-air personality who talks about politics is considering whether to dive into them.

Mark Kinsley, host of "Morning Newswatch" on KZRG-AM, is mulling a run for state representative. Though he has not made an official announcement, he said he is "making the rounds" and gauging whether to run for the Dist. 129 seat in 2010. That seat is currently held by Speaker of the House Ron Richard, who term-limits out next election.

"This wasn't something I planned on getting into at all," Kinsley said. "But once I started doing this talk radio show and paying attention to the issues, I realized that's where my passion is."

He said when his decision is final, he will make an announcement, which could come before the end of summer.

With everything going on in the newsroom, this report on lobbyists is overdue. Here's what lobbyists spent on our local legislators in March, according to documents filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission:

• Rep. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, received a $37.49 dinner from lobbyist Warren Wood, who represents the Missouri Energy Development Association. Emery was one of five representatives who attended a dinner meeting hosted by the MEDA.

• Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, received a $16.16 meal from Brent Hemphill on March 4.

• Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, received $88.22 from lobbyists, including a $57.42 meal from Gary Burton, representing the Missouri Council of School Administrators, on March 30.

Nodler and his wife, Joncee Nodler, received a total of $46.52 in meals from David C. Hale, representing the Missouri Hospital Association.

• Speaker of the House Ron Richard, R-Joplin, received $100.42 in meals from lobbyists, including $34.95 from Chris Liese, representing CVS/Caremark Pharmacy. Richard's wife, Patti Richard, also received a $34.95 meal from Liese.

Richard also received $45.17 from lobbyist Michael David Grote. On March 9, Grote represented CGI TEchnologies and Solutions, Inc. and bought $12.44 meals for both the speaker and his wife. Representing Bristol-Myers Squibb, Grote bought another meal for Richard on March 31, valued at $32.73.

• Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin, received $150.18 in meals from lobbyists, including a $50 meal from MSSU lobbyist Kyna Iman on March 31. Burton, representing the MCSA, spent $30.93 on March 10.

One of Ruestman's staffers also got fed: In addition to spending $27.70 on two meals for Ruestman, Ginger Steinmetz, of Steinmetz Consulting, also paid $27.70 in meals for staffer Jonathan Russell.

• Rep. Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City, received $143.70 in meals, including $56.25 from MSSU's Iman on March 4.

He also received $29.29 in meals from Samuel G. Licklider, of the Missouri Association of Realtors, and $29.32 in meals from Richard K. McCullough, of the Missouri State Chiropractors Association.

• Reps. Tom Flanigan, R-Carthage, and Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho, received nothing from lobbyists in March.

What do you get when you mix a popular football feature with the race for Roy Blunt's Congressional seat? You get David Catanese's 7th District Power Rankings.

Using a little bit of data and a whole lot of hearsay, Catanese gives his opinion about where nine potential candidates -- announced and unannounced -- rank for the Republican seat that Blunt will vacate in 2010. He gives his top spot to auctioneer and political newcomer Billy Long (who also has a fundraising edge). Sen. Jack Goodman, Sen. Gary Nodler and Jasper County Republican leader John Putnam follow at two, three and four in the rankings.

His thoughts about Nodler are intriguing. Though Nodler ranks at No. 3, Catanese involves him with several other entries, including No. 10, Greene County Circuit Clerk Steve Helms:

"One person that might be rooting for Helms to jump in? Gary Nodler. The more Springfield-centered candidates dive in, the more it divides up the vote, the better it is for the king of Joplin."

Though Nodler hasn't yet announced his candidacy, Catanese suggests Long could "Steelman-ize" him, and that it's only a matter of time before he files:

"The question is: Does a man who ran for Congress and lost, ever really lose the itch? And how do you pass up an open seat opportunity when you are the lion in the forest? Did we mention he's Appropriations Chair?"

I got a chance to catch up with Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin today, regarding the status of her fundraising committee and her future intents for office.

She filed paperwork with the Missouri Ethics Commission today to correct an error on a report she filed earlier this month. That report reflected a race for "statewide office" in 2010. The corrected report changes that year to 2012 — but that doesn't mean Ruestman has decided exactly for what office she'll run.

"I'm just looking, I have my eyes open and I'm listening," Ruestman said. "I think a lot of people are out testing the waters, so I'll just wait and see."

Possibilities include statewide offices or the Neosho County Commission, depending on what seats are open. She admitted that could mean taking a two-year break, which would make the next race difficult. Ruestman term-limits out of the House in 2010.

In addition to her future office, Ruestman is also interested in her replacement to the House. She considers finding candidates for her seat "one of her duties." But right now, she doesn't know of any strong frontrunners.

"A lot have talked to me, but a lot have chickened out," Ruestman said. "I'm hoping that when I get home in May, there will be some people I can talk to. I'd like to work with whomever is interested."

Now isn't exactly a good time to sell the position. With about two weeks left in the legislative session, the capitol is hectic and harried as legislators put in long hours to finish bills. Ruestman's focus over the next few days includes:

• Two bills that are down to "the nitty gritty" in the Senate. The bills deal with DNA profiling and grandparent's rights.
• Passing a bill allowing small businesses and sole proprietors to pool together in order to obtain health insurance.
• Completing the state budget, which is challenging because of a declining consensus revenue figure.

Because of that, Ruestman said she wouldn't be surprised to see the governor call a special session. The Republican-controlled Legislature is pushing for a $1 billion tax cut, financed with money from a federal stimulus.

"We're becoming more and more deadlocked on spending stimulus money," Ruestman said. "The House just doesn't want to spend that money to expand programs, only to have to cut everything in a few years."

Show You State would like to wish a hearty congratulations and happy retirement to Joe Carroll, campaign finance director for the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Joe, whose parents have outstanding taste in names, has been with the MEC since 1995. Before that, he was the county clerk for Saline County. He lives in Marshall, the county seat, and home of Jim the Wonder Dog.

Carroll has many outstanding qualities, but chief among them would be patience. He patiently answered an onslaught of questions from me about the ins and outs of campaign finance, and has been an outstanding source. He also has a great sense of humor — or at least had the decency to laugh at my Kansas football jokes.

He has too many great memories to pick a favorite. But he said the best part of his job were the people he met. Many of the candidates he worked with were smaller, county-based politicians — not the slickster, stereotypical politicians that come to mind, he said.

Carroll said he plans to chase around his 10 grandchildren during his retirement. We wish him the best.

Sorry about the paucity of posts lately. I'm back from a vacation, and it looks like a bunch happened over the week. Here's a recap:

• Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has a fundraising lead over Rep. Roy Blunt in the race for U.S. Senate. Interesting, because...

• Former Treasurer Sarah Steelman has launched an exploratory committee into joining the race. The political implications were interesting enough for The Washington Post to take notice. Steelman has also rolled out a new Web site.

• Plenty of interesting tidbits surfaced from a Jackson Day event in Springfield. Some coverage is here, but the extra stuff from the News-Leader's Chad Livengood is pretty interesting. Among them: Rep. Ike Skelton said the U.S. House is more partisan since Obama's inauguration, Gov. Jay Nixon asked for a Speaker of the House in 2010 and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill thinks a primary between Steelman and Blunt will be as good as a movie.

• Tony Messenger, of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, showed exactly why Missouri's new campaign law isn't doing what it was supposed to do. The report focuses on developer Jeffrey E. Smith and the way he has used political action committees to funnel thousands to legislators. It looks like he stands to gain a massive profit from some tax-credit legislation being discussed by the state, according to the report. Maybe it's time to admit that the only good thing that came from last year's campaign-finance laws is the electronic reporting of large donations.

• A local blogger dogged me for my lack of a thesaurus. Randy Turner said I use the term "war chest" too much. He has a short memory: I wrote last year about why "war chest" is the best way to define money a candidate has ready to spend. But I'll make a deal with him: I'll stop using that term if he agrees to never again post videos of him singing. Seriously. "Secret Agent Man" is ruined for me, now. Do we have a deal, Randy?

Sen. Jack Goodman, candidate for U.S. Representative, 7th District, is off to a good fundraising start, but lags behind Springfield auctioneer Billy Long.

According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, Goodman has raised $75,647.20 and spent $784.93. He has a war chest of $74,862.27. Goodman's contributions come entirely from individuals and businesses: He reports no loans to himself or contributions from committees.

It's a good start because Goodman announced his candidacy in late February. More than $75,000 in a month without any committees and with a limit of $2,400 per individual is pretty respectable.
Yet, Goodman is being outpaced by Long.

Though Long's numbers have not yet appeared on the FEC's site, he told David Catanese of KYTV that he has raised $145,055 and loaned himself $100,000.

Numbers like that have to enter in the thoughts of anyone else mulling a run for Rep. Blunt's seat — count Sen. Gary Nodler and Rep. Bryan Stevenson in that number. Goodman and Long are the only ones who have officially announced a run for the seat.

Because he is a registered lobbyist and a candidate simultaneously, former Rep. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, gets his own post about his fundraising report to the Missouri Ethics Commission.

The candidate for an as-yet-unnamed statewide office reported $7,714.66 in contributions and spent $3,934.86. He has a war chest — well, using the term "war chest" implies he's actually going to run, and that remains to be seen. So, let's say he has $3,779.80 in his account.

His lone contribution is the balance of the same Grassroots for Hunter committee on file with the Jasper County Circuit Clerk, back when he was running for the Carl Junction R-1 Board of Education. His expenses include $566.82 for a Washington D.C. trip on Oct. 17, $416.06 in holiday gifts for his office staff and $1,695.89 in cell phone services over the last six months to AT&T.