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By Johnny Kampis | Missouri Watchdog
ST. LOUIS — Gov. Jay Nixon is in the cross hairs of outgoing House Speaker Steven Tilley, who has established a committee to review the state’s government bidding and contracting processes.
“The contracts the state enters into put taxpayer money on the line and it is our duty to take every precaution possible to ensure the people of Missouri get what they pay for and that the process used to secure these contracts is open and transparent,” Tilley told Missouri News Horizon.
Tilley, R-Perryville, will leave the Legislature later this year.
The state’s contract-awarding process came under scrutiny last month, when the Democratic governor’s administration awarded a contract to operate the Maplewood License Office to St. Louis County council member Kathleen Burkett.
Burkett, a Democrat, was in bankruptcy and owed thousands of dollars in income taxes.
Nixon spokesman Scott Holste did not return a call from Missouri Watchdog on Friday seeking comment.
The governor previously said he and lawmakers aimed to make competitive bidding — not political patronage — the method by which fee offices were awarded.
“We’re using the process in an open and transparent way,” Nixon said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with politics.”
