In the final chapter of a blog investigation into the status of Gobbles the Turkey, I asked Gov. Matt Blunt about the early departure of the first bird he ever pardoned:
And that, my friends, is the final post I will write for this blog.
My random sports observations will live on. I’ve set up an archive that can be found here. There are a bunch of duplicate posts that I will attempt to weed through over the next few days.
Again, thank you all for the wonderful support over the past few years. I will say that it won’t be too long until I’ll be back to terrorize the blogosphere once again.
Two departing legislators from Columbia were tapped to be part of Gov.-elect Jay Nixon’s transition team.
State Reps. Jeff Harris, D-Columbia, and Judy Baker, D-Columbia, were announced Thursday as deputy transition directors to assist in the search for senior personnel in various state agencies. The individuals will also conduct reviews of executive departments and budgets.
Baker — who narrowly lost the congressional race to replace U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Columbia — was named as the person in charge of searching for “senior leaders” at the Department of Health and Senior Services, the Department of Social Services and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Harris will join state Rep. Margaret Donnelly, D-Richmond Heights, in performing an efficiency analysis of state agencies. The two will also help in the search in personnel at the Department of Natural Resources.
The pairing is interesting, as both Donnelly and Harris competed against each other to replace Nixon as attorney general. Both lost to the eventual victor – Sen. Chris Koster, D-Harrisonville.
I asked Harris today if his position as a deputy transition director foreshadowed a future appointment in Nixon’s administration.
“I’m obviously very honored to be asked by the governor-elect to help him with his transition,” Harris said. “I’d obviously be very honored to be serve in that administration.”
Click on the link below to see the full list of people released by Nixon’s transition office.
When he was running for governor last year, Attorney General Jay Nixon promised that one of his first acts would be introducing a supplemental budget package changing the eligibility levels of the state’s Medicaid program to 100 percent of the federal poverty level.
“I’m not going to take any sort of criticism or yammering from anybody who voted to cut these people’s opportunities for their life,” Nixon said at an event in Columbia.
In truth, Nixon’s promise was always a long shot. Even last year, most observers predicted that Republicans would control the General Assembly. It seemed doubtful that the GOP was going to reverse course from changes they made to the Medicaid system years ago. Such predictions came true last Tuesday when the Republicans held on to control of both General Assembly chambers.
But as David Lieb of the Associated Press reported, Nixon’s pledge to restore Medicaid to pre-2005 levels may not be possible under a tight budget:
Nixon said he hasn’t had an opportunity yet to study the state’s finances. One of the first acts of his transition team will be to select a budgetary adviser. But less than a week after his lopsided election, Nixon has tempered his campaign promises with a dose of fiscal reality.
“We will attempt to implement those priorities at whatever level is affordable within the confines of the dollars we have,” Nixon said during a Friday news conference announcing his transition team leaders.
Missouri began its 2009 fiscal year in July with an operating fund balance of $833 million — the largest amount on record dating back 20 years. At the time, Missouri was projected to end the fiscal year with a $340 million balance.
But last Thursday, the Office of Administration said “that estimate will not hold up,” and the ending balance now is projected to be “substantially less than that.”
Instead of the 3.1 percent revenue growth assumed by the state budget, Missouri’s net revenue was down 1.1 percent through the first trimester of its fiscal year.
That raises the question of whether Nixon might have to make budget cuts shortly after taking office Jan. 12.
House Budget Committee chairman Allen Icet said he hopes that can be avoided. But if state revenue continues to worsen over the next eight months, it might be necessary for the governor to withhold some of the money appropriated to state agencies and programs, Icet said.
Reps.-elect Mary Still, D-Columbia, and Stephen Webber, D-Columbia, were asked about the looming budget situation and whether it would doom proposals to reinstate the Medicaid cuts. The two also discussed their potential roles in the new General Assembly:
The election season is over, but three newly-elected Democratic representatives whose districts en-compass Columbia want to make changes for the next cycle.
Reps.-elect Mary Still, Chris Kelly and Stephen Webber — who are all Democrats from Columbia — are advocating several alterations to the election process in the state. One particular change would allow for early voting, a process available in nearly 30 states that allow individuals to cast a ballot before Election Day.
In addition to early voting, the three incoming representatives called for automated phone calls — popularly known as “robo calls” — to be placed on the state’s “No Call List.” They also pressed for limits on individual campaign contributions to be reinstated:
Still and Webber took questions after their statement on the matter:
Tribune Publisher Hank Waters endorsed Mary Still for the 25th District House seat:
I’ve mentioned Still’s attributes here before. Essentially, she has experience and moxie.
Moxie is a good word to describe her. She knows the issues and has the gumption to promote her beliefs. She knows how the system works. Her long experience in public relations in the offices of MU chancellor, Missouri attorney general and governor of Missouri has taught her how to navigate the public arena, particularly in the Capitol.
Mary Still will be a worthy representative for the 25th District.
Still, a Democrat, is facing off against Republican candidate Ryan Asbridge.
Earlier, I predicted that a forum sponsored by ASUM would be the first chance for state legislative candidates to spar.
Turns out that my predictions were right – for once.
The forum featured many sharp exchanges between Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, and Republican Kurt Schaefer. Schaefer lobbed the first jab, criticizing Graham in his opening statement:
Schaefer later criticized Graham for taking thousands of dollars worth of meals, entertainment or travel from lobbyists, an issue that he raised earlier in the campaign. Graham responded by chiding Schaefer’s position on the student curator bill. Schaefer said lawmakers should wait until after the next census to decide how to replace a curator if the state loses a seat in Congress:
One of the sharper exchanges came when the candidates talked about the MOHELA sale. Schaefer said the matter was an example of Graham’s inability to bring people together. Graham essentially accused Schaefer of being naive. Democrat Chris Kelly also commented:
Graham later sought to link Schaefer to cronyism when he contended that a deal seeking to lure Bombardier to Missouri was engineered by Gov. Matt Blunt’s sister, Amy Blunt. Graham noted that Amy Blunt works at the same law firm as Schaefer, Lathrop and Gage. “That’s the problem with Jefferson City,” he said. “The people who’ve been in charge are trying to figure out how to make money for themselves, their friends and their cronies instead of taking care of the poor and elderly and disabled.”
Schaefer shot back that Amy Blunt is one of over 300 lawyers who work for his firm, adding that it was “absolutely absurd” to say that she had anything to do with the Bombardier deal. “The idea that anybody in this room is going to say that someone else is self-centered and self-serving is the most hypocritical thing I’ve ever heard,” he said, once again noting that Graham takes thousands of dollars worth of gifts from lobbyists.
While the exchanges between Graham and Schaefer were notable, there Kelly also criticized the way state Rep. Ed Robb handled legislation seeking to create the “Preparing to Care” program:
Robb, R-Columbia, did not respond, although he told the Tribune earlier that the plan had almost no chance of passing once GOP budget leaders came out against the proposal.
J.A.R. 