**************************************************** Magnolia Political Report #65
August 15, 2005
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Partnership for partisanship
A joint House-Senate committee held hearings last week to learn more about the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi. Some Republicans were disappointed the hearings were held in the first place.
Governor Haley Barbour, Medicaid and the Healthcare Trust Fund have filed a motion to overturn a Jackson County Chancery Judge’s decision five years ago that diverts $20 million a year off the top of the tobacco settlement to the Partnership. The legislative PEER Committee has said the order is unconstitutional, but no one acted until now. Now that they have, most believe Mike Moore, Attorney General Jim Hood and the rest of the Partnership’s supporters have a weak hand in court. That’s where the hearings come in.
Just before the initial hearing on the motion in Jackson County Chancery Court, Attorney General Jim Hood introduced a letter from Speaker Billy McCoy and Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck announcing they were forming a committee to study the Partnership. The letter gave Hood a basis to argue the court should delay ruling on the constitutionality of the Partnership. The judge agreed with him, but her ruling was overturned by the state Supreme Court the day before the legislative hearings were scheduled.
The hearings went ahead as planned, nevertheless, with a roomful of people on the Partnership’s payroll and a bevy of witnesses testifying on behalf of the Partnership. Former Attorney General Mike Moore and current Attorney General Jim Hood led off for the Partnership.
Moore’s arguments centered on his view of the Partnership’s effectiveness and why it should remain a private organization. He didn’t address the merits of the arguments against the constitutionality of the Partnership’s funding. Interestingly, he opened his remarks by thanking legislative leaders for calling the hearing “at our request.”
Attorney General Jim Hood began by saying he was “setting partisanship aside” because of his deep respect for “our constitutions, our courts and our law.” Hood took a partisan jab by noting, “I’m really proud of our Speaker and Lt. Gov. for appointing this committee; particularly our lieutenant governor, who probably went against the wishes of her party and our governor.”
Hood was later rebuked by Sen. Terry Burton for taking more political shots at Governor Haley Barbour and Treasurer Tate Reeves by criticizing them for hiring outside lawyers that charge legal fees higher than the AG’s office (the AG’s office declined to represent them in the motion to intervene). One of Governor Barbour’s staffers noted later that Hood was on thin ice with the charge because he recently awarded his largest campaign contributor a $15 million legal fee for representing the state in the MCI settlement.
Others were amused when Hood argued, "We don't need to dump this in the lap of the court. They are already overburdened." They didn't hesitate to point out that he has never been concerned about courts being overburdened with junk lawsuits.
The main thrust of Hood’s arguments seemed to be that the motion to intervene was threatening his authority as AG since it was filed without his consent. Hood went so far as to ask the committee to file a joint resolution asking Governor Barbour to stop his legal action until the committee has time to act.
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Race for Speaker off to an early start
Speaker Billy McCoy battled well-publicized health problems last year. According to those who attended the Fourth of July event in Jacinto this year, McCoy’s health is still not good. Reportedly, he didn’t stay long in the July heat and had to be helped to and from the stage. To those around the state capitol, McCoy’s fragile health is apparent. It’s been conventional wisdom that he wouldn’t run for another term in the House. However, just before the Neshoba County Fair, McCoy began making calls to House members to test the waters for another run for Speaker.
In turn, a few legislators began contacting others on behalf of Rep. Jeff Smith of Columbus, shortly after McCoy, to gauge Smith’s chances for his own bid for Speaker of the House in 2007. Smith is a Democrat from Columbus who chairs Judiciary B (tort reform went to Ed Blackmon’s Judiciary A Committee) in the House and is influential on the Ways & Means Committee. Known for his handle-bar mustache, Smith is a favorite Democrat of House Republicans and the business community. A successful Smith bid for Speaker would be backed by Republicans, conservative to moderate Democrats and a handful of others in the House. If Smith succeeds in knocking-off McCoy, it would cause a dramatic shift in the Mississippi House of Representatives, from the populism of McCoy to the pro-business conservatism of Smith.
In the end, the race for Speaker won't likely be tight since most members will jump on the winning team as soon as the victor becomes apparent. In the interim though, the race could be a barn burner. Sixty-two members make a majority in the 122-member house. There are 47 Republicans in the chamber, only one of which is said to be leaning against Smith. About half a dozen House Democrats will naturally gravitate toward Smith because they share his philosophy. Other moderate Democrats and a member or two of the Legislative Black Caucus are disenchanted by McCoy because of what they perceive as either poor leadership or an inclination toward the left of the House.
Though it will be almost two and a half years before it is decided, the race has started. There will be plenty of horse-trading going on by McCoy and Smith. McCoy has the advantage of incumbency, but don’t count Smith out.
Rating the legislature
BIPEC, the Business and Industrial Political Education Committee, released their legislative scorecard for the 2004 session. The group scores legislators based on key votes for business and industry. Legislator Grades '05
Dowdy riles conservative Dems
State Democratic Party Chairman, Wayne Dowdy, drew attention from conservative members of his own party with his recent comments in the Clarion Ledger’s “Sunday Morning with” feature. Dowdy wrote that a handful of “timid Democrats” in the Senate who vote with Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck and Travis Little perhaps “will not be certified by our party to run as Democrats in the future.” Reportedly, at least one of the Senators the comment was aimed at was angry about the remark and threatened to bolt the party if the talk continues.
Is Pierce switching?
Former State Rep. Bubba Pierce, who Governor Haley Barbour appointed to a Chancery Judge post earlier this year, was recently spotted at a Jackson County GOP featuring U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL). Pierce also spent time at the Neshoba County Fair cabin of a well-known Republican activist during a lunch that was hosted for Barbour administration staffers and officials.
In a side note, Max Phillips also attended the Jackson County GOP event. Phillips was the Republican nominee for Commissioner of Agriculture in 2003. Current Ag Commissioner, Lester Spell, who recently switched to GOP, was also at the event. Phillips’ presence was seen by many as a signal he intends to run for the job again in 2007 – this time matching up with Spell in a primary.
Neshoba County Fair
Without any high profile elections this year, the Neshoba County Fair was a little more subdued than usual. None of the state’s congressional delegation spoke. Neither did Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, Auditor Phil Bryant or Insurance Commissioner George Dale. To fill the void, the Neshoba County Fair board invited Mississippi’s living former governors to speak. Only Bill Allain declined.
Governor Bill Waller led off. The folksy Waller, wearing a sear-sucker suit, was tailor-made for the fair crowd. Waller took the legislature to task for encroaching on executive branch authority; he called for a stronger chief executive and a smaller legislature. Notably, the Democrat Waller lauded Republican Governor Haley Barbour and suggested that Magnolia State voters should re-elect him “by acclamation” if Barbour doesn’t run for President.
Governor William Winter delivered what he said was probably his final speech at the fair. Governor Ronnie Musgrove left the crowd a little confused after he began his speech by quoting Tennyson and ended it by quoting the Gettysburg Address in its entirety. Afterwards, he said it was the speech he always wanted to give.
Governor Ray Mabus probably got more attention for his speech than any of the other former governors. Mabus’ speech, which took the Barbour administration to task for a range of what he deemed shortcomings, was well-written and well-delivered. The speech left many in the audience wondering if he was considering another run for the state’s highest office.
For extensive quotes from the speeches, see quotable quotes below. To listen to the speeches click on the links below.
Secretary of State, Eric Clark, fell short in his bid to become IHL Commissioner. The job pays $325,000 a year, plus another $25,0000 annually for living expenses. One can’t blame Clark, who makes $90.000 a year as Secretary of State, for pursuing the job.
Had Clark gotten the job, it would have opened up all sorts of interesting possibilities in Mississippi politics. Much of the speculation centered on whether or not Gov. Haley Barbour would appoint Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck to Clark’s position. Tuck is term limited as lieutenant governor, so the post would have given her a statewide office from which to continue her political career. As it stands now, in the game of musical chairs, Tuck is going to be the odd-person out when the music stops in 2008.
Clark has also been in the news lately for his decision to award Diebold Election Systems a $15 million contract to supply voting machines to Mississippi counties. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requires every county in the nation to replace outdated voting equipment by January, 2006. The Act was passed by Congress in the wake of the Florida election fiasco in 2000.
Only 7 Mississippi counties currently meet HAVA standards. Counties opting in to the program will get free voting machines from the state to help meet the requirements. Ninety-five percent of the cost of the machines is paid for by the federal government with the other five percent coming from the state. As of August 17th, 64 of Mississippi’s 82 counties had decided to participate in the program. Counties have until August 19th to opt in or out.
Clark’s decision to use a sole source vendor caused an outcry from vocal elements of his own party. Former Democratic Party Chairman, Rickey Cole, was one of Clark’s loudest opponents on the issue. The current Democrat Party Executive Director, Keelan Sanders, also questioned Clark’s decision published in an article on the pages of the left-wing Jackson Free Press, saying Diebold should be “viewed with suspicion.”
Opponents of Clark’s latched onto several issues. In tests conducted in California and several other states, the machines had a high failure rate. Clark says he has investigated the tests and is not concerned about it. In a move to satisfy critics, Clark negotiated with Diebold to include printers that will allow voters to see a hard-copy of their ballots. Some Democrats in the state were leery of Diebold’s history of contributing to Republican candidates and their CEO’s support of President George W. Bush’s re-election last year.
Clark’s decision is probably a good move for the state’s voters. Though there are some concern about high failure rates, electronic voting machines make voter fraud much more difficult – though not impossible. Clark’s addition of printers to the systems gives voters even greater confidence that our ballots are being counted properly.
Do they sell Big Macs in Tanzania?
Former Mississippi Republican Party Chairman, Mike Retzer, has been appointed ambassador to Tanzania by President George W. Bush. The African nation is a plum appointment. Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Victoria and some great beaches are all located within the east African nation.
Retzer chaired the state GOP in the late 70’s and early 80’s and again from 1996 through 2001. He’s held the post of National Committeeman for the state GOP since 2001. In 2000, Retzer chaired the Bush campaign in five Southern states. He became Treasurer of the Republican National Committee in 2003.
Dems mixing it up
Since Sam Hall has been hired by the Mississippi Democratic Party as its new communications director, the GOP and Dems have been issuing dueling press releases. It’s a new phenomena in Mississippi politics. In the past decade, Mississippi Democrats had virtually ceded the field to the better-funded and better-organized Mississippi Republican Party.
The Dems have been attacking Gov. Barbour’s almost every move. Republicans have shot back at Speaker Billy McCoy and U.S. Rep. Bennie Thomson. Thompson gave them plenty of ammunition when he told radio show host Paul Gallo that “we should start talking to our enemy” during a conversation about international terrorism and when he hosted a “Second Chance Expungement Summit” to help criminals get back their voting rights.
A Lott of history?
Sen. Trent Lott’s memoir will be available on August 23rd. Lott candidly recounts the events surrounding his loss of the Majority Leader’s post at the end of 2002. Some of his Senate colleagues may not be happy because Lott apparently doesn’t pull punches in the upcoming book. Though much of the buzz about the book centers on the fallout from Sen. Lott’s comments at Strom Thurmond’s birthday party, Magnolia State readers will also be fascinated by Lott’s account of his rise to the Senate’s most powerful position.
Trent Lott Book Tour: Herding Cats
Monday, August 29 - 7:00 p.m.
Books and Company
Brookwood Village
Birmingham, AL
Tuesday, August 30 - 6:00 p.m.
Davis Books
Perkins Road
Memphis, TN
Wednesday, August 31 - 4:30 p.m.
Lemuria Books
Banner Hall
Jackson, MS
Thursday, September 1 - 5:00 p.m.
Square Books
On the Square
Oxford, MS
Rumor Mill
State Rep. Rickey Cummins is telling people he’ll be challenging Northern District Transportation Commission Bill Minor in 2007. Cummings is a 3 term representative from Iuka. Minor, a former state senator from Marshall County, was elected to the post in 2003 after the retirement of Zach Stewart.
Another rumor making its way across the Magnolia State is that Rep. Steve Holland will be running for Northern District Public Service Commissioner in 2007. It’s uncertain whether incumbent Bo Robinson will run for re-election. Robinson has battled health and legal issues for the past few years.
State Senator Ed Morgan (R – Hattiesburg) is reportedly considering challenging Southern Transportation Commissioner Wayne Brown.
Rep. Charlie Capps, Jr. retired on June 30th after 32 years of service in the state legislature. For much of that career, Capps was one of the most powerful figures at the capitol, serving as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee for 16 years. After Billy McCoy ascended to the Speaker’s podium in 2004, Capps was stripped of much of his power in retaliation for Capps’ lack of support of McCoy in the race for Speaker.
Several have lined up to run in the August 30th special election. One name will be instantly recognizable to constituents of the Delta district – Charlie Capps, III, the son of the longtime lawmaker. The younger Capps is the co-owner of an insurance agency with his father. It surely won't hurt that his father is beloved in the Bolivar county based district that also reaches into Washington and Sunflower counties.
Though Capps must be considered the favorite, it won't be a cakewalk. To carry on the family legacy, Capps, III will have to get by Cleveland attorney, David Norquist; Republican hopeful, Wanda Ray; and Levi Boone, a Cleveland attorney and real-estate developer.
Norquist has already unofficially thrown his hat in the ring, apparently with the backing of Speaker Billy McCoy, the State Democratic Party and the new editor of the Delta Democrat Times, Ross Reily. In an effort to boost his campaign, Speaker McCoy recently said Norquist was “instrumental” in the passage of the economic development bond bill for Baxter. During the special session to consider the bill, Mississippi Democratic Party Communications Director, Sam Hall, was spotted showing Norquist around the capitol.
Boone’s late entry into the race changes things. Boone is an African American running in a district that has a black voting age population of 38 percent. Before he got into the race, the state Democratic Party would have presumably used their resources to target the black vote for Norquist. Now that Boone is in the race, that may no longer be the case.
Gearing up in Waynesboro
Rep. Joe Taylor’s House District 86 was opened on June 30th when Taylor became mayor of Waynesboro. Several candidates are already gearing up for the August 30th special election. Waynesboro attorney Shera Hillman-Lane apparently has the nod from the state’s Democratic apparatus and plaintiffs’ attorneys. Albert Busby of Strengthford is being considered by the state’s business community, who believe he’ll be business-friendly due to his experience as a manager at Masonite. Fred Stanley, the owner of a small loan business, has also thrown has hat in the ring. Any of these three has the potential to win the election. Sam Britton, was has unsuccessfully run several times before, is also eyeing another run. Wayne Allen and Johnel Rogers, both of Waynesboro, are also running for the seat.
Southwest Mississippi showdown
Rep. David Green abruptly resigned his House District 96 seat on May 31. Governor Barbour has called an August 30th special election to fill the seat. Wilkinson County dominates the district. Significant pieces of Adams and Amite are also included as well as a small portion of Pike County.
Angela Cockerham, an attorney who practices with State Democratic Party Chairman, Wayne Dowdy, is reportedly running with the backing of her boss. Holmes Sturgeon, whose dad represented the area as district attorney, entered the race just before the filing deadline. Earl Dean Anthony, a Woodville Alderman, and Larry Lee of Centerville, have also entered the race. Dorothy Scott Dace Chesser of Liberty and "O.J." Packnett of Centreville will also be on the ballot.
The district has a 68 percent black voting age population, which should give Cockerham, who is African American, an advantage if Dowdy uses the Democratic apparatus to get out the vote for her. She’s disadvantaged by the fact that only about 1,200 of the district’s 23,000 residents are from Pike county, her home county. Sturgeon being from Wilkinson county, which is home for over 10,000 of the district’s voters, complicates it for her further. With Dowdy getting the Democratic Party machinery behind Cockerham, she should be able to find enough votes around other parts of the district to win. However, if she doesn’t run an effective campaign, Sturgeon could pull a rabbit out of the hat.
Quotable Quotes
"Your pants are going to be pulled up on your behind. You're going to take those earrings out and give them to your sister." Jackson Mayor Frank Melton’s message to Jackson’s youth during his inaugural address.
"The governor loves special sessions better than a pig likes slop. There's no need for these special sessions. We could have handled it all in the regular session." Speaker Billy McCoy, commenting on the special session Governor Barbour called for the Baxter economic development project, which the legislature didn’t handle during the regular session or the first special session.
"Here is our choice in Mississippi. We can compete for high skilled jobs in the United States or we can compete with Mexico and China for low-skilled jobs. It doesn’t take much imagination to decide what choice we have to make." – Former Governor William Winter at the Neshoba County Fair.
"Our legislature is too large. We have 122 members of the House and 52 Senators. Only 11 states out of 50 have more legislators than we do. I think they ought to serve limited terms like the governor. Check and balance. Check and balance. The executive branch is the executive branch and don’t need to have legislators running the government. When I was governor – this is ancient history – four legislators came to me and said “governor, we’ll let you go cut the ribbons and make the speeches, but we’re going to run the state. I said, “the ‘H’ you are.”
If you are not careful, those men (legislators) will micromanage the government – micromanage the executive branch of government. If you are not careful, they’ll build another beef plant!
We have a governor who is being written about favorably, even in Time magazine; who is being written about in the newspapers; who is being talked about. I understand that when there was a debate between Bush and Kerry, that one of the governor’s (Gov. George W. Bush) confidential advisors was Haley Barbour. He came to a little bitty state – less than three million people three times when this man was running for governor. He’s been back once since at the Nissan plant in Canton… So we’ve got a national celebrity, internationally known businessman in the governor’s office. When Mississippi, in 2005, can have an executive leader in the governor’s office who is mentioned as a candidate for vice president, a candidate for president, I think we’ve come a long way, don’t you?
If Governor Barbour doesn’t run for president, we probably ought to re-elect him by acclamation."
- Former Governor William Waller at the Neshoba County Fair.
This state and this nation is being violated. Violated by big energy; by big oil. There’s not need for this. The House of Representatives has been a leader in trying to start an alternative energy program in this state where we would produce energy from our native products and many other ways using the sun and the wind and any way we can to beat the OPEC bunch. There’s no need to wait for Washington or any other state. We can do it ourselves if we’ll get busy with it.”
We work for the average man and woman of Mississippi – the average boy and girl of Mississippi. What an honor it is to be a state representative. People come through the door of Ms. Edith and myself almost everyday. They come up there – sometimes they don’t knock on the door, they just blow their whistle and I go out to see them. You know what they want to talk about? They want to talk about a job. They want to talk about somebody that is sick in their family or community that needs help. They want to talk about a factory or a business that is having trouble down the road. They want to talk about a loved one that’s in the penitentiary. You know, you wouldn’t think how many calls we get concerning loved ones who are in jail or in the penitentiary. I’m just a representative. When they come there, they don’t call me Mr. Representative or Mr. Speaker, they call me Billy. And they can reach me. They can’t reach the governor half the time or any of the time. They can’t reach other high ranking public officials, but they can reach ol’ Billy and they do because I’m their representative. And I’ll tell you it’s an honor to be speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives where we don’t have any of these automatic phones. When you call there, somebody is going to say hello. Many times it will be a representative.” – Speaker Billy McCoy at the Neshoba County Fair
"We've got all these money problems. And I don't understand why it takes 61 percent more money to run the Gov.'s Mansion now than it did with the last governor." – Former Governor Ray Mabus at the Neshoba County Fair.
After the speeches, Barbour responded: "When the governor has a wife, it costs more than when the governor doesn't have a wife. OK?" – Governor Haley Barbour responding to Mabus’ charge.
"I have no idea why the helicopter was purchased or what it's being used for. I know that it's parked out at Hawkins Field. I know that MDOT has a pilot hired to fly it. I've been told it's been used to fly (MDOT executive director) Butch Brown back and forth to Natchez." Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall on the helicopter MDOT bought from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics
"That helicopter has never been used to fly me to Natchez and if Dick said that, then he's just a liar, a pure and simple liar." MDOT Executive Director Butch Brown’s response to Hall’s allegations.
Movers and Shakers
Rep. Gene Taylor was recently named one of the 50 most beautiful people in Washington by The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper.
Biggs, Royals join MDP staff
Chairman Wayne Dowdy welcomed two new members to the party office, and the state Executive Committee appointed them during the July meeting.
De’Miktric “Mike” Biggs and Rita Royals will work as field representatives on behalf of their party. They will work with county chairs to help organize the party and prepare for elections.
“Mike and Rita are going to be valuable assets to the Democratic Party,” Dowdy said. “They both bring a wealth of political knowledge to the table, and I know they will be valuable to the party.”
Biggs started in politics 10 years ago at the municipal level in Moss Point. He served as president of the Young Democrats of Jackson State University and most recently was a legislative intern in the Mississippi House.
Royals holds a masters degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. She served as executive director of the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Royals was a full-time volunteer for John Kerry’s presidential run.
The Mississippi Republican Party elected Henry Barbour to succeed Mike Retzer as its National Committeeman. Barbour ran Congressman Chip Pickering’s 2002 campaign before moving over to manage his uncle’s 2003 campaign for governor. He’s now a partner in Capital Resources, a Mississippi-based lobbying firm.
David Roberts is replacing Dean Cotton as executive director of the Mississippi Trucking Association. For the past two years, Roberts has been political director at BIPEC. He worked for Secretary of State Eric Clark prior to his stint at BIPEC.
In turn, a few legislators began contacting others on behalf of Rep. Jeff Smith of Columbus, shortly after McCoy, to gauge Smith’s chances for his own bid for Speaker of the House in 2007. Smith is a Democrat from Columbus who chairs Judiciary B (tort reform went to Ed Blackmon’s Judiciary A Committee) in the House and is influential on the Ways & Means Committee. Known for his handle-bar mustache, Smith is a favorite Democrat of House Republicans and the business community. A successful Smith bid for Speaker would be backed by Republicans, conservative to moderate Democrats and a handful of others in the House. If Smith succeeds in knocking-off McCoy, it would cause a dramatic shift in the Mississippi House of Representatives, from the populism of McCoy to the pro-business conservatism of Smith.
Without any high profile elections this year, the Neshoba County Fair was a little more subdued than usual. None of the state’s congressional delegation spoke. Neither did Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, Auditor Phil Bryant or Insurance Commissioner George Dale. To fill the void, the Neshoba County Fair board invited Mississippi’s living former governors to speak. Only Bill Allain declined. 
Clark has also been in the news lately for his decision to award Diebold Election Systems a $15 million contract to supply voting machines to Mississippi counties. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requires every county in the nation to replace outdated voting equipment by January, 2006. The Act was passed by Congress in the wake of the Florida election fiasco in 2000. 
Former Mississippi Republican Party Chairman, Mike Retzer, has been appointed ambassador to Tanzania by President George W. Bush. The African nation is a plum appointment. Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Victoria and some great beaches are all located within the east African nation. 
Sen. Trent Lott’s memoir will be available on August 23rd. Lott candidly recounts the events surrounding his loss of the Majority Leader’s post at the end of 2002. Some of his Senate colleagues may not be happy because Lott apparently doesn’t pull punches in the upcoming book. Though much of the buzz about the book centers on the fallout from Sen. Lott’s comments at Strom Thurmond’s birthday party, Magnolia State readers will also be fascinated by Lott’s account of his rise to the Senate’s most powerful position.
