DNR appoints private lawyer for bridge suit

JEFFERSON CITY — The Department of Natural Resources has hired a private attorney to go up against Attorney General Jay Nixon in a dispute over whether the agency can relinquish rights to a Boonville railroad bridge.

The department said Friday that Kent Lowry, at the Armstrong Teasdale law firm, will represent DNR.

Lowry will be paid $275 an hour, which DNR plans to bill to Nixon’s legal expense fund, said department director Doyle Childers.

Armstrong Teasdale’s employees and affiliates contributed $55,100 to Gov. Matt Blunt and fellow Republicans and $84,600 to Democrats, according to the Center for Ethics and the Free Market. Lowry gave $1,500 to Blunt. Childers said Lowry’s political affiliation played a role in his selection.