Missouri GOP director charges Nixon with cronyism over hiring of former MSU president

In a news release issued today, Missouri Republican Party Executive Director Lloyd Smith ripped Gov. Jay Nixon for his hiring this week of former Missouri State University President Mike Nietzel as senior policy advisor at a salary of $100,000 a year:

“More than 53,000 Missourians have lost their jobs on Jay Nixon’s watch. While ordinary Missourians struggle to find work, Nixon continues doling out taxpayer-funded jobs with six-figure salaries to his friends. This cronyism is why Nixon has the highest paid staff of any governor in history—and it’s part of a pattern of reckless spending on the state plane and questionable hiring from Jay Nixon.”