Bryant stops at steel mill as part of Jobs Tour

- The Dispatch: www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=13066

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, spoke at Severstal Thursday as part of his Jobs Tour, a multi-city jaunt which has led him from furniture factories to solar panel plants to chemical companies across the state.

Bryant touted the benefits of manufacturing in the state, saying that Severstal, and companies like it, benefit communities not only by their presence, but also by the ancillary companies they attract.

As part of an overall jobs creation plan, Bryant is pushing a strategy he believes will help Mississippi develop and recruit new businesses and industries. Key facets of the plan include keeping corporate taxes low, eliminating inventory tax and promoting workforce training throughout the state.

"Ronald Reagan said, ‘I think the best overall social program is a job,’" Bryant said. "Considering our economy under the Obama Administration, those words may be more true now than when Reagan said them."

Bryant’s plan has scored praise from the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, the Associated General Contractors, Associated Builders and Contractors and the Mississippi Association of Realtors and Homebuilders Association of Mississippi.

"We’re extremely pleased to support Phil Bryant for governor because of his experience in supporting existing industry and in bringing new industry to our state," said Jay Moon, president and CEO of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association. "Phil won’t be starting from scratch, and he’s worked to develop new job opportunities all over the state."

John Bass, MMA’s director of government affairs, said his organization supports Bryant because of his track record in following through on promises to cut taxes, recruit new business and industry and create a "fair legal climate" for employers.

"If Mississippi is to grow and prosper, even during a national economic downturn, we must have someone with the right experience and right ideas about how to bring more jobs and opportunities to the people of our state," Bass said.

#Mississippi #Phil #Bryant #Governor #job #growth #Severstal #MMA #AGC #ABC #MAR #HAM #Jay #Moon

Bryant attracts more key endorsements, kicks off &#145Jobs Tour’

| Phil Bryant: philbryant.com/index.php?p=630

OLIVE BRANCH – Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, today announced a series of endorsements from business associations that represent a broad spectrum of employment in Mississippi.

Kicking off the first of his three-day Jobs Tour across the state, Bryant also used the opportunity to detail his job-creation strategy.
“We’re extremely pleased to support Phil Bryant for Governor because of his experience in supporting existing industry and in bringing new industry to our state,” said Jay Moon, president and CEO of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association.”Phil won’t be starting from scratch, and he’s worked to develop new job opportunities all over the state.”

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) and the Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) announced their endorsement of Bryant on Tuesday, joining the Homebuilders Association of Mississippi and the Mississippi Association of Realtors as representatives of major drivers in the state’s economy who are backing Bryant for Governor.
“The reason all five of these key pro-business groups are endorsing Phil Bryant for Governor is that we all collectively believe that Phil Bryant is the best candidate for Governor to reach the goal he has set to make Mississippi the most job-friendly state in America.”

Bryant’s job creation strategy delves into various facets that affect Mississippi’s ability to develop or recruit new businesses and industries, from a commitment to keep corporate taxes low and the elimination of a punitive inventory tax to measures to protect jobs for Mississippians and a forward-thinking push to ensure Mississippi trains it’s workforce for the jobs needed to improve every area of the state.

#Mississippi #Politics #Phil #Bryant #Governor #Endorsements #Republican #MMA #HAM #MAR #AGC #ABC

Delbert Hosemann puts one Rebel on the Ballot, and kicks another one off

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann has sided with Democrat Jim Hood on the Election Commission to remove Todd Wade from the ballot for Senate District 9 in a 2-1 vote with Phil Bryant voting that he believed Wade to be qualified. Wade is a Republican as is Bryant and Hosemann. Word is that Hosemann brought up the issue outside of the statutory number of days allowed for such a challenge, and did so despite no formal challenge from Wade’s Democrat opponent Gray Tollison.

Wade played football at Ole Miss and now lives in Oxford. More to come on this as details become available.

One funny irony is that Hosemann allowed that one Rebel be allowed to stay on the ballot. Initiative Measure 37 was allowed to move forward. The Initiative allows for a petition for a ballot initiative to maintain Colonel Reb as the mascot at Ole Miss. Initiative Measure # 37: www.colonelrebpac.com/Initiative37.php

Hosemann certified Wade for the primary earlier this year.

One has to wonder why Hosemann would bend the constitution by bringing this up outside the statutory time limit to kick a fellow Republican off the ballot, when last year he was touting the constitution and the rule of law in punting redistricting to 2012.

No word yet on whether Wade will file suit.

#Todd #Wade #Mississippi #Delbert #Hosemann #Secretary #of #State #Rule #of #Law #Colonel #Reb #Ole #Miss #Oxford #SD9 #Gray #Tollison #Phil #Bryant #Jim #Hood #Republicans #Democrats

Three tiered turnover first since ’76

NEMS360.com – : www.nems360.com/view/full_story/15479671/article-T…olumn

JACKSON – In January 1976, Jimmy Carter was winning the Iowa caucuses to set the stage for his surprise run to the presidency.

Mississippi, meanwhile, was swearing in a new governor, lieutenant governor and speaker. It’s the last time the three most powerful positions in state government changed hands simultaneously – until January 2012.

Gov. Haley Barbour, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and House Speaker Billy McCoy are all leaving their current positions, an unusual triple turnover. But the potential replacements – including Bryant as a possible governor – aren’t necessarily strangers to the scene.
“For most people involved, it’s not their first time around the track, just like it was not in ’76,” said Rep. Tommy Reynolds, D-Water Valley, who entered the House in January 1980, but remembers the events of January 1976.”There may be a few rough edges to begin with, but I don’t think experience will be a problem.
“If there is a problem, it will be policy and the execution of that policy. But let’s hope for good things.”

Republican Bryant and Democratic Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree are vying to replace Barbour, who is term limited. Treasurer Tate Reeves won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in August and faces no major party opposition in November.

Assorted House members are positioning themselves to replace Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, who after two terms as the chamber’s presiding officer is not seeking re-election.

In 1976, District Attorney Cliff Finch of Batesville was the surprise winner of the gubernatorial seat, replacing Bill Waller, while Evelyn Gandy of Hattiesburg captured the lieutenant governor’s post that was vacant because incumbent William Winter opted to run for governor. C.B.”Buddie” Newman of Valley Park was elected speaker for the first of three terms.

Ed Perry of Oxford, who served in the House from 1968 until January 2000, said of the new faces,”I don’t think we thought about it much one way or the other back then … Everything was so much different then. There was not the partisan differences we had today. People did not have to answer to party leadership.”

Winter agreed, saying,”The big difference is that we did not have the political parties that exist now. It was almost a matter of individual leadership rather than choosing sides on the basis of party.”

#Mississippi #Haley #Barbour #Phil #Bryant #Billy #McCoy #Governor #Speaker #Lt. #Governor #Democrats #Republican #Legislature #politics #campaigns #elections #Tommy #Reynolds #Johnny #Dupree #Cliff #Finch

Budget–Performance still the goal

| The Clarion-Ledger | www.clarionledger.com: www.clarionledger.com/article/20110909/OPINION01/1…ome|s

The unusual turnover in key leadership positions of state government has raised questions about how the budget process should proceed. Officials working on the budget now will be turning over that responsibility to a new crop of budget-writers in January.

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant is the current chairman of the 14-member Joint Legislative Budget Committee, but he won’t be lieutenant governor. He is the Republican nominee for governor, facing Democrat Johnny DuPree, independent Will Oatis and possibly a Reform Party candidate in the Nov. 8 election.

State Treasurer Tate Reeves is headed for the lieutenant governor’s office, facing only nominal opposition, and will choose key budget-writers in the Senate.

House Speaker Bill McCoy, D-Rienzi, is retiring, and the speaker’s race will hinge on the makeup of the House after the Nov. 8 elections. Whoever is the next speaker will appoint key fiscal leaders from that body.

Bryant had proposed canceling this year’s budget hearings and limiting the process. That would not have been the right approach. Had the hearings been postponed, it could have placed a hardship on incoming legislators who would be playing catch-up with new committee assignments, a new governor and new speaker. They would be lacking budget specifics.

So, it’s best that the committee announced Wednesday that it will hold public hearings Sept. 19-22 at the Woolfolk State Office Building, near the Capitol in Jackson.

Bryant is on the right track, however, when it comes to his proposals for more performance-based budgeting. It’s not a new idea and, admittedly, the record on such accountability isn’t very good. But, it has not been given much of a chance.

#Mississippi #budget #Phil #Bryant #Tate #Reeves #Billy #McCoy #Legislature #Johnny #Dupree #Lt. #Governor #Governor #Treasurer

Jim Ellis thinks Phil Bryant is “headed for a landslide” victory in Governor’s race

Jim Ellis Insights: jimellisinsights.wordpress.com

#Mississippi #Phil #Bryant #Governor #Republican #Johnny #Dupree #politics #elections

Mississippi lawmakers set Sept. 19-22 public hearings to start planning budget for coming year

| The Republic: www.therepublic.com/view/story/61f4a6842d714c7faf0…udget

JACKSON, Miss. — Top lawmakers meet later this month to start planning Mississippi’s budget — a process they’ll hand off to new legislators who take office in January.

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee announced Wednesday that it will hold public hearings Sept. 19-22 at the Woolfolk state office building, near the Capitol in downtown Jackson.

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant is the Republican nominee for governor and current chairman of the 14-member committee. He said he wanted to cancel the budget hearings this fall because several committee members — including him — won’t return next year.

Democratic House Speaker Billy McCoy of Rienzi, who’s not seeking re-election, said the fall budget hearings are an obligation and they give the public a chance to hear how tax dollars might be spent on everything from public health to prisons to education.

"We have a responsibility to fulfill our duty until the last hour we’re there," McCoy told The Associated Press Wednesday.

The fall hearings produce a set of recommendations that can either be followed or ignored by the new legislators.

#Mississippi #Budget #Legislature #Billy #McCoy #Phil #Bryant #Joint #Legislative #Budget #Committee

Budget Early planning necessary

| The Clarion-Ledger | www.clarionledger.com: www.clarionledger.com/article/20110907/OPINION01/1…ion|p

Bryant proposed that the hearings be cancelled and instead that the committee meet with Gov. Haley Barbour to adopt a revenue estimate in November. Bryant says it would save taxpayers $20,000.

Of course, it would also cut out the early planning on the critical budget issues lawmakers face.

Perhaps it’s just a coincidence that Democratic House Speaker Billy McCoy is not seeking re-election and this would be his last budget. Or that Republicans hope to elect a speaker in January.

Or that right now Republicans hold the Governor’s Mansion, as well as the lieutenant governor’s job, and that of state treasurer, all of whom have a hand in setting the budget.

That could change Nov. 8.

If, for example, Democrats were elected to the contested posts, they would be looking at a budget defined by their opponents. One could see this as a power grab by Republicans before the election.

But let’s just assume that it’s an innocent proposal, as Bryant says, to just save taxpayers money. What does it accomplish?

Foremost, it sets legislators back a couple of months in formulating a budget.

Both chambers need to see what programs, policies and personnel requests are being made, from education to law enforcement to roads and bridges.

#Mississippi #Governor #Legislature #budget #House #Senate #Phil #Bryant #Billy #McCoy #Republicans #Democrats #elections #spending

McDaniel–Ruling allows healthcare suit its journey in court

» Columns » Leader Call: leadercall.com/columns/x1095937624/Ruling-allows-h…court

LAUREL — Last year, a group of Mississippi citizens, including Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, asked my firm to file the nation’s first private class action petition designed to challenge the federal government’s new healthcare law.

The United States Justice Department, lead by Attorney General Eric Holder, responded with an extensive Motion to Dismiss, asking the federal court to reject our claims. More than 250 pages of legal briefing were then presented to the court for consideration.

Last week, after a detailed review of the record, United States District Court Judge Keith Starrett denied the government’s motion, providing us a legal victory by allowing the petitioners to proceed.

#Mississippi #Chris #McDaniel #Laurel #Jones #County #Phil #Bryant #Obamacare #Health #Care #AG #Eric #Holder #Judge #Keith #Starrett #DOJ

Barbour warns of GOP apathy

- www.sunherald.com: www.sunherald.com/2011/09/03/3398604_p2/group-want….html

In a letter to state Republican leaders, outgoing Gov. Haley Barbour urged them to focus on helping fund and win state House and Senate seats and warned against failure to turn out the GOP vote for governor.
“If we motivate and organize our base this fall, we will have much to celebrate,” Barbour wrote.”However, I want to remind everyone of 1999 when we were overconfident and in places like DeSoto County our turnout dropped by more than 50 percent from four years before. I am concerned that in Republican stronghold counties … we run the same risk as in 1999. Many of the local races were already decided in the primary and in South Mississippi many people assume that Phil Bryant has already won … make no mistake the National Democrats are highly motivated to win back the governorship and I expect they will send money and people to affect the race.”

#Mississippi #GOP #Republicans #Phil #Bryant #Democrats #Elections #Haley #Barbour #Desoto #County #voter #turnout