West Newsmagazine 4-19-17

52 I COVER STORY I
April 19, 2017
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens
@WESTNEWSMAG
WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
100 days into an ‘outsider’ term in office
By JIM ERICKSON
Counting weekends and holidays, Missouri
Gov. Eric Greitens observed his
100th day in office this week.
In the November election, Greitens’ win
as a self-proclaimed outsider in Missouri
mirrored now-President Donald Trump’s
win nationally. The Missouri election
outcome surprised even political pollsters
and pundits. The former Navy SEAL and
Rhodes scholar took the oath of office
in Jefferson City Jan. 9, 11 days before
Trump’s inauguration.
Budget issues
There’s no doubt Greitens began his term
facing some difficult challenges. First and
foremost was the need to make budget cuts
due to a gap in state revenues compared to
the income projected when the legislature
approved the state’s budget last year. The
$146 million in reductions, which Greitens
announced not long after his inauguration,
were in addition to more than $200 million
already stricken from the spending plan by
former Gov. Jay Nixon.
The budget gap stems primarily from
lower-than-projected corporate income
taxes, more specifically the phasing out
of the corporate franchise tax as called for
in legislation approved a number of years
ago and changes in how multistate corporations
allocate their profits. Meanwhile,
revenue from individual income taxes has
been steady.
Higher education bore the brunt of Greitens’
initial cutbacks with $82 million in
reductions. Although the governor noted
that nothing was taken from kindergarten
through 12th grade [K-12] classrooms,
some $14 million was cut from programs
affecting schools, including $8.6 million
for busing.
The governor’s $27.6 billion budget proposal
for the fiscal year beginning July 1
calls for K-12 schools to receive some $3
million more than in the current year while
cutting $36 million from school transportation
funding. Democrats in the legislature
have criticized that plan, saying school
officials will be forced to reduce amounts
going for other purposes to pay for getting
students to school in the first place.
A $2 million allocation would go to
districts that do not now offer advance
placement courses to help pay for making
them available online. Another $13 million
would go for special education services for
students with disabilities.
Colleges and universities will get $100
million less in the coming year, although
a major part of that reduction already has
been put into effect. Critics fear the cutbacks
will mean more hikes in tuition and
fees charged at higher education institutions.
The new budget plan also includes $52
million saved by adding requirements that
must be met before individuals with disabilities
qualify for in-home and nursing
care.
Greitens also has proposed a 3-percent
reduction in reimbursements to Medicaid
healthcare providers. Still, total state and
federal Medicaid spending would climb to
$10.7 billion, an increase of several hundred
million
Continuing the course set by Nixon, who
cut some 5,000 positions from the state
payroll during his eight years in office,
Greitens wants to eliminate 188 more jobs.
In addition, the proposed budget includes
no pay increases for state employees, generally
agreed to be among the lowest paid
in the nation.
The governor also has announced plans
to equip every school in the state with
broadband internet. He would accomplish
that goal with $6 million in state funds and
with an estimated $39 million from a Federal
Communication Commission program
designed to help rural districts without
high-speed internet service.
Overall, the state’s new yearly budget
under Greitens’ proposal would increase
1.2 percent compared with this year’s
total. The Republican-dominated General
Assembly must meet a May 5 deadline to
approve its budget plan, which the governor
can veto entirely or in part with line
item vetoes.
Early actions and reactions
Steve Ehlmann, a former member of
both the Missouri House and Senate, also
is a former circuit court judge and the
current St. Charles County Executive. He
recalled meeting Greitens seven or eight
years ago when Greitens was working to
help veterans through The Mission Continues,
a nonprofit organization he founded.
“He was very impressive,” Ehlmann said,
“and a very good communicator. I remember
saying to someone, ‘I sure hope he’s a
Republican’ because it was obvious even
back then that he had a future in public service
if he wanted to go that direction.”
As for being an outsider, as Greitens has
labeled himself, there are advantages and
disadvantages to that in the political arena,
Ehlmann observed.
Eric Greitens celebrates his gubernatorial win in November 2016.
“You can come in with some fresh
approaches, and that can be a good thing,”
he said. “But there’s also a learning curve
involved and that can be difficult at times.
However, there’s no doubt he has a quality
resume and his academic credentials are
certainly impressive, too.”
Ehlmann believes one of Greitens’ primary
achievements during his early days in
office is one the casual observer might not
recognize. “He’s made some good hires,
both men and women. That’s important
because he can’t do everything himself,”
Ehlmann said.
There’s no shortage of issues for Greitens
to tackle as his term in office continues,
but Ehlmann cited one he regards as
particularly important. The St. Louis area
is fragmented by a plethora of municipal
jurisdictions and dysfunction when it
comes to who has control over what. That
spells trouble when it comes to addressing
problem areas, including crime.”
Ehlmann emphasized he wasn’t referring
to a unification of city and county government.
“But there’s a lot of things state government
can do when it comes to broad
problems such as what the St. Louis area
is dealing with. If state government doesn’t
take the lead and do them, they won’t get
done. I’d be pushing for that as governor,”
he said. “We can’t have the kind of economic
development we want, for example,
if crime remains the problem that people
perceive it to be. Crime is a regional issue
because what happens in St. Louis or Ferguson
affects the entire area.”
Ehlmann noted the GOP now has control
of both the Missouri House and Senate
and most of the state’s elected leadership
offices. “It’s a good time for the Republican
Party to step up and tackle these
issues,” he said.
St. Louis County Councilmember Mark
Harder [R-District 7] likes the efforts Greitens
already is making to bring new businesses
to the state.
“I think it really helps that Gov. Greitens
is involved in this,” he said. “The governor
now can talk to CEOs about Missouri
being a right-to-work state. I think rightto-work
makes the state more attractive to
companies that view that fact as important,
although not all companies do.”
Setting priorities
Harder said he would like to see the governor
more active at the Republican Party’s
grass roots level. “We haven’t really seen
that involvement yet and I’m not sure why
that’s the case. But it’s still early and things
can change,” he added. In addition to his
council position, Harder is a Lafayette
Township committeeman.
According to Harder, Greitens’ priorities
should include a proactive role in addressing
the crime issue in the St. Louis area.
Echoing Ehlmann’s views, he observed, “If
we want to grow, we need to get the crime
problem, especially violent crime, under
control. A governor can inject himself into
a situation where he may not have a specific
legal role or responsibility but he can
still take leadership in influencing what
happens in given situations.”
Missourians shouldn’t expect instant
results, whether in job growth and economic
development, generally, or in reducing
crime and other areas.
“The things you do today often take time
to produce the outcome you’re looking for,”
Harder asserted.
Rep. Shamed Dogan [R-District 98] in
the Missouri House, is pleased with Greitens’
initial efforts.
“There have been some very good things
that have happened so far,” Dogan said,