A Missouri Senate committee has blocked one of Gov. Jay Nixon's nominees to serve on the University of Missouri Board of Curators.
The motion to endorse Cape Girardeau lawyer Michael Ponder failed Wednesday on a 5-5 vote.
Ponder was first tapped by Nixon for the post in January 2013. The Senate did not act on his nomination last year, but Nixon reappointed Ponder in June and he has been serving on the board since then.
It was Ponder's previous position in state government, however, that concerned members of the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee. Ponder previously served on the State Board of Education, where senators say he made controversial decisions to implement education standards and a school funding law.
Ponder declined to comment on the vote.
