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

Nash–Speculation Time!

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Speculation Time. We know who will preside over the Senate next year. And we know who the returning Republican senators will be next year (except for Buck Clarke and Giles Ward). In other words, we know those GOP senators who have enough seniority to chair major committees. So, here’s what one hears about committee possibilities:

President pro-tempore — looks like a campaign between Terry Brown and Videt Carmichael.

Appropriations — if not Merle Flowers, then Dean Kirby.

Finance — if not Kirby, then Flowers or Joey Fillingane

Public Health — if Tate Reeves decides against reappointing Democratic Hob Bryan to this post, then either Flowers or Chris McDaniel or Briggs Hopson

Judiciary A — if not Fillingane, then Hopson

Education — if not McDaniel, then Michael Watson

Transportation — if not Billy Hudson, then Perry Lee or Tommy Gollott

Elections/Reapportionment — this is the biggie. Except for the uncertainty of Clarke, only Terry Burton, the chair, is returning to the Senate. The other four Republican members are not coming back. The close friends of Reeves in the Senate constitute a small group, and it becomes even smaller when one considers the ability to chair a major committee. We’ll see.

#Mississippi #Senate #Tate #Reeves #Legislature #Committees #Terry #Brown #Videt #Carmichael #Buck #Clarke #Giles #Ward #Merle #Flowers #Dean #Kirby #Joey #Fillingane #Hob #Bryan #Chris #McDaniels #Briggs #Hopson #Michael #Watson #Billy #Hudson #Perry #Lee #Tommy #Gollott #Terry #Burton

Mississippi municipalities won’t get money from Development Infrastructure Grant Program

Ocean Springs’ major drainage projects on hold | www.gulflive.com: blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2011/08/o….html

OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi — Drainage project plans have been placed on hold after city leaders learned Monday they will not receive a $2 million bond that was allocated last legislative session.

"Essentially the projects we had planned with that money are dead," said Ocean Springs Public Works Director André Kaufman.

Kaufman said his budget mainly consists of maintenance funds and he does not have $2 million for the 6 drainage projects that include work on Washington Avenue, Stark Bayou, Fort Bayou, Shearwater Marsh, Heron Bayou and Old Fort Bayou areas.

"We might have to look at borrowing the money, now," Kaufman said.

Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, introduced the statute in April, known then as Senate Bill 3100.

Kirby said lawmakers added millions of dollars for their areas in section eight of the statute. That section allowed cities to garner money through the Development Infrastructure Grant Program that Mississippi Development Authority distributes for publicly owned infrastructure projects.

Sen. Tommy Moffatt, R-Gautier, was one of those senators and said he added an amendment on the Senate floor to allocate $2 million for the Ocean Springs projects.

"Some of that made it out of committee and some of it did not," Kirby said. "It appears several of those amendments were removed in the House, and Ocean Springs was one of them."

Kirby said even if the money had remained in the statute, Ocean Springs would still receive nothing.

"The bond commission, which consists of the governor, state treasurer and attorney general, have not authorized those bonds," Kirby said. "Without authorization, bonds can’t be sold. There are, effectively, no bonds."

Jackson, Meridian and Holly Springs and other cities in the Delta were also affected, Kirby said.

"We’re not picking on Ocean Springs," Kirby said. "No one got any money."

Kirby then dispelled rumors that Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant requested that the bond committee redirect Ocean Springs’ money to Meridian or any other city.

"Some of the money was already committed to Meridian, but they are not going to get any money either," Kirby said. "Lt. Gov. Phil Byrant has not redirected any money from a city to another and really can’t even do that. He doesn’t have that kind of power. That would be the governor or the Mississippi Development Authority."

#Mississippi #infrastructure #spending #state #bonds #Phil #Bryant #Dean #Kirby #Bond #Commission #Treasurer #Tate #Reeves #Governor #Haley #Barbour #Lt. #Governor #Attorney #General #Jim #Hood #Ocean #Springs #Jackson #Meridian #Holly #Springs #Mississippi #Development #Authority #MDA #Finance #Committee #Legislature #Senate #House #municipalities #SB #3100 #Tommy #Moffatt