Thursday, January 12, 2017

Greitens Appoints COO

Governor Eric Greitens appointed his COO.  It will be Drew Erdmann from the consulting firm of McKinsey.

From his bio on the McKinsey website: “Drew is a leader in our Public Sector Practice in the Americas, with a focus on defense and security, and in the Aerospace & Defense Practice. Based in Washington, DC, he advises government entities on strategy, operations, and organizational design, as well as private-sector clients on their strategic agendas during this time of global transition. Recently, much of his work has involved the intelligence community and economic development. He leads McKinsey’s work to support public sector transitions at the federal and state levels in the United States….”

The Executive Order

With the appointment, Greitens issued an executive order (see it here) which a couple of lawyers told me was completely unnecessary from a legal standpoint and must have been done simply for PR.

McCann Beatty on COO

House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty responded to the appointment: “The governor certainly is free to hire whatever staff he sees fit to assist him, and if he wants to give them important-sounding titles, that's fine, too. But this so-called state 'chief operating officer' is just another staffer…”

House EcoDevo Committee Approves RTW

The House is moving with amazing speed on the right to work legislation.  Yesterday it passed out of committee.  Normally at this stage of the legislative cycle committees hadn’t even been formed yet, much less legislation referred, much less legislative hearing having been heard, much less voted out.  It’s January 11, and right to work could come to the House floor next week.  This is bad news for Democrats.  It shows Speaker Todd Richardson is not messing about accomplishing his priorities.

Sauer to Hawley?

MOScout tipster: John Sauer will be "First Assistant Attorney General," a new title which appears to mean top non-elected person. John is the son of wealthy activist Fred Sauer. Fred is

the proponent of the new campaign finance constitutional amendment. John was also the lawyer who sued Missouri over the "common core" educational plans.

Sauer will be joined at the helm by Darrell Moore, former Greene County Prosecutor and former General Counsel to the late Auditor, Tom Schweich.

The office will apparently be divided in two (Civil and Criminal) rather than having different divisions as had previously been done.

Conway’s Son to Run?

Ryan Conway, son of Rep. Kathie Conway, has started a campaign committee to run for her seat in 2018.  She is term limited.  His address on the campaign committee is the same as hers, so maybe he still lives at home?

So Two Ex-Senators ‎Walk Onto a Plane...

Yesterday on an early evening NYC-STL flight, on his way back from the restroom, former Sen. Brian Nieves (R-Washington) spotted a familiar face in 21A and tapped the man's leg. Remember me?"

Former Sen. ‎Jeff Smith (D-St. Louis City) looked up from his book – appropriately enough, recent bestseller "Hillbilly Elegy," - and after one beat too many of the moments all pols dread, he recognized his former colleague. Both men were headed home after speaking gigs in NYC - Nieves, now a motivational speaker whose success has "avalanched...all over the world...(I) flew 200,000 miles in 2016," was out East working with a larger group of prominent self-help gurus, while Smith spoke at Johnson + Johnson about mental health challenges inside prisons.

After a brief catch-up, Smith had a sudden epiphany. "Oh my God," he exclaimed to Nieves. "I just realized: you were basically Trump before Trump! The total outsider bit, the unhinged ALL-CAPS Facebook rants, the Senate floor bombast, the rage at the media...he stole your playbook!"

Nieves drank it in, nodding vigorously. "Yep! I was Trump before it was cool!"

The exchange closed with Nieves noting that his outsized success of recent years has allowed him to pledge six figures to charity in 2017 - and perhaps, he offered, he could give some of that largesse in the form of an in-kind donation to Smith's new non-profit Concordance Academy, by speaking to Concordance's first class of formerly incarcerated ‎men. "I know you didn't think I had a heart," said Nieves, "but when I get back from training entrepreneurs in India next month, let's make this happen!"

Marshall Responds to New Security

Rep. Nick Marshall on Facebook writes: Effective immediately, any constituent of mine with a CCW that was not allowed to bring his firearm into the Capitol may stop by my office and borrow one for the duration of the visit.

Bits

The CEOs of Monsanto and Bayer meet with Donald Trump to sell him on their merger.  See it here.

Carissa Rupp, wife of PSC Commissioner Scott Rupp, was featured in Glamour Magazine explaining her vote for Donald Trump.  See it here.

Hannah Beers joined Sen. Ryan Silvey’s staff as communications director.

John Payne of Show Me Cannabis sent out an action alert telling folks to oppose Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.  One observer translated the message: please tell the guy running Donald Trump’s inauguration to oppose Donald Trump’s nominee in a state that Donald Trump won by 19 points…

Help Wanted

Missouri Foundation for Health seeks Government and Community Affairs Specialist. “This individual will serve as the principal liaison for Missouri Foundation for Health with Missouri federal, state, and local elected officials by being a conduit of information and research related to MFH through activities and through building relationships with elected officials, organizations, and targeted communities.”  See the ad here.

Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) seeks Government Affairs Associate.  “Serves as the organization’s point person on Legislative Affairs; Liaises with lobbyist in Jefferson City; Coordinates and implements legislative strategies; tracks and reports on legislation important to the JCRC and the St. Louis Jewish community…”   See the ad here.

Lobbyists Registrations

Brad Green, Todd Scott, and Jennae Neustadt added Office of the Governor.

Rodney Boyd, Brian Grace, and Katherine Casas added Excellence in Education in Action.

Dave Sweeney added SC STL.

Josh Schisler added Hailey’s Angels.

Eapen Thampy added Americans for Forfeiture Reform.

Mackenzie Ledet deleted Stonehedge Capital Company LLC.

Michael Winter deleted Xerox Business Services, LLC And Its Affiliates.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rep. Nathan Tate, former Rep. Scott Largent, and Jim Ross.