Governing magazine last week named Michigan budget director John Nixon as one of seven Public Officials of the Year in recognition of bringing down the state’s chronic deficits and other efforts.
Nixon in 2010 came from triple-A rated Utah to what Governing magazine called the “mess” of Michigan to head the state’s Department of Technology, Management and Budget and oversee the crafting of a $47 billion annual budget.
“After just six weeks on the job, Nixon had rebalanced the state budget and helped [Gov. Rick] Snyder fashion a sweeping tax-reform package that became law,” Governing said in a profile on Nixon.
Nixon is one of seven public officials from around the country that will be honored by the magazine at an awards banquet in Washington, D.C., next month.
“This is a great honor and I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of the talented team that Governor Rick Snyder has assembled here in Michigan,” said Nixon. “We have accomplished more than I could have imagined in the past 22 months, and the train is moving full- speed ahead.”
“We are all very proud of the work that John has done to help get our budget into balance,” Snyder said in a statement. “He’s also done tremendous work in overseeing the administrative functions of state government as head of DTMB. We knew we made the right decision when we selected John for this position.”
