Gov.-elect Nixon Announces Office’s Senior Staff, Communications Team

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Gov.-elect Jay Nixon today announced the appointment of key personnel in the Governor’s office­, including his senior staff and communications team.

“We have assembled a strong team of public servants who are dedicated to changing the direction of our state,” Gov.-elect Nixon said. “These folks will be instrumental in our efforts to make government more efficient, effective and responsive to the needs of Missourians. I know the people of Missouri will be well-served by this talented, dedicated group.”

Gov.-elect Nixon has named the following individuals to serve in his office:

John Watson, Chief of Staff

John Watson, who has served as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General since 1997, will serve as Gov.-elect Nixon’s Chief of Staff, overseeing the operations and personnel of the Governor’s office. Mr. Watson, of Jefferson City, earned both his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia. As Chief of Staff in the Attorney General’s Office, he has overseen all legislative and budgetary matters, as well as policy issues involving public safety, consumer protection, education, health care and government efficiency. Mr. Watson first joined the Attorney General’s Office in 1993.

Ted Ardini, Counsel to the Governor

Ted Ardini, of Columbia, will serve as Counsel to the Governor. Mr. Ardini has worked in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office for 16 years. Since 2003, Mr. Ardini has been Counsel to the Attorney General, and from 1998 to 2003, he was Chief Counsel in the Public Safety Division. Mr. Ardini earned a bachelor’s in political science from Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., in 1989 and a juris doctorate from the New England School of Law in Boston in 1992.  Story Continued »

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­I wonder if these guys think it's okay for the minimum wage ever to go up, or if they believe low-wage workers should have been happy to work for $2.50 an hour on into perpetuity? ­

Every year the Missouri political community has its winners and losers.  There are those elected officials, consultants, staffers, media figures and public people who have a rough go of things (hello, Kenny) and then there are the ones for whom the year provided a rise in office, in stature, in power or just in the way in which they are perceived.

In this list (a continuing part of the FUMO Best and Worst of 2008 series) we've done our best to identify who the year's highest risers were.  Who were the Missouri politicos who made great strides forward in 2008?  Here's our choice of ten who joined Governor-elect Jay Nixon on that list, in alphabetical order...­

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Go read the best blogpost that Dave Catanese has ever done.  A teaser...

As I moved closer to the door, a hand tapped me on the shoulder. It was Peter Kinder. "Look, that's just how it had to be, David," he said. "There's a time and a place for these things, and I had to do it that way." I argued a little, but I got his point. Still, with the knowledge this was coming, I just didn't understand why he or his staff let him do the interview with me in the first place. I didn't like being duped by a pol, but I respected him for on second-thought, trying to explain himself. But now there's a running joke in the newsroom. Every time Kinder schedules a news availability, someone snidely says, "he'll probably just back out of it . . . especially if Kit Bond's around."

Good stuff.­­

The year of 2008, with a full slate of state and federal elections and all the attendant posturing, had more than its fair share of ridiculously dumb moves.  Republicans in state government as well as current GOP elected officials and hopefuls spent inordinate amounts of time doing very foolish things.  Submitted for your approval is our assessment of the year's ten dumbest moves...

Honorable Mention: Ward Connerly spends millions for nothing -- Professional interloper Ward Connerly spent gads of cash in Missouri (and a half-dozen other states) trying to ban affirmative action via the initiative petition process.  For his money and his trouble he got absolutely nothing done.  It's sometimes hard to figure who is dumber, though, Connerly for wasting the money or the rich mopes who give him the millions that he fritters away.

10.  Doyle Childish makes crazy parting rant -- Transition between administrations (particularly administrations of different parties) is naturally a turbulent time.  Notwithstanding the uncertainty and flux that comes with it, most departing political appointees in top-level government positions manage to comport themselves with a fair amount of dignity and professionalism.  Not Doyle Childish.  Childish, who had run Matt Blunt's Department of Natural Resources, decided that instead of saving some face by retreating quietly into the private sector he would call the newspaper and announce to the world that he "didn't respect" incoming governor Jay Nixon.  One should be forgiven for confusing Childish with a 14 year-old girl, jilted by the homecoming king at the junior prom.  Anybody want to hire Doyle now?­

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Earlier this month, a group calling itself the Missouri Roundtable for Life filed an initiative petition with the Secretary of State.  Their modest goal: ban all stem cell research and cures.

Led by disgraced former gubernatorial Chief of Staff Ed Martin, the group has had a busy year.

It has filed twelve separate initiative petitions with the Secretary of State, all attacking stem cell research and cures. 

It has filed four different lawsuits, either litigating over its initiatives or trying to overturn the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Amendment.

Thankfully, they have failed in every endeavor.

And that unbroken string continues.  On Monday, the Secretary of State and Attorney General rejected their latest initiative filing as violating the law.  That after the group spent tens of thousands of dollars on at least three different law firms, including Martin's.

Will they try a thirteenth time to ban stem cell research and cures?

You bet.  Infinite Monkey Theory teaches them that sooner or later, they will file an initiative that meets the minimum legal requirements.

And that's why progressives must continue the fight to protect stem cell research and cures.­  Story Continued »

Today's News-Leader story about GOP Senator Jack Goodman is quite remarkable, since it suggests on its face that Goodman doesn't even understand the effects of a bill which he has written and filed.  Chad Livengood writes...

Last month, numerous Greene County voters said they stood in polling booths, puzzled about what a county ballot initiative meant.

Some told reporters they had no idea what they voted for or against because the ballot language for Question 1 read like a section of law only discernable [sic] with a copy of the state constitution handy.

Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, wants to reform the way ballot questions are presented to voters by giving them a "fair" interpretation of what current laws mean and how they would be altered under the proposed changes.

"The Greene County Question 1 is a good example of letting people understand what it is now and what we're changing it to," said Goodman, who doesn't represent Greene County but heard plenty of complaints about it from voters. ...

Goodman's legislation, Senate Bill 35, would establish a newly created bipartisan eight-member Fair Ballot Commission to review and approve ballot language.

The problem, of course, is that if Senate Bill 35 were actually passed into law it would do absolutely nothing to change the way that county ballot initiatives are summarized for the ballot.  Goodman's bill would only change the way that ballot summary language is written for statewide ballot initiatives.

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Governor-elect Jay Nixon is outlining his economic plan today.

During the campaign, Nixon made job creation a centerpiece of his agenda.

Nixon's focus on jobs is already drawing the applause of the GOP leadership in the Missouri House and Senate.

More on this important initiative as details become availible.  Story Continued »

What’s the real gift that keeps on giving…all year long?  No, it’s not the Jelly of the Month club – It’s Fired Up! Missouri.

Please show your support for Fired Up! Missouri and help feed the FiredUp! Missouri flames by donating HERE today.

What you get when you give:

• Continued investigative coverage and breaking political news
• Access to the Hired Up job openings and resume bank service
• A warm heart from keeping the fire going

Thank you for your support! After you’ve donated, don’t forget to guilt your family and friends into donating too. Wishing you Happy & Safe Holidays from FiredUp! Missouri! ­

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Al Franken now leads in the MN Senate Recount.­ 

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Interesting story today about how Blunt fee agent Pat Thomas plans to simply close up shop and walk away from providing fee office services when the calendar flips.

Mexico will temporarily be without a motor vehicle and driver's license fee office, effective Dec. 31. Fee agent Pat Thomas confirmed the closing Monday, and said it could be well after the first of the year before the office reopens.
Thomas was appointed under Gov. Matt Blunt's administration in 2005 to oversee the Mexico facility. WIth the newly-elected governor, her appointment would traditionally end later in 2009. However, due to her office manager accepting a new job and governor-elect Jay Nixon's recent decision to kill off the patronage system, Thomas elected to close the site early.

It is probably worth noting that Pat Thomas has ample reason to try to make Jay Nixon squirm for his principled decision to end fee office patronage, since Thomas is a former Kenny Hulshof staffer and political operative paid by --among others-- the campaign machinery of Peter Kinder. 

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If it seems like we see this same exact story reported quarter after quarter, it's because we do.

With the student loan agency having been unable or unwilling to make its last four scheduled quarterly payments, it seems like a fair time to ask whether it will ever actually be able to make the payments promised by Matt Blunt.

Peter Kinder is set to push for $25 million in additional sports stadium funding at today's Missouri Development Finance Board meeting.  Today's earmark will benefit the Kansas City Chiefs.

This is Kinder's latest push for taxpayer financing of sports facilities and events.  Consider these other Kinder initiatives:

• Taxpayer funding for a new Cardinal's stadium in St. Louis
• Taxpayer funding of a new pro-soccer stadium in Kansas City
• Taxpayer funding for the Tour of Missouri bike race

Some GOP observers are expecting State Treasurer Sarah Steelman to attack Kinder for leading the Missouri GOP in the wrong direction on "sports earmarks." 

Stay tuned.­­

If the 2008 election cycle was characterized by one phenomenon for Missouri Republicans, party disunity would probably lead the list.  Driven by a contentious and damaging gubernatorial primary and the nomination of a GOP Presidential candidate whom almost no prominent Missourians supported in the primaries, Republicans spent as much time in 2008 battling one another as they did fighting the Democratic opponents.  

As we approach the new year, it appears likely that trend will continue.  Bruised egos and hurt feelings stemming from Lieutenant Gov. Peter Kinder's betrayal of ticketmates have reportedly not yet been salved, and may lead to some return disloyalty on the part of Republican legislators. 

Chief among the aggrieved is Sen. Brad Lager, who as Treasurer candidate lost the closest of the 2008 races for statewide office.  Lager was the candidate who likely suffered most from Kinder's decision to throw his pals on the Republican ticket under the bus with a sample ballot distributed across the St. Louis area which pushed Kinder and...the four other statewide Democratic candidates, including Lager's opponent.­

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Following yesterday's post which referenced Nathan Cooper's incarceration, a helpful tipster accurately pointed out that Cooper is actually no longer in jail.  In fact, less than one year after reporting to prison for what was supposed to be a fifteen month sentence, Cooper is now tethered only to a community release center in St. Louis.

So not only was Cooper's sentence actually far short of the 30 to 37 months called for by the federal sentencing guidelines, but now he's slipped the bonds of prison for a halfway house before serving even the entirety of his already abbreviated sentence.  ­

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