1. There is hereby created an authority to be known as the “Greater St. Louis Sports Authority”, which shall consist of eight commissioners who shall be qualified voters of the state of Missouri, one of whom shall be the director of the department of economic development or his or her designee. The mayor of any city not within a county shall submit a panel of five names of residents of that city to the governor, who shall then select two names from such panel. The county executive of any county of the first classification with a population of nine hundred thousand or more shall submit a panel of five names of residents of that county to the governor, who shall then select two names from such panel. The county executive of any county of the first classification with a population of at least two hundred ten thousand but not more than three hundred thousand, the presiding commissioner of any county of the first classification with a population of at least eighty thousand but not more than eighty-three thousand, and the presiding commissioner of any county of the first classification with a population of at least one hundred seventy thousand but not more than two hundred thousand shall each submit a list of two names of residents from his or her county to the governor, who shall then select one name each from those counties. Of the persons selected by the governor, no more than four shall be from any one political party. The director of the department of economic development or his or her designee and the persons named by the governor shall constitute the commissioners of the authority. Other than the director of the department of economic development or his or her designee, no elective or appointed official of the state of Missouri or any political subdivision shall be a commissioner of the authority. Panel submissions shall be made as soon as practicable after December 23, 1997. The governor shall select the commissioners of the authority within thirty days after all panel submissions have been made.

2. The governor shall select from the eight commissioners of the authority a chairperson. No action shall be binding unless taken at a meeting at which at least five commissioners are present and unless a majority of the commissioners of the authority shall vote in favor thereof.

3. Except for the director of the department of economic development or his or her designee, the commissioners shall hold office for terms of five years, or for the unexpired terms of their predecessors. Each commissioner shall hold office until his or her successor has been appointed and qualified.

4. In the event a vacancy exists, the governor shall appoint a replacement from the same area as specified in subsection 1 of this section in which the commissioner who created the vacancy resided. All vacancies shall be filled within thirty days from the date thereof.

5. No compensation shall be payable to the commissioners by the authority.