JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe is defending his stance on the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, saying the move would remove politics from the governing of the crime-stricken city.

In an exclusive, one-on-one interview with Kehoe, the Republican said it’s not going to be a board made up of people from outside of St. Louis.

“It’s interesting when people say state control because the board members are made up of the mayor and four city residents,” Kehoe told FOX 2. “And so it really is control of the local residents.”

The GOP governor, who is from north St. Louis, says the model in place before the 2013 swapping of power worked for the citizens and the police officers of the St. Louis.

“We think it’s a good model to have happen,” he said. “We’re taking politics out of that.”

When asked about the future of St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy, Kehoe signaled support for the chief, saying Tracy is moving the department in the right direction.

When asked directly if Tracy’s job was in jeopardy, Kehoe simply replied, “I hope not.”

“I’m a big fan of Robert Tracy,” Kehoe said. “Chief Tracy has done a great job for our city police and the men and women of public safety.”

In a wide-ranging interview with FOX 2, Kehoe also touched on how he’s handling the first few months of his new job.

“It’s going great,” the former senator and first term governor said. “The atmosphere in the Legislature is much different than I’ve seen in years past.”

When asked about public dollars being used to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals on the Missouri side of the stateline, Kehoe said it’s more than stadiums and fanbases.

“We’ve said all along that the Chiefs and Royals are really economic development engines for the Kansas City region and for many parts of our state, by the way,” Kehoe said. “We want to look at this as an economic development opportunity to maintain that business in the state of Missouri.

“It has to be a good return on investment for Missouri taxpayer dollars, and I think that’s the ground floor.”

When asked specifically how lawmakers plan to sell this plane to people from St. Louis or Joplin, the governor maintained the economic investment will be good for all Missourians.

“It’s got to be the good return on investment no matter what part of the state you live in,” he said.

Lawmakers are set to have a busy week before they head out on Spring Break, with bills relating to St. Louis Police and tax cuts likely to be voted on by the General Assembly.

Friday, Kehoe travels to St. Louis to receive an award from his high school alma mater, Chaminade Preparatory School.

“It’s very honoring for me to be able to go there,” he said. “I went (to school at Chaminade) on a work scholarship.”

Kehoe will receive the inaugural Spirit of Chaminade Award.