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ST. LOUIS — Gov. Mike Kehoe has rescinded his five appointments to the newly reconstituted St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners.

The move was disclosed Tuesday on the eve of a special session of the state Legislature that Kehoe called to redraw the state’s U.S. House district boundaries. He also wants lawmakers to make it harder to change the state Constitution through petition drives.

Gabby Picard, a spokeswoman for the Republican governor, said the police board appointees are among dozens of interim Kehoe appointments to various boards and commissions that have been withdrawn.

She said he is doing that so the state Senate in the special session can “solely focus� on redistricting and overhauling the initiative petition process.

Under state law, state Senate confirmation of Kehoe’s appointments could have come up for discussion during the special session as well.

By withdrawing the appointments, he is avoiding the possibility that Democrats could hold up action on redistricting by trying to block some of the appointees.

Kehoe made reimposing state control of St. Louis police one of his main priorities when he was sworn into office in January; the Legislature moved swiftly to approve a plan in March.

Kehoe then made his five appointments in June, to serve alongside Mayor Cara Spencer.

St. Louis mayors had been in charge of the police department under the law that had been in effect since 2013. Before that, a state-appointed police board had been in control for many decades.

The five Kehoe appointees to the new board were Sonya Jenkins-Gray, the city’s former personnel director; restaurateurs Chris Saracino and Eddie McVey; Brad Arteaga, owner of an aerial photography business; and Don Brown, a car dealer. Brown lives in St. Louis County and was appointed as a nonvoting member.

Kehoe had said in June that the Senate would consider his picks when it reconvenes for the next legislative session in January.

But at the request of President Donald Trump, Kehoe called the special session to try to expand the GOP domination of Missouri’s U.S. House delegation, a tactic strongly opposed by Democrats.

Picard, Kehoe’s spokeswoman, said any time the Senate meets in regular or special session, state law requires it to address interim gubernatorial appointments within 30 days.

“Pulling back these interim appointments prevents this,� she said.

Picard said the governor “will address reappointments� to the boards and commissions at the conclusion of the special session.

KMOV (Channel 4) reported Tuesday night that Kehoe plans to reappoint the same five police board members. The governor’s office did not respond to a request from the Post-Dispatch for comment.

In the past, governors often have temporarily yanked appointees under such circumstances, then reappointed them.

Christopher Graville, the police board’s attorney, said board meetings had been indefinitely suspended but that actions taken so far by the new board would remain in effect.

Police spokesman Mitch McCoy said Chief Robert Tracy will continue to run the department’s daily operations and Derek Winters, who was named by Kehoe to be transition director at the department, “will provide governance� as he did before the appointment of the police board members.