Political Report #34
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Magnolia Political Report
December 31, 2002
(Number 34)
MagnoliaReport.com
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Scuttlebutt
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Haley Barbour will be opening up a Mississippi office on County Line Road on January 6, and it won't be for his lobbying firm.
One Democrat operative has suggested that Democrats Marshall Bennett (Treasurer), George Dale (Insurance Commissioner) and Lester Spell (Agriculture Commissioner) may consider running as independents in 2003 out of frustration with the state party. Not likely; however, Democratic Party Chairman Rickey Cole has turned up the cooperation between the party and elected officials. In a recent e-mail from Cole to state Democratic legislators he says "While certainly you have enjoyed the committed support of individual Democratic activists, rarely has the state party as an entity been an effective force in state elections. That is about to change. First, we make two ironclad commitments to you: 1) if you are involved in a contested primary, the party will remain neutral, and will conduct a fair and honest primary election, and 2) if you face a general election opponent, the state party and our county-level partners will give your candidacy the effective, organized support you will need to win. We intend to be the winning team in 2003, and we will have the resources and organization to do the job right."
Earlier this month, Biloxi City Court Judge Eugene Henry told state Representative Jamie Creel (D-Biloxi) that a fine isn't enough punishment for his actions on June 16 after a night of drinking at Cheryl's Bistro and Martini Bar. Creel was sentenced to six months' probation and is barred from lounges or other places where alcohol is served, except the casino where he works, and must participate in an assessment and treatment program for alcohol-related problems. Creel also must pay $270 in fines and restitution. "He's been in my court three times that I know of and they're all related to drinking. At some point, it's got to stop," Henry said in the Biloxi Sun Herald. The judge said he will monitor Creel's case and may consider house arrest. Creel plans to appeal.
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Headlines
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***Senator Terry Burton (District 31) announced Monday morning that he is switching parties from the Democratic to the Republican Party. Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck, Auditor Phil Bryant, Congressman Chip Pickering, Commissioners Nielsen Cochran and Dick Hall, GOP Chairman Jim Herring, Senators Mike Cheney (Vicksburg) and Alan Nunelee (Tupelo) and Dean Kirby (Pearl), Representative Greg Snowden (Meridian), along with other Republicans, were all on hand to receive Burton into the GOP. First elected in 1992, Burton is Chairman of the Universities & Colleges committee and serves on the Appropriations, Education, Highways & Transportation, Insurance, Investigate State Offices, Public Health & Welfare, and Public Utilities committees. Senator Burton was appointed by Lt. Governor Amy Tuck to the Standing Joint Congressional Redistricting Committee, the Legislative Committee on Reapportionment and the State Flag Commission. He serves on the Oversight Committee For Mississippi Home Corporation and The Mississippi College Savings Plan Oversight Committee. He also serves on several national and regional committees, including The Southern Growth Policies Board.
With Burton's switch, the Senate partisan balance stands at 31 Democrats to 21 Republicans. The GOP needs only a five-seat shift to gain control. This is the third senate seat to move to Republicans this year; Senator Videt Carmichael switched parties earlier and Senator Charles Walden won a special election to give the GOP their pre-election year senate gains. Capitol observers list three more senators and six representatives as potential party switchers over the next few months, or at qualifying time.
***Speaker of the House Tim Ford announced on December 18 that he would not seek reelection in 2003, opening up a campaign for the top House post. Representative Billy McCoy (D-Rienzi) has confirmed that he believes were the vote held today, he would be chosen Speaker. McCoy understands that a lot could change between now and January 2004 when the vote for a new speaker will be held after the next election. McCoy claims not only a simple majority but a "strong majority" of the current representatives. Other House members mentioned as possible candidates include Bobby Moody (D-Louisville), Steve Holland (D-Plantersville), Joe Warren (D-Mount Olive) and Jim Simpson (R-Pass Christian). Moody is still in the race, Holland has said he has decided not to run and Simpson said he would run if the membership has trouble choosing among the potential candidates.
Factions to consider in the voting are the old Ford Leadership, the 35 black members, the 33 Republicans, and a potential South Mississippi block seeking to pry power from its traditional seat in the Delta and the Hills. With legislators expecting a 30-50 member turnover in 2003 due to retirement and defeat from redistricting, and frustration over issues like the state flag and tort reform, many are saying a third of the votes for speaker have not even been sworn in yet. There are 122 seats in the Mississippi House and 62 votes makes a simple majority.
***US Senator Trent Lott brought the national news to Mississippi following his controversial birthday compliments to Strom Thurmond. He has announced his resignation as Republican leader, but not before a lot of speculation in the Magnolia State. Politicos discussed the suggestion that if Republicans tossed Lott out of his leadership position, his response would be to resign from the Senate. Were Lott to resign, Democrat Governor Ronnie Musgrove would name a replacement. The names floated out as potential replacements surely solidified Lott's resolve not to resign. Conventional wisdom pointed toward former Second District Congressman Mike Espy. Espy, who served as President Bill Clinton's Secretary of Agriculture before resigning under investigation, would have been the only black currently in the United States Senate and the first black Senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction Republican Hiram Revels. Revels became the first ever black member of the US Senate in 1870 when he went to fill out the term of Jefferson Davis. Espy's appointment was so seriously being considered that he and Musgrove met for a private talk at the height of the resignation speculation.
Another potential candidate was former Governor William Winter. Winter challenged Thad Cochran, then a freshman senator, for reelection in 1984 but lost 61% to 39%. Winter served on President Clinton's nationwide commission on race. The senior statesmen of the Mississippi Democratic Party, Winter would have been a safe choice, but Republicans were already licking their chops at running against "Mississippi's Mondale," referencing Winter's progressive politics and the recent Minnesota Senate election. Other names included outgoing Congressman Ronnie Shows; prominent trial lawyer Richard Scruggs, Lott's wife's brother-in-law; and even former National Republican Chairman Haley Barbour, which would remove him from challenging Musgrove for governor in 2003. Republicans close to Lott claim the resignation talk was never serious. Perhaps it was just a leaked possibility to use as a bargaining chip in the high stakes game of political poker. Lott, seeing he didn't have the cards was forced to fold, but he didn't leave the table.
Lott remains in the Senate and currently serves on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Finance; and Rules and Administration Committees. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Senators and their aides say that nobody so far is stepping aside to offer Lott a subcommittee chairmanship, let alone a full committee gavel…A better fit for Lott might be the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine panel, which Gordon H. Smith of Oregon is in line to head. From that perch Lott could influence Amtrak and Coast Guard policy, as well as guard against changes to the Title XI Maritime Loan Guarantee program, which benefits his state´s shipyards. Lott also has been a backer of Amtrak passenger rail service, which serves his state. A Smith spokeswoman said the topic has not been discussed yet but that her boss might be willing to vacate, depending on the consolation prize."
***Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck met with about 150 DeSoto County Republicans recently in her tour of the state following her switch to the GOP earlier this month. Among those turning out to meet Tuck and Republican Party Chairman Jim Herring were DeSoto Sheriff James Albert Riley (first elected as a Democrat in 1983 and switched to the GOP in 1995), state senator Bill Minor (D-Holly Springs), DeSoto NAACP Secretary Gemenie Bowdre, Southaven Mayor Greg Davis, Olive Branch Mayor Sam Rikard, Hernando alderman and Republican Executive Committee Member Ellen Jernigan and Hernando Mayor Ed Gale, according to published reports. Bill Hawks, the GOP nominee against then Democrat Tuck in 1999, carried his home county of DeSoto by 75 percent. Hawks, now Undersecretary for Agriculture in the Bush Administration, has indicated he is keeping his 2003 options open.
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Campaign 2003
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Senate 42 - Vince Scoper (R-Laurel) announced Monday that he would not seek re-election for his District 42 seat in the state senate. Scoper will enter his 28th year in the Legislature in January when the 2003 session opens. He served eight years in the state House and 20 years in the Senate. Scoper became the first Republican elected to public office in Jones County since Reconstruction when he was elected to the Jones County Election Commission.
House 25 & 26 - The Clarksdale Press Register reports that State Representatives John Mayo (D-Clarksdale, Dist 25) and Chuck Espy (D-Clarksdale, Dist 26) both plan on seeking second terms in 2003.
House 53 - Lincoln County CPA Richard Baker III (R-Brookhaven) plans to challenge Incumbent Booby Moak (D-Bogue Chitto) for the House 53 district that includes portions of Lincoln, Franklin, Lawrence, Pike and Amite counties. Baker is a partner with the firm of Baker-Patrick and Company.
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Local Political News
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Booneville: Special Judge Robert Childers of New Albany, presiding over the DUI trial of Prentiss County Supervisor Glenn Green, said officers failed to prove Green was sufficiently impaired to drive and dismissed the case. Defense attorneys Joey Langston and Bubba Lott did not call Green or any other witnesses. Green was arrested October 11 for refusing to take a breath analyzer test after being stopped at a roadblock in Booneville. Officers said they asked Green to pull his county vehicle to the side of the road after noticing the smell of alcohol. Childers presided due to the recusal of a Booneville City Court judge.
Canton: India-born Ward 3 Alderman Surendra Kumar "S.K." Desai died unexpectedly recently of cardiac arrest due to pancreatitis. Desai first took office in December of 2001 in a special election and served for 11 months before being re-elected to a full term in the recent Oct. 22 election. Desai claimed to have made history by becoming the first Indian-American to be elected to a public office in the state of Mississippi. A special election will be held to fill the empty post.
George County: The Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance has recommended a public reprimand and a $150 fine against Justice Court Judge Connie Glenn Wilkerson who said in a letter-to-the-editor in the George County Times that homosexuals should be put in a mental institution. The ethics complaint was filed by Lambda Legal on behalf of Equality Mississippi, a gay civil rights group. The state Supreme Court will determine if Wilkerson will be punished.
Pascagoula: Officials with the Jackson County and Ocean Springs Chambers of Commerce hosted a reception for US Senator Trent Lott and his family Monday at the Jackson County Civic Center. Jerry St. Pe', Dr. Paul Moore Sr, Mickey Williams and Louis Peters were co-chairmen for the event.
Rankin County: Chancery Clerk Murphy Adkins has been awarded the State Auditor's Distinguished Public Servant Award at a recent Rankin County Board of Supervisors meeting. Auditor Phil Bryant presented the award to a surprised Adkins.
Vicksburg: Outgoing Warren County Judge Gerald Hosemann was temporarily suspended Friday by the Mississippi Supreme Court while a judicial watchdog agency investigates a complaint against him. The suspension is for two days. Hosemann's last day in office is today. He was defeated for re-election in November. The Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance sought the suspension after Hosemann came under criticism for dismissing 15 drunken driving cases Dec. 10 when neither a prosecutor nor an assistant showed up for court. The Supreme Court, in a 6-1 order (McRae dissenting), suspended Hosemann with pay pending resolution of the complaint.
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Round Up
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The December 2002/January 2003 edition of Campaigns & Elections Magazine lists the best, worst, winners and losers in the annual "Follies" section. The list notes "Best Showing by a Winning US Senate Candidate" as "Incumbent Thad Cochran (R) of Mississippi won re-election with 85 percent of the vote."
Marshall Ramsey has published a collection of his editorial cartoons from the Clarion Ledger entitled "Marshall Ramsey's Greatest Hits." The front cover features a cartoon of Kirk Fordice, Mike Moore, Ronnie Musgrove, "Election Man Harvey Johnson" and Trent Lott all ready to exact vengeance on the unsuspecting Ramsey (a twist on his cartoon "Day One of Fordice's Retirement" as the ex-governor is laying in wait for Bert Case). The foreword is by former First Lady Pat Fordice and the book features 9/11 pieces (for which Ramsey was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize), WorldCom toons, the Electionman Series and jabs at Fordice, Musgrove, Moore and the Legislature. George W. Bush, Al Gore, Chip Pickering, Ronnie Shows, and some of the recently dearly departed have their appearances in the book as well. Pick it up at the Clarion Ledger web site or at your local bookstore.
Former Chip Pickering Press Secretary Quinton Dickerson sent out fun Christmas cards this year. Often times Christmas cards indicate future political plans, this year the Dickerson Family card had Quinton and his wife Becca standing in front of the Capitol with the question, "Just in time for the Holidays, guess who's running for office?" Inside the card revealed a picture of the Dickerson dogs Ellis and Maddie (Cavalier King Charles spaniels) with a sign reading "Vote Ellis for Dog Catcher: Conservative...Neutered...Angry." In case you're wondering, a disclaimer on the back of the card reports, "Not printed or mailed at taxpayer expense. No animals were harmed in the making of this photograph."
The Mississippi Economic Council will host "A Capital Day" legislative reception January 9 at Dennery's Restaurant in Jackson. The event is designed to allow business leaders from across the state to visit with legislators, legislative leaders and other elected officials during the first week of the regular legislative session.
Janice Broome Brooks, the Mississippi Department of Human Services executive director, announced her resignation earlier this month. Brooks will return to Virginia where she lived before moving back to her native Mississippi to head DHS. She is the fifth department head to leave state government since August. Governor Musgrove appointed Brooks in November 2000 following the firing of Bettye Ward Fletcher. Musgrove named DHS deputy administrator Thelma Brittain as interim director.
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Party Lines
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"BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER - Amy Tuck might as well have sung "Stand by Your Man" today as she and a few Trent Lott hangers-on gathered at the state capitol to defend the indefensible. It is no surprise that the Lieutenant Governor would rush to defend her new-found leader. Her decision to switch parties was driven in part by her desire to pander to the diehard racist element among white voters who disapprove of the Democratic Party's commitment to civil rights and equal justice under law. In 1948, Hubert Humphrey urged the Democratic Party "to walk forthrightly into the right sunshine of human rights." Fifty-four years later, many Americans in both parties want to see our nation move into that sunshine, where the American dream can thrive and all Americans can achieve their fullest potential. Mr. Lott and his apologists have demonstrated that they have a lot of catching up to do. Every public figure in America, regardless of party, region, or ideology, should take this opportunity to repudiate any and all campaign strategies that appeal to bigotry. That is the real lesson to be learned from this situation, a lesson that transcends the personalities and politics involved." - Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Rickey Cole in a December 18, 2002 Press Release
"It is appalling the Democrat Party chairman would play the race card in a shameful attempt at political gain. Unlike the Democrat Party, the Mississippi Republican Party believes we are not just a bunch of special interest groups who call ourselves Americans, but one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Bankrupt of ideas, the Democrat Party in Mississippi is left to outrageous accusations and name-calling. Chairman Cole's tirade against the majority of voters in this state who elected Senator Lott and Lt. Governor Tuck shows how desperate and out of touch the Democrat Party in Mississippi has become. As we enter another campaign season, Mississippians should beware of political organizations that use fear and division to appeal to voters." - Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Jim Herring in a December 18, 2002 Press Statement
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Final Word
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"He's going to be able to serve as Republican leader of the Senate as long as he wants to. I don't know of anyone who is planning to challenge him." - US Senator Thad Cochran on Trent Lott's Leadership Position, WLBT: May 13, 2002
"In the interest of pursuing the best possible agenda for the future of our country, I will not seek to remain as majority leader of the United States Senate for the 108th Congress, effective Jan. 6, 2003. To all those who offered me their friendship, support and prayers, I will be eternally grateful. I will continue to serve the people of Mississippi in the United States Senate." - US Senator Trent Lott: December 20, 2002
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Magnolia Political Report, 2002
Josh Gregory, Editor
MagnoliaReport.com
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© Magnolia Political Report 2002 • PO Box 24233 Jackson, Mississippi 39225
FAX 601.355.7885 • scoop@magnoliareport.com
Josh Gregory, Editor |
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