Peter Kinder has eaten crow and declared it delicious.
His political opponents had been calling on Kinder to do just that since the Post-Dispatch reported Sunday how the lieutenant governor has charged the state far more for hotel stays than any other elected official. During his frequent visits to St. Louis, Kinder regularly stays at the luxurious Chase Park Plaza and Four Seasons and has taxpayers pick up the tab.
Moreover, many of the times he uses the hotels seem to be when he's in St. Louis for social and/or political purposes and not for his job as lieutenant governor.
Kinder says the money to reimburse the state will come from his campaign funds. He has directed that the money be directed to programs to prevent high-school dropouts and to mentor children whose parents are in prison. It will be up to legislators to determine exactly how the money is actually spent.
In other news, Kinder says he's now leasing a condominium in Richmond Heights, where he'll stay during his travels to St. Louis. He hopes, however, that the friendly concierges at the Chase and Four Seasons will look the other way should an old client stop by on occasion to use their pools and saunas. Wink, wink.
