This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, July 21, 2011 - When Gov. Jay Nixon outlined his priorities for the upcoming special session of the Missouri legislature Thursday, they included a long list of economic development proposals but not an issue that St. Louis officials had been looking for: local control of the city's police department.
Asked after his speech whether that contentious topic would be part of his call when lawmakers return to Jefferson City in September, Nixon made it sound like he didn't want it on the table unless he was sure there was enough consensus among legislators that it would pass.
And when asked about a specific proposal that was of particular interest to his audience at the Danforth Plant Science Center in Creve Coeur -- the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act, or MOSIRA, to spark growth in science and technology -- his response showed how difficult it may be to get anything through the House and Senate.
The question was simple: How can he help ensure that legislators don't hijack MOSIRA, which has been up for discussion before but never passed?
Nixon, who had just completed a rapid-fire speech interrupted by applause just once -- when he mentioned his support for the so-called China Hub -- paused for several seconds before responding in a general way about compromise and consensus.
That issue -- making sure everyone is on board before committing to something -- appeared to be what made the governor stop short of including local control for the St. Louis police department in his call for the special session. He said that it is "real important to keep the special session as inexpensive as possible," so he was not averse to the issue, but "I want to make sure all the I's are dotted and all the T's are crossed."
The theme of working together to come up with solutions that bridge ideological gaps was a frequent part of the remarks in which he outlined his priorities for the special session. Nixon announced the session Wednesday after GOP legislative leaders said they had come to an agreement on a basic package of six economic incentives that had been held up in the regular session this spring.)
Besides MOSIRA, which would use a small percentage of tax revenue generated by employees at new and existing life science companies, and the China Hub, Nixon said he would also push for programs that would lead to a "bold leap forward" for the state, including:
- Compete Missouri, which would help make the state's economic climate more business-friendly and cut red tape
- Data centers, which he said would help create and attract high-tech, next-generation IT jobs to the state
- Reform of tax credits, a longstanding goal designed to sharpen existing incentives and help find money to pay for his other plans
- Disaster-recovery efforts, to help Missouri recover from a series of calamities from the deadly tornado in Joplin to flooding around the state to blizzards last winter. He said more than 80 counties statewide had been affected by natural disasters.
Saying that "we have the opportunity to make transformational change in our state" with his proposals, Nixon said he wanted to make sure that such ambitious plans are affordable and efficient.
"This is the moment to leverage our unique Missouri assets and seize unique Missouri opportunities whose time has come," the Democratic governor said. "We simply can't sit back and wait. Too much is at stake."
Noting that a commission he appointed had recommended a comprehensive overhaul of the state's tax credit programs, Nixon said that getting such reform passed would help pay for efforts like the China Hub, which is designed to attract international cargo traffic to the area around Lambert Airport.
"That will free up the money we need for smart, strategic investment in job creation," he said, "without sacrificing critical needs like educating our children, health care, public safety, and disaster recovery."
The state must pay its bills, he added.
"Tax credit reform is what will give us the money to invest in the future," Nixon said. "If we don't get tax credit reform, we simply can't afford it. And as the responsible steward of our taxpayer's hard-earned dollars, I simply will not sign any legislation we can't pay for."
On the foreign trade initiative, Nixon said Missouri has to find better ways to leverage its natural attributes, including central location and efficient manufacturing facilities.
"We need a better way to get our goods from here to there," he said. "We need to take full advantage of our central location by making a substantial investment in bricks and mortar infrastructure in the area around Lambert Field. If we want to sell more beef to Asia, we need refrigerated warehouses. If we want to sell more pharmaceuticals and aerospace equipment, we need safe and secure transport facilities.
"The creation of a thriving commercial hub in St. Louis would allow us to continue to drive exports through the roof, which in turn drives job creation, profitability and prosperity not just in the St. Louis area, but all across our state. I am a strong supporter of this initiative, and to do it well we will include transparency, accountability and oversight. Let's get it done."
After Nixon's remarks, Richard C.D. Fleming, the outgoing head of the Regional Chamber and Growth Association, welcomed Nixon's stance as a "clear and unequivocal endorsement" of the China Hub plan. "We're seeing the planets aligning," he said, noting that Chinese officials are in St. Louis this week to continue talks on the program.
Fleming also applauded Nixon's commitment to a process that is transparent and accountable, one that will make sure Missouri gets benefits before it gives out tax credits.
He said the plan would be a tremendous stimulus to the region, citing estimates that a $360 million package could translate to $17 billion in development and 18,000 jobs.
Reaching that goal would require the kind of cooperation that often is unusual with divided government. Nixon took pains to point out the contrast between what he said would be the atmosphere in Jefferson City, where he has to work with the Republican leadership of both the House and the Senate, with the rancor in Washington.
"We agree on far more than we disagree," he said. "That's the reality, not the hyper-partisan shenanigans in Washington, D.C., and the inflamed rhetoric of TV talk shows. The easiest way to do politics is to call the other guy a bad name. That's easy, and it may get you a headline. But it doesn't get anything done.
"Working together? That's much harder. Just look at all the time and energy that's being squandered in our nation's Capitol right now, and compare that to what we're accomplishing in Missouri. They've got gridlock; we've got goals. They've got posturing; we've got progress."