Thursday, February 16, 2017
Greitens’ Stealth Plane?
Team Greitens takes their secrecy pretty seriously… First there was the lock on the door… now one building denizen has noticed that the flight-tracker which used to alert insiders about Jay Nixon’s travel has been disabled. It says, “This aircraft (N83MP) is not available for public tracking per request from the owner/operator.”
And
Terry Ganey says Governor Eric Greitens is “playing hide and seek.” See it here.
Meanwhile
Democratic Rep. Mark Ellebracht filed HB949 which he’s calling the Sarah Steelman Transparency Act. It’s similar to a bill Steelman filed when she was a legislator. It requires the governor to disclose contributions he receives to cover the cost of his inauguration.
SOS Summaries
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s summary ballot language is up now. See it here.
At first glance it appears that Ashcroft is opting not to use bullets points – as Kander did. And just looking at his medical marijuana language, I’m guessing advocates are not thrilled with his language.
Slay to Spencer Fane
Like Cincinnatus going back to his plough, Mayor Francis Slay will be returning to the law office later this Spring. This time to Spencer Fane. See it here.
Greitens Team Sticks With No Comments
How do you guarantee you get one-sided press articles? Don’t say anything. For example, Public Radio reports on Governor Eric Greitens’ budget cuts to folks with disabilities. The governor’s office addition to the article: crickets.
The joke is that reporters have gotten so used to it, that some have created short-cuts on their laptops (Control+G) to insert the line “The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.”
Kraus: Talk to Greitens
One source at a recent gathering of Kansas City area politicians and politicos says that the subject of transportation funding was mentioned by many folks as a top agenda issue.
Sen. Will Kraus seemed to put the issue on the governor. He told the group that transportation funding had just been on the ballot a few years ago and voters rejected it. To advance the issue now required some leadership from the governor, and he suggested everyone contact Greitens about it.
Berry’s Bill for Realistic Assumptions
Rep. TJ Berry has a short bill, HB918, that could have some pretty big consequences for funding the state’s pensions.
It would rip off any rose-colored glasses and force the plans' assumptions back to Earth.
“The plan’s expected investment return shall equal the ten-year average of actual plan investment returns as of the plan’s most recent plan year end; and [t]he plan’s expected mortality rate shall be determined using assumptions that project future mortality improvements…”
New Curators
Governor Eric Greitens made three appointments to the University of Missouri’s Board of Curators…
Darryl Chatman is an attorney, former Deputy Director of Missouri's Department of Agriculture, and former Mizzou linebacker.
Jeff Layman is a Senior Portfolio Management Director in Morgan Stanley's Portfolio Management Group and the founder of The Layman Group at Morgan Stanley.
Jamie Farmer is an entrepreneur and business leader.
Greitens for PDMP
Governor Eric Greitens went on Facebook to answer questions that were submitted through the social media website. There was not much news as he mostly rehashed his usual rhetoric. But one question he answered was about a prescription drug monitoring program to which he said, “we need to get it done.”
Mackey for House 87
Ian Mackey (see his twitter account here) started a campaign committee to run for House 87 as a Democrat. The current incumbent, Rep. Stacey Newman is term-limited.
Bits
Will Kansas reverse the Brownback tax cuts? We’ll see…..
Ed Martin’s latest website…. here.
More refugees = lower crime? See it here.
eMailbag on Folks Wishing the South Had Won the War
[Rep.] Kathie Conway is now responding to Warren Love anti-Lincoln posts agreeing with him. What the is wrong with these [folks?] I feel like it’s pretty firmly established that Lincoln was a great if not greatest President and the whole keeping the Union together and freeing the slaves thing was, in retrospect, a pretty positive thing.
eMailbag on Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Savings
The Gov spokesperson should be fired. He just put Greitens on the line for finding “hundreds of millions in savings….”
Lobbyists Registrations
Thomas Robbins added The Meyer Companies.
Richard McIntosh and Zach Brunnert added Dell Technologies.
Frank Plescia and Guy Black added Association of Dental Support Organizations.
Michael Winter added Missouri Golf Association.
Jason Zamkus added ADP TotalSource Inc.
$5K+ Contributions
Clean Water Healthy Communities PAC - $30,000 from Missouri American Water Company.