By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Governor-elect Jay Nixon says he wants to competitively bid all 183 of Missouri's driver's license fee offices.
The issuing of contracts to run license fee offices has long been a practice governors of both parties have used to reward political allies.
Nixon says bidding the offices will help eliminate corruption.
"(For) too long, allegations of scandal and impropriety have scarred license offices across Missouri, contracts awarded to spouses or family of political allies and key officials...well let me be clear: Those days are over!" Nixon said during a conference call with reporters.
Governor Matt Blunt began bidding out license fee offices after a federal inquiry was launched in 2006.
Nixon added that he'll use a point system to evaluate who should run the license fee offices.
"We will be working to make sure that we are rewarding bids that provide time frames, such that folks can do it on Saturdays or in the evenings or things like that, hours beyond normal business hours...we're also going to take into account qualifications, obviously, the people doing it, financial stability, past performance and experience," Nixon said.
Nixon also says he'll move as much of the license renewal process as possible online, to make it more efficient.