Billy Long pays AG Liaison $15,888 1st Qtr 2011.

Not only did Billy put his buddy on the gov't payroll for almost $16,000 so far this year, the same guy runs Long's old auction company.

When Billy Long told the Springfield News Leader last April that he dissolved his auction company he didn't tell them that Bob Kollmeier took it over.

Long also didn't tell us that he hired Kollmeier to be his agricultural liaison and paid Kollmeier $15,888.90 through the end of the first quarter, 2011.


Yesterday, in Forsyth, Long said that Bob Kollmeier was his "ag adviser and goes to all the ag meetings". This raised some questions in my mind about just what does an agricultural liaison do and what "ag meetings" does he attend.

Last Fall, shortly after the election, in a conversation that took place in Braum's on West Sunshine, a prominent agricultural leader from SW Missouri told me that Long had hired Kollmeier as his agricultural liaison. The discussion focused on the lack of expertise in that selection.

I made the comment if being an auctioneer qualifies one to serve in congress, then certainly being an assistant auctioneer qualifies one to be an "ag guy".

Kollmeier, in addition to earning almost $16,000 every three months while on Billy's government payroll, also runs Bob Kollmeier Auctions and Appraisals. If the phone number looks familiar, it's because it is Billy Long's old phone number. Remember his ads on KWTO? I do. I can hear them now: "I'll buy your house, I'll auction your house, I'll list your house, don't call the wrong number, call the Long number 882-LONG"

But wait, there's more! link to http://www.billylong.com/auctions/index.htm

And then there's still that sticky little issue of did Billy sell his 1/3 interest in Murney and Associates? We'll soon find out when his financial disclosure statement is released later this month. And you know we'll be watching for it.

Developing