State Port Board of Commissioners names new director

Gulfport, Mississippi

The Sun Herald is reporting:

The state port’s Board of Commissioners is expected to shortly approve Jonathan Daniels as the port’s new executive director.

Daniels comes to Gulfport from the Port of Oswego (N.Y.) He said the port in Oswego moves a little more tonnage than does Gulfport, but he is very excited about what he sees as a “transformative opportunity on the Mississippi Coast.”

“Operationally, financially, this port is in a great position right now,” Daniels said. “It’s a port that is well thought of within the industry.”

Related articles

• Port Could Make Decision on New Director (local15tv.com)

Pender: Senate Backlash to ‘Tater’ Brewing

English: These are what tater tots look like. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A group of 15 Republican senators — about half of the GOP ranks and nearly a third of the chamber — held a secret meeting(s) last week to discuss their displeasure with Maximus Tater. As with most things at the Capitol, it didn’t stay secret very long. But I should note, they really, really didn’t want this column coming out today.

They are trying to form a “conservative coalition.” Their stated goal will be something along the lines of “working within the Senate structure of leadership, but at the same time making sure the will of the people is allowed to flourish and reaffirm the legislative process.”

But their real raison d’etre is they’re getting tired of what they describe as Lt. Gov. Reeves’ iron-fisted control over anything they do and the lack of access to his inner circle of Senate leadership (known affectionately around the Capitol as the “Tater Tots”).

Now, dissension in Senate GOP ranks started brewing long before, when Reeves took office. He sidelined a handful of up-and-coming Republican lawmakers because they supported his primary opponent, former Sen. Billy Hewes III, R-Gulfport, or because they were Bryant loyalists. They were put in “time out,” as some have joked, stripped of any true leadership positions. Some thought it would be temporary punishment, but it continues now into a second year.

But the number of discontented appears to have grown. Some GOP lawmakers complain they have less input, clout and access on decisions than some Democrats in the Republican 31-20 majority Senate.

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Following revelations this week, Gulfport councilman calls for change at port

In an open letter to the governor, Gulfport Councilman R.Lee Flowers lambasted port officials at the state Port of Gulfport for lack of progress on expansion and restoration, and called for change.

Port officials publicly acknowledged this week the port will not be able to attract mega-ships from an expanded Panama Canal because the port channel is not deep enough. State political leaders and the public had been led to believe a deepening of the channel would accompany port expansion, bringing in bigger ships and more jobs.

The port now says it can create 1,200 jobs, but the federal requirement is for at least 2,400 jobs in exchange for $570 million being used for the expansion and restoration.

Flowers’ letter:

An Open Letter Concerning the Expansion of the Mississippi State Port at Gulfport

Dear Governor Bryant,

The executive leadership and management of the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport has betrayed the trust of the citizens of Gulfport and the State of Mississippi by concealing the truth concerning the potential benefits of the port expansion from the public, elected officials, and port commissioners. The spending of the $570 million that HUD dedicated as urban development funds for the port expansion has been fraught with missteps and stumbles. The executive leadership of the port has consistently ignored possible solutions that would satiate the community’s need for information concerning potential impacts and assurance of projected benefits.

As Mississippi’s second largest city, Gulfport’s actions lead the way for Harrison County and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Gulfport is very diverse socioeconomically and has many residents that will benefit from a successful port expansion now.

As you are aware, five commissioners comprise the Port Authority Commission. The city of Gulfport appoints one. Harrison County appoints one. The remaining three commissioners serve at your pleasure.

Gulfport appointed E.J. Roberts to the commission on December 5, 2011. Mr. Roberts is one of the finest men I’ve ever known, but he is only one of five volunteer commissioners tasked with providing governance without compensation of their time or expertise.

Due to the recent revelation of the limited benefits from the current expansion plan and the continuous floundering by the Port Authority, I request that you encourage change within the Port Authority such that proper vision can make the expansion effort a success resulting in the previously promised job growth and economic benefits.

Sincerely,

R.Lee Flowers

Councilman, Ward 6

via Gulfport councilman calls for change at port | Gulfport | The Sun Herald.

Mayor Shloegel fires back at Hampton on PERS Study Group

Retirement system study for solvency | The Clarion-Ledger | www.clarionledger.com: www.clarionledger.com/article/20110904/OPINION02/1…ion|s

As chairman of the newly formed Public Employees Retirement System Study Commission, I feel compelled to respond to column by Editorial Director David Hampton ("Politics of PERS could be problem for GOP," Aug. 21).

Mr. Hampton suggests Gov. Barbour’s creation of the PERS Study Commission was a political miscalculation. Such a suggestion could lead readers to believe Gov. Barbour is simply a man of politics, not policy. Additionally, readers might infer from Mr. Hampton’s words that Gov. Barbour’s devoted service to Mississippi has been guided by something other than the doctrine of "good policy equals good politics."

Gov. Barbour recognizes a glaring need to act if we are to avoid a future disaster with PERS. That is hardly playing politics. Instead, it is a leader protecting the pensions of our state’s dedicated workforce and the hard-earned money of our state’s taxpayers.

Indeed, the challenge of a state retirement system that enjoys continued sustainability and future solvency is a daunting one, but rather than ignoring a looming calamity, the governor, as he has done so many times prior, made a bold decision to swiftly confront this charge.

In his column, Mr. Hampton asks why create such a commission now. The answer is simple: Because no one else wanted to carry this cross at a time when courageous leadership and foresight was essential to solving this issue before it becomes too late.

The Legislature defeated a Barbour-sponsored resolution to establish a PERS study committee. The PERS Board of Trustees voted against commissioning an independent study of the pension plan, and instead considered a funding plan that would have increased taxpayer payments to the system by 50 percent over just four years.

Some reforms of PERS have been made in the last eight years, and it is important to know there is no immediate crisis, nor reason to fear benefits will go unpaid anytime soon.

While most pressure has subsided recently, the fund remains significantly underfunded at about 64 percent of the standard set by the national oversight organization.

As a mayor, I know firsthand the impact retirement income has on families and communities. I also understand, all too well, the effects an unchecked retirement system can have on a city’s budget.

As chair of the PERS Study Commission, my local perspective will help our group make sound recommendations considering all factors.

We are a diverse group of private and public sector employees; we have no preconceived notions about PERS, save for one: The system must have long-range viability to ensure that a retiree receives his or her monthly retirement check for the period promised.

On or before Nov. 15, our commission will present a transparent assessment of the financial condition of PERS and a comprehensive set of recommendations on ways to strengthen it.

While I believe this work is of the highest importance, it is not our responsibility nor within our power to implement changes to the state’s retirement plan. That is a job for the 2012 Legislature, the new governor and the PERS Board of Trustees.

It is our responsibility to give accurate information about the PERS system to the new governor and Legislature. More importantly, we are tasked with sharing this information with current and future employees who are or will be beneficiaries of our state retirement system and to the taxpayers of Mississippi who pay most of the cost of the system.

I trust that our incoming leaders will follow Gov. Barbour’s trailblazing leadership and give honest study to our findings to ensure Mississippi’s current and future state employees, taxpayers and retirees are well protected.

George Schloegel

Mayor of Gulfport

Gulfport

#Mississippi #Mayor #George #Schloegel #Gulfport #PERS #retirement #Haley #Barbour #Legislature #state #employees #government #spending #taxes #retirement

Port must start from scratch on bids for major contract

- Gulfport – www.sunherald.com: www.sunherald.com/2011/09/03/3398582/port-must-sta….html

GULFPORT — W.C. Fore Trucking Inc. is protesting the state Port Commission’s decision to pass him over as the low bidder on a multimillion-dollar contract. The project is to dredge the last 24 acres the port plans to fill as part of Katrina restoration and expansion.

The port received $570 million in federal funding for the port projects. The commission approved a $6.7 million contract with Matthews Marine Inc. of Pass Christian, finding the company was the lowest and best bidder to dredge the acreage and deposit the spoils on Deer Island. Fore’s bid was $628,000 lower than the one submitted by Matthews, the second-lowest bidder.
“Just because it’s federal money, you don’t have to play fast and loose with it,” said Gulfport attorney Jim Wetzel, who represents Fore.”Whether it’s federal money or state money, it all comes out of our pocket.”

Wetzel filed a protest on Fore’s behalf with the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration, which oversees state contracts and purchasing. DFA had planned to grant Fore a hearing, Executive Director Kevin Upchurch said Friday, but then discovered a more fundamental problem. The port failed to secure approval for the Matthews Marine contract from DFA’s procurement board — a requirement when the contract amount exceeds $5 million.

Upchurch notified the port in August the contract would have to be cancelled. The Mississippi Development Authority, which receives and distributes the federal Katrina money, also must approve the port contracts. In this case, MDA refused, saying the bids should be re-evaluated and scored based on qualification factors. The Port Commission re-evaluated the bids, once again awarding Matthews the contract Aug. 24.

Port staff members are now reviewing the evaluation process to make sure it was properly handled, the port’s executive director, Don Allee, said Friday. He said he could not discuss the bids because the contract has not been finalized.
“We think this will get resolved with all questions answered pretty shortly,” Allee said.

Upchurch, who also chairs the procurement board, has reiterated DFA’s position to the port.”It was not handled properly,” he said.”If I tell them to cancel what they’ve done, they have no option but to rebid it.”

Upchurch also told the Sun Herald:”I have gone back on record to make our position clear. That (re-evaluation) is not acceptable. They should cease and desist. It’s over. I was told yesterday they were honoring that and were going back through the process, as they were instructed yesterday. I think they realize they have to cancel what they’ve done and start over. It will be as if nothing’s happened.”

#Mississippi #Gulf #Coast #Gulfport #MDFA #Finance #Spending #state #contracts #federal #money #government #Port #Commission #Kevin #Upchurch #MDA #Economic #Development

Patience and planning are essential to state progress

- Charlie Mitchell – www.sunherald.com: www.sunherald.com/2011/08/30/3387553/patience-and-….html

Haley Barbour sees a day when expansion under way at the Panama Canal brings unprecedented prosperity to Mississippi.

Phil Bryant, the Republican nominee seeking to follow Barbour as governor, sees a day when Jackson is a center for health care with a dozen or more medical centers rivaling Houston, Texas.

Democratic nominee Johnny DuPree will likely espouse some long-range goals, too.

It’s the”vision thing” we hear about.

But Barbour, preparing to leave office after eight years, says one thing he has discovered during his two terms is that state government is poorly structured to engage in long-range planning, especially of the type needed to create lasting economic development.

At a meeting of the state’s newspaper industry in July, Barbour went so far as to say it is impossible for the legislators to think beyond their four-year terms. It was a criticism, but also a reality. There are exceptions, such as multiyear highway programs, but lawmakers are more like firefighters. Even if they had wanted to devise long-term projects, they’ve been putting out blazes, scrambling to find funds to get the state through the next 12 months. They’ve had no time (and little interest) in developmental measures.

That’s what makes organizations such as Advance Mississippi and the Mississippi Economic Council essential. They and several other groups take the state’s economic pulse constantly.

In addition to speaking to the press, Barbour was on the Gulf Coast to meet privately with stakeholders on his much-maligned notion that a serious investment in port facilities now will result in thousands of jobs during the next 10 to 15 years.

The work in Panama will double the canal’s capacity by 2014. As Barbour and many others see it, Gulfport — if prepared — would become the most affordable destination for hundreds of ships delivering goods from Asian ports.

Today, most of those ships offload on the West Coast. Containers are dispatched to their destinations via truck or train. Once the canal is expanded, the most time- and cost-efficient route to any point east of the Mississippi would be through Gulfport, but only if it has the infrastructure.

#Mississippi #Gulfport #Economic #Development #Legislature #Haley #Barbour #Phil #Bryant #Johnny #Dupree #Health #Care

Legislative incumbents toppled in runoffs

- Elections – www.sunherald.com: www.sunherald.com/2011/08/23/3370875/legislative-i….html

Two longtime incumbent South Mississippi lawmakers were ousted Tuesday and three new faces will represent the area in the Legislature, voters decided in Tuesday’s primary runoffs.

In local races, an 18-year veteran Jackson County supervisor was defeated as voters decided 21 county-government runoffs from the Aug. 2 primaries.

Real estate business owner Greg Haney of Gulfport defeated incumbent state Rep. Roger Ishee, who’s held the District 118 House seat since 1997, 67 percent to 33 percent in unofficial results. Haney, unopposed in the November general election, said he believes voters are looking for a change, from Washington down to Gulfport, and that his small-business background helped.
“I was told when I started this thing, that if I go grass roots, get out and meet people and listen to them, that I could win this thing,” Haney said.”That’s what we did, me and my wife, and we met a lot of great folks. I’d like to thank them for their encouragement and prayers.”

Former teacher and businesswoman Angela Burks Hill defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Sidney”Sid” Albritton, who’s held the District 40 seat since 2004, 52 percent to 48 percent.
“Voters were not satisfied with the representation they had,” Hill said.”We are a conservative community and were not getting conservative representation.”

Hill said she is taking a philosophy of smaller government and less spending to Jackson and”we have to, because we don’t want to see the state going in the same direction as the federal government.”

Sonya Williams-Barnes handily defeated Richard”Kim” Marsh, 59 percent to 41 percent, in unofficial results in the Democratic House District 119 runoff. Williams-Barnes will fill the seat that represents North Gulfport, long held by Rep. Frances Fredericks, who decided not to seek re-election.

Williams-Barnes, co-owner and funeral director at Lockett-Williams Mortuary, said she believes voters could see her determination and desire to serve her community in Jackson.
“I’m just so appreciative that they have faith in me,” Williams-Barnes said.”I know I have big shoes to fill, and know it will take some time for me to fill them, but I’m ready for my feet to grow.”

#Mississppi #South #Mississippi #Gulf #Coast #Greg #Haney #Roger #Ishee #HD118 #Gulfport #Angela #Burks #Hill #Sid #Albritton #SD40 #Sonya #Williams-Barnes #Kim #Marsh #HD119 #Democrats #Republicans #primary #runoff #Frances #Fredericks #Mississippi #Senate #Mississippi #House

Gulfport Mayor to lead PERS Commission

Gulfport mayor to lead group examining Mississippi PERS – WLOX-TV and www.WLOX.com – The News for South Mississippi: www.wlox.com/story/15238417/gulfport-mayor-to-lead…-pers

#PERS #Mississippi #Gulfport #GeorgeShloegel #spending #budget