JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. _ Hoping to project a calming presence after five months of political turbulence, Missouri's new governor launched his first full working day in office in meetings Monday with a Cabinet left behind by his scandal-plagued predecessor.
Gov. Mike Parson, who took over for fellow Republican Eric Greitens on Friday, told reporters in a briefing outside his new office that he has no plans to replace agency directors whom Greitens selected to run the state.
That includes Greitens' controversial pick of Drew Erdmann as the state's chief operating officer, a post that drew initial criticism because of his $135,000 salary.
"Gov. Greitens brought together a good team to the state of Missouri. I don't anticipate any changes in the Cabinet. There are a lot of good things that's going on in the state of Missouri," the former lieutenant governor said.
On Monday evening, he announced that Aaron Willard would be his chief of staff. Willard was part of President Donald Trump's transition team and has been as chief of staff to several Missouri House speakers.
Parson, a former state lawmaker and county sheriff, ascended to the state's top office Friday after the spectacular flameout of Greitens, who had national aspirations before becoming buried by legal problems.
Greitens announced his resignation Tuesday after prosecutors in St. Louis agreed to drop a felony charge related to his use of a charity donor list for political fundraising.
But, Greitens faces other legal and possible legislative actions, including attempts by a House committee to determine the funding sources of a nonprofit organization formed to support his agenda, as well as a lawsuit related to the use of a special phone app that destroys text messages.
While the jobs of agency directors appear to be safe, many top positions within the governor's immediate staff remain unfilled after the mass resignations of Greitens' inner circle.
On Monday, Parson hired Rep. Justin Alferman, R-Hermann, to fill the vacant legislative director post. He hired Steele Shippy away from Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's staff to be his communications director.
Other notable changes included the attire of holdover staffers and members of Parson's security detail. Greitens had fashioned a casual look while in office, wearing jeans, boots and shirts without ties on most days. That look was gone Monday, replaced by suits and ties.
"Even though it's going to be a little different day in the governor's office _ how I function as the governor of the state of Missouri _ we're going to be working together," Parson said.
In the coming days, Parson is expected to meet with mayors from across the state, including St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson.
"We want to learn about what their issues are," Parson said.
The new governor, a Bolivar resident who raises cattle, also is planning a joint address to the House and Senate next Monday.
Among the top issues on the to-do list is determining how to fill the now-vacant lieutenant governor's position.
"It needs to be done. I don't like the state of Missouri being without a lieutenant governor," Parson said.
The Missouri Constitution outlines the duties of the job, which mainly involves casting tie-breaking votes in the Senate. State law also dictates that the governor-in-waiting sit on several boards and commissions.
But the constitution includes no sentences on how a lieutenant governor should be replaced.
In 2013, Parson supported legislation that would have called for a special election to fill the seat. It was vetoed by former Gov. Jay Nixon.
Parson is now not saying whether he will move to fill the post himself, saying the issue is under study.
"Hopefully, we'll check out the legalities of it and figure out what it is. But that will be a priority to figure out what we're going to do with the lieutenant governor's position," Parson said.
In addition to talking with agency chiefs, Parson spent time Monday morning on a call with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Spokeswoman Kelli Jones said the new administration has reached out to the White House, but the governor himself has not spoken with President Donald Trump.
The White House for months tried to keep a distance from the Greitens scandal, despite the fact that Trump had twice appeared in the state with the governor, and despite the fact that Greitens had been advised during the 2016 campaign by Nick Ayers, of staff to Vice President Mike Pence.
On Monday, at White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' regular briefing, she was asked if Trump or anyone else in the White House had encouraged Greitens to resign.
"I'm not aware of any conversations directly with the president or with anyone here at the White House," Sanders said.
Ayers, through the White House communications office, has said he has not been contacted by anyone looking into Greitens' campaign.
