Monday, September 11, 2017
Waiting on Wasinger
Attorney David Wasinger has floated his name and flirted with runs in a variety of races over the past several cycles but never pulled the trigger. He’s spoken to Missouri political consultants and national political consultants at various times. Now it looks like he will finally enter a race.
One MOScouter offer this succinct assessment of his strengths and weaknesses: Guy has a lot of money to self-fund, a high energy personality, and excellent communication skills. If he wasn't a trial lawyer he would be an extremely strong candidate….
What It Means
The play against Wasinger in a Republican primary will be that he’s a trial attorney. For Republican primary voters, that label will be expanded to include phrases like “frivolous lawsuits.” The next question is whether Wasinger can bring enough money to swarm over the negative attack before it sticks. We’ll see….
Rumorville: Mantovani Moves?
Rumor has it that Carl Ward has taken a job on the Raise Missouri’s Minimum Wage campaign. Walz was helping run Mark Mantovani’s St. Louis County Executive campaign. He’s listed on the last quarter earning $16K as a campaign worker on the exploratory committee.
Some bad news coming for the Mantovani for County Executive campaign.
And
One observer notes that a few weeks left in the quarter there haven’t been any large ($5K+) contributions reported recently.
Arnold = Gruden
One MOScout reader says I’ve totally misread the Missouri Chamber’s hiring of Justin Arnold as general counsel. The asbestos attorney’s employment is not an “infiltration” of the trail attorney constituency into the chamber of commerce. It is an acquisition of information. “He knows their playbook… Like the Buccaneers beating the Raiders in the 2003 Super Bowl. [Jon] Gruden had the Raider's defensive playbook because he designed it…”
Greitens Rappelling Into Rodeo Show
Governor Eric Greitens made a grand entrance into a rodeo show. See the video here of him rappelling.
As best I can tell it was a Rorschach inkblot test. Folks saw what they already believed. Many conservatives cheered the display of athleticism from an energetic governor.
But here’s one life-long Dem on the video: At first I dismissed comparisons between Greitens and Trump, figuring that Greitens was just thinking pretending to be a know-nothing. But the more you watch, the more you see an eerily similar addiction to attention/adulation.
And
Senator Claire McCaskill mocks it here.
Silvey: Time for A Change In City Hall
Sen. Ryan Silvey commenting on the Weekly MOScout Poll. Is he hinting at a mayoral run… See it here. “Cross tabs in today's @missouriscout poll show the Northland continues to distrust City Hall. Perhaps it's time for a change. #NewKCI”
Dziedzic Takes COS Spot in Treasurer’s Office
With Matt Panik headed to MOChamber… Missouri State Treasurer Eric Schmitt today announced Andrew Dziedzic as his new Chief of Staff… Dziedzic, who previously served as Policy Coordinator for the State Treasurer's Office, will move into his new role effective Monday, September 11.
1st in MOScout: New Adult High School RFP
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is starting to implement adult high schools (4) according to HB 93.
From the RFP here are the evaluation and reporting Requirements…
The contractor’s annual report must include evaluations of the impact the adult high schools have had in meeting industry needs in Missouri and measures of progress toward meeting the following outcome expectations. The contractor shall be expected to meet the following outcome expectations.
- At least 75 percent of the contractor’s adult high school students graduate or remain enrolled and working toward a high school diploma, and if applicable, an industry certification;
- At least 50 percent of the contractor’s adult high school graduates will attain an industry certification or enroll in higher education or more advanced skills training within six months of graduation;
- At least 85 percent of the contractor’s adult high school graduates who do not enroll in higher education or more advanced skills training will be employed within six months of graduation; and
- The contractor’s adult high school graduates who enter the workforce will have, on average, a wage rate at least 20 percent greater than the average Missouri wage rate for individuals without a high school diploma.
And here are “Financial Requirements:”
The contractor shall not receive state funding under sections 160.415 or 163.031, RSMo and shall not receive any local funding intended to benefit traditional public schools or charter schools in the state of Missouri to operate the adult high schools
If the contractor receives any public funding, the contractor must comply with Article IX, Section 8, or Article I, Section 7, of the Constitution of Missouri or the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States.
The contractor must commit at least two million dollars in investment for establishing the necessary infrastructure to operate the four adult high schools.
Payment- The contractor shall charge the student the per credit hour price as stated on the Pricing Page. No payments or reimbursements shall be made by the state agency to the contractor for any reason whatsoever, nor shall the state agency have any responsibility in collecting payments from students.
And WIC Investigation RFP
From the RFP: The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services administer the US Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC Program). The Department of Health and Senior Services is responsible for investigating any and all possible acts of abuse, fraud, and corruption by retail stores with the WIC Program. The current contract for investigation services for WIC compliance is expiring…
The contractor shall conduct WIC compliance investigations, including undercover compliance buys and written reports of the findings, for the Department of Health and Senior Services (hereinafter referred to as the state agency), in accordance with the provisions and requirements stated herein… The contractor shall conduct compliance investigations utilizing compliance buys in order to substantiate suspected abuse, fraud, and/or corruption related to the WIC Program. Approximately one hundred (100) retailers or non-authorized retail stores throughout Missouri have been identified for investigation…
Bits
Treasurer Eric Schmitt rolled out an “economic dashboard” for Missourians to see how Missouri is stacking up economically. See it here.
The press release: Ameren joined energy companies from across the Midwest this week on mutual assistance calls administered by Edison Electric Institute (EEI). This comes at the request of Duke Energy as they prepare for widespread damage and power outages and the state of Florida braces for Hurricane Irma's landfall. Ameren has released approximately 500 workers ranging from linemen, tree trimmers and substation electricians to aid Duke Energy in restoration efforts… Ameren will participate in additional mutual assistance calls in the
aftermath of the hurricane.
Dick Fleming on Facebook: The Amazon HQ2 in either Kansas City or St. Louis would be great for both cities and regions, and for the states of Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. Having led the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA) from 1994 to 2012, I always had the highest regard for our economic development counterparts in KC --- KCADC is the "gold standard" in regional economic development. We're fortunate that former KCADC senior staffer and former St. Louis RCGA senior staffer Steve Johnson now serves as the CEO of the Missouri Partnership, and will help drive Missouri's Amazon HQ2 proposals. Here's hoping that both KC and St. Louis get into the finals for this exceptional economic development prize --- and that one ultimately wins the deal!
Help Wanted
Missouri Foundation for Health seeks Government Affairs Manager. “Active in legislative affairs. Responsible for communication and interaction in Jefferson City and in-district with administration, departments, and state legislators; Represents the Foundation, along with the Director of Health Policy, as the point of contact for the state capitol; Interacts with the legislative monitor for legislators such as the summer Institute, introductory and advanced Capitol Workshops, and Alliance for Justice; Builds local government relationships, keeps them active, and reports on them…” See it here.
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District seeks Public Information Specialist. “Position reports to the Public Information Manager. This position will be the primary lead for two internal communications functions. The first function: This position will collaborate with MSD staff and contractors to create and utilize photography, video, and other multimedia content for use with MSD's internal digital network. (This content may also be used in MSD's external communications efforts and for employee recruitment). Additionally, this position will be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance and updating of MSD's internal digital network. The second function: This position will also be responsible for development and production of a quarterly internal newsletter. The newsletter is meant to be a comprehensive and timely vehicle for the transmittal of information relevant to all MSD employees. Combined, both functions are designed to promote an inclusive, transparent, creative, and positive culture for employees and stakeholders alike… Salary: $46,100 - $69,500….” See it here.
Today’s Events
Powered by Mary Scruggs’ indispensable calendar:
Sen. Caleb Rowden Golf – Eagle Knoll Golf Club – Hartsburg – 8AM.
$5K+ Contributions
Property Casualty Insurers Association of America Political Account - $10,868 from Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
CLEAN Missouri - $25,000 from SEIU Missouri/Kansas State Council.
Lobbyists Registrations
Don Soph terminated his lobbying registration.
Will Fischer deleted VoteVets Action Fund.
David Schneider deleted Convention of States Action.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to A.J. Bockelman.