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Magnolia Political Report #64
June 23, 2005
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Municipal Winners and Losers
Change was a big factor in Mississippi’s municipal elections this year. Mayors in Jackson, Laurel, Brandon, Richland, Ocean Springs and West Point were just a few of the incumbents booted out for new leadership in City Hall. Several others, notably John Robert Smith in Meridian and Harry Smith, narrowly won re-election. The closeness of the two Smiths’ re-elections had a lot to do with demographics in their respective communities. Most of the others were victims of poorly run campaigns, poor management in city hall, or both. Harvey Johnson lost in Jackson because of his lackluster performance as mayor and because he had an opponent in Frank Melton who motivated voters. At the other end of the spectrum, Shirley Hall in Richland did a good job as mayor but ran a poor campaign against an energetic opponent.
 Gulfport, Tupelo and Hernando all have new mayors due to the incumbent not seeking re-election. Brent Warr in Gulfport stands out among the group. Warr won on the first day despite being opposed by seven other candidates, two of which were sitting city councilmen. Warr is someone to keep an eye on in the future.
Other mayors to watch include Clinton’s Rosemary Aultman, Columbus’ Jeffrey Rupp and Jackson’s Frank Melton.
 Aultman is articulate and can point to numerous achievements in Clinton. She’s the only mayor in the metro area to weather a strong opponent. In fact she beat two strong opponents – one in the GOP primary and another in the general election.
Rupp had an impressive win in a city some tried to racially divide over Rupp’s selection of a police chief. Voters outside the Columbus-Tupelo television market don’t know Rupp, but he has a strong following in the market due to years as the News Director and anchor on WCBI-TV.
 Viewers in the Jackson market know Frank Melton, and obviously like what they see. Melton dispatched incumbent mayor Harvey Johnson 63-37 percent and beat his GOP opponent by a whopping 89-11 percent. Melton was able to do what few candidates have done in Mississippi – forge a winning coalition that stretched from the impoverished areas of urban Jackson to the wealthy enclaves of Northeast Jackson.
Notable incumbents who hung on to win include Johnny Dupree of Hattiesburg, Yvonne Brown of Tchula and Laurence Leyens of Vicksburg.
Dupree is notable because he’s the first African American mayor of Hattiesburg. He drew a strong challenge from Councilwoman Betsy Rowell after she dispatched State Rep. Lee Jarrell Davis in the Republican primary. Dupree probably benefited from the acrimony that developed between supporters of Rowell and Davis in the GOP primary. After the bitter primary, many of Davis’ supporters refused to rally behind Rowell.
Yvonne Brown is as a rare breed – an African American Republican mayor in a majority black city. Her status as such has given her a high profile and no doubt benefited Tchula because GOP leaders like U.S. Sens. Thad Cochran and Trent Lott appreciate her unique status among Mississippi Republicans.
Two legislators ran for mayor, but only one was successful. Rep. Joe Taylor was elected in Waynesboro. Rep. Lee Jerrell Davis fell short in the primary in his bid to become mayor of Hattiesburg. In Plantersville, Gloria Holland, wife of State Rep. Steve Holland, easily won the open mayors election in the small bedroom community outside Tupelo. Mrs. Holland’s father, Pete Temple, was the first mayor of Plantersville.
Can You Really Go Home Again?
A series of articles in the Hattiesburg newspaper The Independent claimed Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck is exploring a return to the Democratic Party she left in late 2002. The articles speculate Speaker of the House Billy McCoy and Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Gordon are trying to lure Tuck back into the Democratic fold so she can make a run against Governor Haley Barbour in 2007. Soon after the first article hit the newsstands, Tuck told Supertalk’s Paul Gallo that the stories are bogus.
Tuck isn’t about to switch back to the Democratic Party. However, the motives that caused someone to plant the stories with The Independent editor Bob Pittman are interesting to examine. In this parlor game, just about everyone is suspect.
Democrats in the legislature could be looking to weaken Tuck’s credibility and strain the relationship between Tuck and Governor Haley Barbour. Barbour has so far exercised more power than most governors because he has strong allies in the Senate. As long as Barbour and the Senate are marching in lock-step, the Democrat controlled House of Representatives is reduced to obstructing and occasionally getting run over.
Republicans in the legislature could be looking to nudge Tuck back toward them. Some were unhappy with Tuck’s recent comments regarding mental health funding in the state. Many weren’t pleased when she referred a bill to the Appropriations Committee that would have limited fees the state pays private lawyers– a move which effectively killed the bill. Others have noted that she seems to be siding with Mike Moore and Jim Hood in their battle against Haley Barbour and Tate Reeves over the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi. These critics are a little too hasty because the Partnership battle is far from over. We’ll wait to see how she reacts in the future.
Thompson Memo re: Espy
 Sparks are already flying in State Rep. Chuck Espy's impending race against U.S. Rep. Bennie Thomspon. A memo leaked to the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call has peaked interest in the race nearly 18 months out. The memo, presumably written by Mississippi native and Pelosi staffer Burns Strider, outlines Thompson's concerns about Espy and makes a few suggestions about how Pelosi should approach the race. It was written in advance of a meeting Thompson requested with Minority Leader Pelosi.
The memo contends Thompson's lackluster performances in 2002 and 2004 are proof of his vulnerablity. It suggest Thompson's prospects against Espy are also diminished because the Delta will rally around one of their own (Thompson is from the Jackson area). It notes that several African American Representatives, Earl Hilliard of Alabama and Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, were defeated in the last few cycles by younger, change oriented challengers. Finally, Mrs. Pelosi is warned that last year a "black attorney ran for Supreme Court and was elected in a largely white (district)" by running on a "Bill Cosby style message of personal responsibility." (Burns Strider is the only Mississippian on Pelosi's staff. Would anyone else know this sort of information?)
The overall tone of the memo is supportive of Thompson and his re-election effort. Pelosi is put on notice that Thomspon will ask that she reach out to former House Democratic Whip Toney Coehlo in an effort to get him to suggest to his friend Mike Espy that Espy stop the race. The memo suggest this is not a good idea because it will send a signal that Thompson is "frightened" of the Espys. It also notes that Mike Espy is planning a trip to DC with his nephew Chuck to introduce him to "key lobbyists and organizations." The memo is more supportive of the idea because it can be done in a "clandestine manner" and suggests that Thomspon should provide a list of organizations which concern him. Lastly, it states that Thompson will ask for visits from Pelosi to Mississippi for help with fundraising. The writer of the memo says that she should not agree to the visits "unless he knows it was unacceptable your MS FR (fundraising) goals were never met, though they were neglible at 60k."
The conclusion signals where our anonymous analyst thinks the race is heading: "This will be a scorched Earth race. It will be loud and ugly. And it will take resources to insure Congressman Thompson returns."
As ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee, Thomspon is carving out a niche for himself with House Democratic leaders (it's a double-edged sword. Thompson gave up his seat on the House Agriculture Committee for it -- not a popular move in the Delta). House leaders tend to take care of their own, but they are in a jam due to someone with the Espy name getting into the race.
Thompson was surely embarrassed by the memo surfacing. The worst consequence though may be the galvanizing it has caused among Chuck Espy's supporters. None are more important to his hopes than his Uncle Mike, who was quoted by Roll Call as reacting to the memo with resolve. "This is my brother's son... I was going to help him anyway, but now I'm really going to help," said the elder Espy. "I've seen the memo. I've read the memo and I'm disappointed in the memo. I did get a call from Tony Coelho, who was disturbed from the call he got from Nancy Pelosi and I think that call to him had the opposite effect. I think it's just going to encourage us to reach out to the Washington establishment and good friends like Tony Coelho."
Partnership Going Up in Smoke?
Justices at the Mississippi Supreme Court last week received the latest chapter in the ongoing saga that has become the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, Inc. Both Medicaid and the state’s Health Care Trust Fund filed requests for an expedited hearing with the Court after a curious ruling last month by a Jackson County Judge.
Last month, lawyers for Medicaid and the Health Care Trust Fund appeared in Judge Jaye Bradley’s Pascagoula court on motions they had filed on behalf of the state to recover the nearly $20 million the Partnership receives annually.
Attorney General Jim Hood asked that no decision be made because of affidavits he had recently been given by Lt. Governor Amy Tuck (Tuck affidavit) and House Speaker Billy McCoy (McCoy affidavit), written in favor of the Partnership at the request of Hood.
Hood also filed with the Court the letter (click here to read letter) he wrote to Tuck in which he asked her to file an affidavit. In the letter to Tuck, Hood said, “The bottom line is that you will appoint your three-person committee, I believe the court will continue this to allow the legislature to act.” Hood told Tuck that if she complied, he felt certain Judge Bradley would defer to the legislature.
Judge Bradley’s 1999 decision to carve out $20 million on an annual basis from the state’s settlement with tobacco companies was made at the request of then-Attorney General Mike Moore. Before making the request of the judge, Moore had created a private corporation to receive the money.
Flanked on the left by Moore (now an attorney for a large New Orleans law firm) and former Supreme Court Justice Fred Banks (now a member of the same firm, who sat on the Court that handed down the decision to allow Moore to pursue the tobacco settlement), current-Attorney General Jim Hood demanded that Judge Bradley postpone indefinitely any decision on the case.
Judge Bradley complied, citing “deference” to the legislative branch based on Tuck and McCoy’s affidavits promising to appoint an additional investigatory committee.
“They appoint more committees than a Baptist Church,” said Starkey McGee, a long-time Pascagoula resident who attended the hearing. “Mike Moore nearly knocked me down cause I was ‘tween him and WLOX.”
This latest committee was appointed in the shadow of a 2003 committee report by the Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee (“PEER”), a joint committee of the Mississippi House and Senate. Among the PEER Committee’s membership was Senator Terry Burton, who was also appointed by Tuck for the latest Partnership “overview” committee. The PEER committee found the Partnership’s funding to be unconstitutional.
Medicaid and the Health Care Trust Fund were told by Judge Bradley that they were entitled to their day in court, but that it wouldn’t happen any time soon. At the hearing, Hood asked Bradley to “avoid a constitutional train wreck” by granting the continuance, and to grant “comity” to legislative judgment because of the “subsequent remedial measures” made by the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi.
The Magnolia Report does not employ any lawyers, but we do have a dictionary. “Comity” is a legal term used between different states. “Subsequent remedial measures” is a term to describe evidence at a trial.
Starkey McGee, a lifelong Democrat, said that something seemed funny about the whole affair. “Ol’ Bradley looked like she was sitting on tacks,” he said.
TMR Goes International
 Mississippi has a small connection with two of the newest members of the British Parliament, Jeremy Hunt and Greg Hands. Each based much of their respective campaigns on what they learned in the Magnolia State during the final days of election 2003.
I got to know Jeremy (Surrey Southwest), Greg (Hammersmith and Fulham) and four Conservative Party activists when they visited Mississippi to observe the get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts in our elections. In doing their homework on Mississippi, they discovered the Magnolia Report and looked me up while they were here. I was fortunate to get to know them and to be given the chance to visit the UK for their elections. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.
In their study of GOTV in Mississippi, Hunt and Hands saw a highly organized, targeted and person-to-person approach to boosting turnout among favorable voters. They took the strategy to their districts and implemented it to perfection.
Prior to the 2000 presidential cycle, GOTV was out of vogue. Many consultants put it on the back burner because it's not nearly as lucrative for them as television and radio advertising. It's labor intensive and requires a vast organization to be done properly. Ten years ago, it was a lot easier and ultimately more efficient to use the shotgun approach of broadcast media to win elections.
The 2000 elections changed things. George W. Bush appeared to have a lead in opinion polls in the final days of the election, but his supporters, perhaps dampened by late stories of a DUI arrest, didn't show up at the polls.
Determined not to let something like it happen again, Republicans rediscovered old-fashioned get-out-the-vote strategies and put a modern twist on them. Democrats soon followed suit.
Neither Hands nor Hunt had much margin for error. Their districts were two of the most highly contested of the May 5th parliamentary elections in Britain. Hunt's constituency is situated in the English countryside about 40 minutes southwest of London. Hands' district is in the heart of London.
Politics has similarities the world over, but there are some stark differences between our elections and theirs. Some are obvious. They have a parliamentary system with three major parties and several minor ones. Others are less apparent. For one, candidates are limited to spending only £10,000 and parties are limited to £20 million during the official campaign period. It's not as big a problem as it would be here because candidates in the UK don't air television or radio commercials -- one of the biggest cost of a campaign in the states. As a result, they have very low name ID and are largely beholden to national trends, which brings us back to why they were in Mississippi in the first place.
Each district for the House of Commons is comprised of about 70,000 people -- a little less than one and half times a state senate district in Mississippi. In close districts targeting, grassroots organization and turnout are critical. Since Hands' and Hunts' districts were two of the top targeted districts in England, GOTV was all the more important.
By the time the votes were counted, Hunt and Hands both won by over 5,000 votes - a tribute to their hard work and the smart campaigns they ran. Both have bright futures in British politics.
Shoes to Fill
 There are some big shoes left in the House of Representatives with the departures of Reps. Charlie Capps, David Green and Joe Taylor.
Capps, who is currently the longest serving legislator, is retiring at the end of the fiscal year on June 30th after 32 years of service. He chaired the powerful House Appropriations Committee for 16 years. During that time, Capps was one of the most influential members of the legislature. Since the arrival of Speaker Billy McCoy however, Capps has been relegated to a much smaller role in the House. McCoy replaced Capps as Appropriations Chair, giving him the consolation prize of the chairmanship of the Constitution Committee instead.
During the special session last month, Green, who chaired the Fees and Salaries Committee, announced his retirement from the House after 26 years. Legislators noted Green was an excellent storyteller who was skilled at boiling down complex issues with homespun yarns. Taylor was elected mayor of Waynesboro after 16 years in the House. He leaves the legislature in July when he’s sworn-in as mayor.
Spell Switch
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Lester Spell surprised politicos recently by his switch to the GOP. Spell says he was no longer comfortable with the values of the national Democratic Party. Many speculated he may have done it for political reasons, though it’s not clear to the Magnolia Report what political advantage he gained by switching parties. Spell has been under fire lately for his role in the Mississippi Beef Processors debacle. It could be argued that he may have made himself even more vulnerable in a re-election campaign, especially if he draws a Republican Primary opponent. Consequently, we’ll take him at his word on this one.
Cochran Staffer a Lifesaver
Mississippi native Dave McClendon is taking a year off from his medical residency to serve on Senator Thad Cochran’s staff in Washington. McClendon knew he’d be using his medical knowledge working as Cochran’s health fellow, but he didn’t know he’d be plying his trade on the streets of Washington. Recently though, McClendon was driving through Georgetown when he spotted a man unconscious on the side of the road. He jumped out of his car and began administering CPR to the man who McClendon says had just had a seizure. By the time the paramedics arrived, McClendon had the man stabilized.
Taylor Gets Creative in Fight for Pascagoula Base
It was no secret that the Naval Home Port in Pascagoula would probably be closed in the next round of BRAC. Indeed it did appear on the BRAC list when it came out last month, but Rep. Gene Taylor hasn't taken it sitting down. In a novel move, Taylor introduced an amendment to the defense authorization bill in the House Armed Services Committee to name the base of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld – reasoning Rumsfeld would never close a base that is named after him. Nice try. Kudos from the Magnolia Report for the creativity.
Movers and Shakers
Journalist and political columnist Sam Hall has left his job as editor of the Scott County Times to become communications director of the Mississippi Democratic Party. The party is gearing up its staff thanks to a commitment by new national chairman Howard Dean to beef it state party organizations in red states.
John Arledge, communications director for Governor Haley Barbour, is leaving his post at the end of the month to return to Community Bank as vice president of marketing and business development. Arledge worked for Community Bank until joining Barbour’s administration in early 2004. Arledge also previously served as communications director for Governor Kirk Fordice.
Replacing Arledge as communications director for Governor Barbour is Buddy Bynum. Bynum has previously served on the staff of Sen. Trent Lott and as editor of the Mississippi Business Journal. Most recently, Bynum worked as editor of the Meridian Star, his hometown newspaper.
Rhonda Keenum has been named Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Public Liaison by President George W. Bush. Keenum moves over to the job from Edelman Public Relations, where she served as Senior Vice President. The MSU grad had previously worked for Congressman Roger Wicker and the Republican National Committee. Last September, Rhonda and her husband Mark, Chief of Staff to Senator Thad Cochran, became the proud parents of triplets, Katie, Rett and Mary Phillips.
Ric Lacey has joined the Mississippi Republican Party as Director of Legislative Affairs. Lacey comes over from the Alabama Republican Party where he was the Political Director.
Nathan Wells has stepped up from his duties as a Field Representative at the MRP to the job of Director for Political Affairs. Wells has been at the State GOP since 2003.
Patten Marshall Lane was born on Wednesday, June 1, at 11:02 am to Colby and Erin Lane. Patten weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. His dad is an Assistant US Attorney in Jackson and his mom is an attorney at Butler Snow. It’s early yet, but mom and dad may argue over where he’s going to college – he went to Millsaps; she went to Ole Miss. If he follows in their footsteps into the legal profession, his choice of law schools becomes clearer –both parents graduated from Harvard Law School.
Mississippi Political Trivia
In Lt. Governor Amy Tuck’s successful 1999 Campaign, who created the phrase “Me and My Truck Are For Amy Tuck?”
(A) Al Tuck
(B) Terry Burton
(C) Travis Little
(D) Charles Pittman
(E) Fletcher & Rowley
Answer
Which nation and monarch commissioned the Hernando de Soto expedition which made him the first European to set foot on Mississippi soil?
(a) Spain and Charles I
(b) Portugal and Sebastian III
(c) Brazil and d'Iberville
(d) France and Louis XIV
Answer
How many counties comprised Mississippi at the signing of the first Constitution?
(a) 34
(b) 3
(c) 14
(d) 0
Answer
Which past governor of Mississippi is an ancestor of Governor Barbour?
(a) Walter Leake
(b) David Holmes
(c) John A. Quitman
(d) William L. Sharkey
Answer
What is Mississippi's state song?
(a) "The Blues is Alright" by Little Milton
(b) "A Song for Mississippi" by Lehman Engel
(c) "Go Mississippi" by Houston Davis
(d) "Mississippi Forever" by Jimmie Rogers
Answer
In terms of land elevation above sea level, name the highest point in Mississippi.
(a) Winterville Mounds, Washington County
(b) Temple Mount, Adams County
(c) Woodall Mountain, Tishomingo County
(d) Mount Ashland, Benton County
Answer
Who was Chief of Staff for Governor Ross Barnett, former Mayor of Forest and the author of the 1980 book, “I Rolled With Ross?”
(A) Rex McRaney
(B) John Bell Williams
(C) Charlie Griffin
(D) Erle Johnston
(E) Billy Joe Cross
Answer
Which Mississippi Governor was photographed in a Las Vegas Hotel’s heart shaped bathtub and ran by the Associated press nationwide?
(A) Ray Mabus
(B) Bill Allain
(C) Cliff Finch
(D) Ronnie Musgrove
(E) William Winter
Answer
Quotable Quotes
"This is the dumbest, most ill-informed veto I have ever seen in my life." Former Attorney General Mike Moore, commenting on Governor Haley Barbour’s veto of a vulnerable adults bill.
"I suppose that's one of the problems you encounter when you hire someone who parachutes out of Washington, D.C., to stay with us a while." Attorney General Jim Hood on Governor Haley Barbour’s veto of the same bill.
“The Speaker’s action today is a brazen attempt to seize power that the Constitution does not give him.” Governor Haley Barbour, reacting to Speaker Billy McCoy’s attempt to exceed the call of a special session.
“The taxpayers have just been forced to pay off Mississippi Beef Processors, a $40 million fiasco encouraged by House leaders with no oversight, and we’re not going back to that kind of process. Unfortunately, the people that gave us beef are now trying to give us pork.” Governor Haley Barbour’s statement after the House of Representatives added millions in new bond projects to Momentum Mississippi legislation.
"We've had a bad situation with one of our projects, and for someone to gloat over that is unbearable. No wonder we have a hard time getting people interested in developing our land, water and timber." Speaker Billy McCoy reacting to Governor Barbour’s statement.
"I am appalled at his brazen attempt to usurp the Mississippi House of Representatives, the body of the people. He is a leader first and foremost of the Republicans not the state of Mississippi." Speaker Billy McCoy’s take on Governor Barbour’s criticism of the House Bill adding new bond projects to Momentum Mississippi.
"Haley talks about bipartisanship, but then this is just pure, unadulterated partisanship. I think he's trying to stomp out anything in this state that doesn't walk, talk and look like a Republican.” State Rep. Steve Holland, speaking about Governor Barbour raising money for his political action committee.
"It shouldn't come as any shock to House members that a governor is raising money. Do you have any doubt that some of these same Democrats are going to be raising money against the governor next election? He's not chastising them. God bless them — that's their right." Barbour communications director John Arledge, responding to Holland’s criticism.
"Look, I'm not going to apologize for being a Republican. Politics is a team sport. I do have a PAC. Nobody has asked me has that PAC contributed to legislative campaigns. It hasn't. Does that mean it won't ever? The temptation is rising." Governor Haley Barbour, commenting on the PAC brouhaha.
"We are writing to request that you declare largemouth bass, the state fish, off limits to fishing. Fish may not be as familiar to us as the cats and dogs who share our homes, but scientific studies prove that fish are just as intelligent.” A letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) asking Governor Barbour to protect largemouth bass from fishing.
"The governor and the first lady are dining on fried bass tonight. They enjoy fishing. They encourage Mississippians to go fishing more, and they like children to go fishing." Barbour spokesman John Arledge’s response to the PETA letter.
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