Nixon adds senior policy adviser

New position to pay $100,000

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Jay Nixon has hired former Missouri State University president Mike Nietzel as a senior policy adviser.

The hiring was announced Tuesday. Nixon’s office said Nietzel will have a salary of $100,000 in the new, full-time position.

Nietzel retired as Missouri State president in 2010 after five years leading the Springfield school. He has advised Nixon on education issues and work force readiness since April 2010.

Nixon is also making changes in his communications office.

Communications director Christy Bertelson moves to the governor’s policy team as a senior adviser and chief speech writer. She’ll be replaced by Sam Murphey, who has been a Nixon spokesman since the 2008 campaign.

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HaveAnOpinion 1 year, 9 months ago

How many years now has it been since state employees have had a raise and been on a hiring freeze, and been asked to step up and do more with less? Now Nixon can hire a $100K a year person!!!!! Something just doesn't seem right here...

brashbutton627 1 year, 9 months ago

No, it doesn't seem right. He should be laying off employees instead of hiring. No other agency gets to hire or bring back the staff layed off. His office keeps growing instead of "downsizing" as he wants other agencies to do.

sillyrabbit 1 year, 9 months ago

Good show Nixon, good show! Way to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

asb 1 year, 9 months ago

I voted for Jay Nixon, both because his party more represents me than the Republican party in Missouri issues, and because he better represented me than any of his opponents. And, I'll probably vote for him again for the same reasons. I really am embarrassed at his blindness to the symbolism of inappropriate executive hiring he's been guilty of. Mr. Nixon, pay attention! Appearences matter and your crony hiring looks awful. You don't need to pay this much for advice from friends. You've filled too many of the state's department positions with lawyers and friends instead of technically or administratively skilled people. Your policies are OK, your practices smell bad. You seem determined to make your re-election doubtful.

Gabrielle 1 year, 9 months ago

What shall we do?

asb 1 year, 9 months ago

When the best available candidate makes you want a shower, you've found representative parlimentry politics. You can wait 'til next time and choose another shower; you can work hard in the primaries to try and get your preferred party to put up a better candidate, or; you can work from the very start for yourself or someone like you as candidate and hope for the right outcome after several tries - by which time everyone who knows and deals with you will be taking lots of showers. Nothing works better. More efficiently perhaps, or more in adherence with some dogma, but no process better gets the most stakeholders involved and served. Pardon me while I go take a shower.

Gabrielle 1 year, 9 months ago

LOL!!!!

dazy1961 1 year, 9 months ago

"If voting actually changed anything it would be illegal."

Just make sure you have your photo id when you vote so as to prevent that dreaded "voter fraud"!

gofish 1 year, 9 months ago

I get it. Jay doesn't care. I'll remember that at the polls.

asb 1 year, 9 months ago

gofish that's my point, you can wait for the election, and deal with very limited money-whittled choices, or get after him today. Email his office, keep at these forums, write letters to his party and his office. If you go overboard they'll ignore or shoot you (not in America of course) but participation is critical to keeping the weasels under some control. I know, it's as cynical and pointless to call a politician a weasel as it is to call all lawyers sharks, but cynicism sometime keeps madness at bay. Chastise him publicly, it works, it's more power than your vote. There is a big difference between voting, being active, and soapboxing; they all have their uses and we should all be good at each.

Jay! You left something rank on the sidewalk again and I just stepped in it! Stop that! Bad Jay!

He may just laugh at that, if he reads it at all, but it'll have more effect than my one vote for or against him.

Gabrielle 1 year, 9 months ago

I am with asb on this. Waiting to vote is too little too late. So, in addition, to the vote, I am doing as asb so nicely described. As I see it, we have more power than we think or realize. The aforementioned actions are a +. They work nicely - especially when many do so. In addition to 'sharing' my perspective with the Governor's Office, I have called my State Representative and Senator - airing my grievance of the Executive Branch with the Legislative Branch.This is one of the most ridiculous things a governor could do at this time! ...there is no way to make sense of it....except stupid.

JCLifer 1 year, 9 months ago

ASB and Joe Gardner nailed it. Agree 100%

Als., the Auditor needs to do some investigation into MSU for all the cronyism and good-ol-boy stuff they have been doing for years. Ex college presidents continue on the payroll for years for teaching a class, etc.

MSU is a big example of the worst kind of government- one of men instead of one of laws.

Rout out the corruption and cronyism.

hudson 1 year, 9 months ago

double dipping ?

Gabrielle 1 year, 9 months ago

Grace: does this make you want to take it to the streets?

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