As I prepare to leave office after thirty years in public service, I wanted you to know how grateful I am for the opportunity to have served the people of Missouri: the toughest, hardest working and most generous men and women on God’s green earth.
Together, we’ve made great strides: recovering from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, helping communities rebuild after natural disasters, and making transformative investments to strengthen our public schools, hold down college tuition, improve our state parks and help Missourians with mental illness and developmental disabilities live with dignity and hope.
Today, our unemployment rate has been cut in half, our spotless AAA credit rating is intact and Missouri leads all our neighboring states in job creation over the past year. Our public universities lead the country in holding down tuition increases, and our high school graduation rate is in the top 10 in the nation. A new state-of-the-art mental hospital is being built in Fulton and the in-home waiting list for low-income Missourians with developmental disabilities no longer exists.
None of these achievements would have been possible without the strength and perseverance of Missourians in every corner of our state. Through good times and bad, the people of Missouri have continued to lead the way and inspire the world with their grit, tenacity and compassion. Serving as your governor has been a tremendous honor, and I will never forget the lessons I’ve learned from the people I’ve had the privilege to serve. You’ve taught me about the enduring power of hope, the resilience of the human spirit, and how much people can accomplish when they put aside their differences and work together.
That is why I am more optimistic than ever about the future of our state. January 9 will mark my last day in office, but you have my commitment that I will never stop fighting for the people of this state or the values they share.
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