Governor Nixon prepares for transition

On January 9th, Missouri will have a new governor.

As Governor Jay Nixon ties up some loose ends at the Missouri Capitol, we had a few minutes to visit with him on some parting thoughts.

ABC 17 News asked the governor if he feels his experience working his way up through elected offices helped him better prepare for the job as chief executive of Missouri.

Governor Nixon says history will be the judge of that question. He says his time in the Missouri Senate and as the state’s attorney general have been helpful. He says his previous government experience helped him get a “strong team and a good knowledge of fiscal issues which was important when I first became governor.”

As far as his successor’s lack of political experience and outsider status, the incumbent says he’s not too concerned.

Nixon says, “I think non-traditional candidates can be successful, too. So I think a balance of those, shaking up the system sometimes, doesn’t hurt. Governor-elect Greitens is a very smart guy. He can read and write and he and his wife will absorb things quickly.”

But, the two-term Democrat has some advice for Greitens. Nixon cautions, “watch the dollars. I mean, keep that Triple-A rating. Eleven states have been downgraded and that nobody comes to Jefferson City to lobby for a cut.”

Catch our full conversation with Governor Nixon on Friday night on ABC 17 News at 6:30.