Jere Nash: A Tate Reeves win in Lt. Governor's race is "good for us Democrats."

WDAM-Senator Billy Hewes comments on Tate Reeves being caught in Pay to Play scandal

While on the campaign trail Friday, in Purvis, State Senator Billy Hewes commented on recent reports involving State treasurer Tate Reeves campaign funds.

Hewes said, "The states business is not for sale."

Hewes said, "If elected, those cozy money relationships will be no more."

"If somebody is going to be controlling money interests in the state, they shouldn't be able to take it and tie it to where there are campaign contributions that are given in return. Years ago there were some problems with the Public Service Commissioners, there were some indictments and we prohibited them from doing that. We don't want that same situation to occur anywhere else in state government. There needs to be a very clean severance there."

www.wdam.com

Treasurer Tate Reeves Campaign funded by those who profit from state contracts he awarded.

Lieutenant governor candidate Tate Reeves has vowed to "stand up to all of those people who want to borrow, borrow, borrow and say 'Enough is enough'" to reduce state debt.

But Reeves, while serving as state treasurer, has received hundreds of thousands of dollars for his campaign coffers from lawyers, consultants and bankers who make millions in fees from government borrowing, often from non-bid contracts that Reeves helps negotiate.

A Sun Herald analysis of his donations shows dozens of lawyers and executives from a handful of firms that make money from government borrowing through legal, consultant and other fees on borrowing have contributed more than $400,000 to Reeves' campaign war chest during his two terms as treasurer. In the same period, these firms have collected more than $48 million in fees.

Mississippi law limits corporate campaign donations to $1,000 a year. It's common for many employees of a firm to make individual donations, which have no cap.

Reeves said there's nothing untoward about such campaign donations. He said the small number of firms qualified to handle government borrowing are also some of the largest in the state and their officers donate to many campaigns. He attributes questions about his role in state borrowing or his campaign finances to "my opponent's campaign (being) in desperate mode right now and trying to be relevant."

"I have been very independent as state treasurer," Reeves said. "I'm beholden only to the taxpayers."

But his opponent, state Sen. Billy Hewes of Biloxi, says he believes such campaign funding is "a bit disturbing."

"That may explain (Reeves') reluctance to take any ownership in his role in bonds and borrowing for our state," Hewes said. "If you're going to criticize something, but then if there's a connection or tie-in with the manner with which his campaign is financed by folks who've benefitted from his transactions, then he needs to talk about that."

Hewes' campaign finance records show he's received nearly $40,000 from officers with the same firms.

"But the difference is, I don't control any contracts," Hewes said. "I don't control where the moneys are placed. I don't ever take money where strings are attached."

Reeves said he doesn't have sole control over such contracts, either. As treasurer, he is one of three on the State Bond Commission, along with the governor and the attorney general. The commission has to approve state borrowing and 

contracts with the lawyers and consultants who help.

Attorney General Jim Hood and others familiar with the state's borrowing systems said his office and the governor's typically defer to the treasurer's on the mechanics of borrowing.

As the state's chief financial officer, the treasurer also represents the executive branch on other entities that borrow millions, including the Mississippi Home Corp., Development Bank and Business Finance Corp., according to Reeves' state treasurer website.

When governments in Mississippi borrow money, the fees associated with the deals often appear to be higher than similar fees paid by private corporations.

For instance, a recent bond issue of $350 million for Chevron had bond-counsel and financial-advisor fees of $200,000. A recent issue of $162 million for Mississippi Department of Corrections facilities had bond-council and advisor fees — from some of the same companies — of more than $925,000.

"There does seem to be a difference in fees, and on the surface a lack of competition," said J.K. "Hoopy" Stringer, former state fiscal officer and head of the Department of Finance and Administration under Gov. Haley Barbour.

Reeves said differences between fees paid by government and businesses when they borrow are likely because large corporations "might have a lot of on-staff lawyers that do that kind of work."

In recent years, much of the state's borrowing has been through negotiated deals rather than competitive bid, although legal and other fees in many instances are capped by federal regulations for tax exempt bonds, Reeves said.

"That's been the case since the financial meltdown in 2008," Reeves said. "We went to the Legislature and asked them to give us the authority to do that, negotiated deals, and the Legislature approved it I would envision at some point in the near future it would make financial sense to do competitive transactions again."

Max Arinder, director of the state legislative watchdog group, the PEER Committee, said that about a decade ago some lawmakers were calling for studies and possible reform in the fees paid to lawyers, consultants and banks on borrowing. He said these efforts were dropped and PEER hasn't been called on to look into such fees since.

Reeves' campaign donations — he had nearly $2 million in cash on hand at last reckoning — have shattered records for a Mississippi treasurer or lieutenant governor candidate. For the last several years, his bankroll grew so large that it prompted speculation Reeves was running for governor.

Reeves has said his campaign finance success is proof he has broad support in his run for lieutenant governor.

"Not only have we now received contributions from all 82 counties in Mississippi, but we continue to break records for a race for lieutenant governor in Mississippi," Reeves said in a recent statement that he has repeated at campaign functions.

Reeves and Hewes have sparred in recent weeks over state borrowing. Reeves has said the Legislature, where Hewes has served for 20 years, has borrowed billions of dollars. Hewes has said that Reeves, as treasurer and one of three on the state board that oversees state bonding, has signed off on billions in debt himself.

www.timesunion.com

Ramsey: A morning with Tate Reeves

Treasurer and Lt. Governor Candidate Tate Reeves visited The Clarion-Ledger editorial board, and since I was there, I popped in for a listen.

A few observations:

1. Reeves, who I like and respect, kept talking about his positive campaign, but then turned around and attacked his opponent, Billy Hewes, on comments he had made about Reeve’s record.  In about 10 seconds, Reeves went from “Watchdog” to “attack dog”

2. He mentioned his opponent started off the race negative.  Not necessarily — if you count Hewes’ excellent “going through the drive-thru ad” earlier in the year. But Hewes (who was getting waxed in early polls because of poor statewide name recognition) came out negative, blaming Reeves for not stopping bonds that the Legislature Hewes was a senator in had passed.  Yes, I know — it’s confusing.  It’s not that unusual for a way-behind candidate to come out negative. It’s just interesting to me, if Reeves is still so far ahead, why is he using so much energy to attack back.  Makes you wonder if he’s worried.

3. Reeves did not like a question he got from a member of our Reader Editorial Board about long-time Republican Godfather Billy Mounger supporting Hewes. If he could have shot lasers out of his eyes, I think he would have.

Tate isn’t flashy, but he’s solid. No doubt he is intelligent and capable.  He has a ton of campaign cash at his disposal. And he’s obviously still the front runner. But it will be interesting to see what the next five weeks or so brings until the August 2 primary.

Canton man gets 10 years for voter fraud

Terrance Watts, 40, pleaded guilty Monday to illegally casting absentee ballots in two Canton municipal elections in 2009.

Watts was convicted of forgery, a disenfranchising crime, in 2005 and has not had the right to vote restored by the Mississippi Legislature, but he voted in Canton’s primary and general elections.

“The crime was that Mr. Watts falsely swore to an Affidavit on an absentee ballot that he was a duly and qualified elector of Madison County, when he knew he was not,” Madison/Rankin District Attorney Michael Guest said in a news release.

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Foreclosures drop in Mississippi, rise in Louisiana

Foreclosures drop a bit in Miss.


Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac, which tracks foreclosures nationwide, said that in April, foreclosure-related actions were taken against 361 properties in Mississippi. Those actions ranged from an initial notice of default to outright repossession by a lender.

Last month, 149 properties were scheduled for a foreclosure sale. Lenders took back 212.

The rate of foreclosure actions - affecting one in every 3,551 housing units - was down 2.7 percent from March and 2.2 percent from April 2010. That ranked Mississippi 45th in the nation.

RealtyTrac said that national foreclosure actions dropped 9 percent from March and 34 percent from April 2010 - mostly because of legal questions about paperwork.


Number of home foreclosures on the rise in La.


NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The number of Louisiana homeowners facing foreclosure is on the rise.

Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac, which tracks foreclosures nationwide, said that in April, foreclosure-related actions were taken against 2,289 properties. Those actions ranged from an initial notice of default to outright repossession by a lender.

Last month, 1,349 housing units were scheduled for a foreclosure sale. Lenders took back 635.

The rate of foreclosure actions - affecting one in every 858 housing units - was up 11.8 percent from March and 23.8 percent from April 2010. That ranked Louisiana 22nd in the nation.

RealtyTrac said that national foreclosure actions dropped 9 percent from March and 34 percent from April 2010 - mostly because of legal questions about paperwork. April was the seventh straight month of national declines and brought foreclosure activity in the depressed U.S. housing market to a 40-month low.

"The slowdown continues to be largely the result of massive delays in processing foreclosures rather than the result of a housing recovery that is lifting people out of foreclosure," said RealtyTrac chief executive James Saccacio.

Nationally, 219,258 properties received a foreclosure-related notice last month. Lenders took back 69,532 U.S. properties in April.

In Texas schools, a picture's worth 1,000 calories

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A $2 million project being unveiled Wednesday in the lunchroom of a Texas elementary school will use high-tech cameras to photograph what foods children pile onto their trays - and later capture what they don't finish eating.

Digital imaging analysis of the snapshots will then calculate how many calories each student scarfed down. Local health officials said the program, funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, is the first of its kind in a U.S. school, and will be so precise that the technology can identify a half-eaten pear left on a lunch tray.

Researchers hope parents will change eating habits at home once they see what their kids are choosing in schools. The data also will be used to study what foods children are likely to choose and how much of if they're eating.

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No single answer to housing for tornado victims

Thousands of Southerners who lost everything last month to a pack of killer twisters will need new homes after they move out of shelters and relatives' spare bedrooms, but the types of housing they find will vary widely depending on where they live.


The communities that caught the brunt of the tornadoes range from rural crossroads in Mississippi to mid-sized Alabama cities like Tuscaloosa and Huntsville. Places like Smithville, Miss., had few rental houses or apartments to begin with; hard-hit Birmingham has a much larger stock that's ready for almost immediate occupancy.

Unlike after Hurricane Katrina, when crews set up thousands of nearly identical campers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency all over coastal Mississippi and southern Louisiana, officials say different areas hit by the tornadoes will require varying solutions.

The National Weather Service and state emergency officials are still tallying how many homes were destroyed when waves of tornadoes mowed through the South, killing hundreds in seven states as entire neighborhoods were wiped out in some areas. Alabama took the hardest hit: The state said 236 people were dead at last count, and 42 of the state's 67 counties have been approved to receive disaster assistance.


In Mississippi, state emergency management spokesman Jeff Rent said officials will help tornado victims secure mobile homes from FEMA in hard-hit Monroe County, where 15 people died and dozens of homes and businesses were damaged. The challenge is finding suitable sites for the mobile homes, especially in hard-hit areas like Smithville, which was littered with debris, Rent said. In Bertie County, N.C., residents left homeless by a mid-April tornado outbreak are living in FEMA trailers.

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Whatcha Think: Is this an idea that's time has come?

Lawmaker seeks drug testing of welfare recipients


LA State Wire

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A Jefferson Parish lawmaker is hoping he can persuade the Legislature on his fifth try to mandate drug testing of welfare recipients in Louisiana.

Republican Rep. John LaBruzzo's bill is scheduled for a Wednesday hearing in the House Health and Welfare Committee. Though he's gotten it out of committee before, LaBruzzo has repeatedly failed to get the measure passed through the full Legislature.

The proposal would require at least 20 percent of people who receive benefits to submit to drug testing.

LaBruzzo says the bill could help families get addiction treatment and make sure tax dollars aren't spent on drug habits. Opponents say the bill unfairly targets poor mothers, without evidence demonstrating they are more prone to drug problems.


States eye drug tests for welfare recipients

MIAMI (AP) — Lawmakers in more than two-dozen states have proposed drug-testing recipients of welfare or other government assistance, taking a tough stance on aiding the poor in the down economy. Critics say such laws would be unconstitutional — an argument that federal judges have agreed with before.

Similar proposals have been introduced in past years by lawmakers in dozens of states, but none currently requires drug testing because it's difficult to get around the arguments that the tests violate the Constitution's ban on unreasonable searches. Michigan's random drug testing program for welfare recipients lasted five weeks in 1999 before it was halted by a judge, kicking off a four-year legal battle that ended with an appeals court ruling it unconstitutional.

No other state has enacted such a program, worrying about legal battles. But lawmakers say they're willing to take the risk, as cash-strapped states struggle to close budget gaps, potentially paving the way for major legal battles. The National Conference of State Legislatures said at least 30 states have proposed to drug test recipients of government aid during the current legislative session.

"It's hard for me to justify to taxpayers that I'm taking your money and giving assistance to people who are buying drugs with it," said Florida state Sen. Paula Dockery, who is sponsoring a bill requiring testing for those who receive temporary cash assistance. The bill passed in the final days of the session and Gov. Rick Scott is expected to sign it.

Barbour says he's not running

STATEMENT OF GOV. BARBOUR

“I will not be a candidate for president next year. This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided.

“Hundreds of people have encouraged me to run and offered both to give and raise money for a presidential campaign. Many volunteers have organized events in support of my pursuing the race. Some have dedicated virtually full time to setting up preliminary organizations in critical, early states and to helping plan what has been several months of intensive activity.

“I greatly appreciate each and every one of them and all their outstanding efforts. If I have disappointed any of them in this decision, I sincerely regret it.

“A candidate for president today is embracing a ten-year commitment to an all-consuming effort, to the virtual exclusion of all else. His (or her) supporters expect and deserve no less than absolute fire in the belly from their candidate. I cannot offer that with certainty, and total certainty is required.

“This decision means I will continue my job as Governor Mississippi, my role in the Republican Governors Association and my efforts to elect a new Republican president in 2012, as the stakes for the nation require that effort to be successful.”

Barbour's Drawl Gets New Hampshire Debut

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour tours Riley’s Gun Shop in
Hooksett, N.H., this month.

MANCHESTER, N.H. — He is not like them. And the breakfast crowd at Chez Vachon knows it the instant Haley Barbour opens his mouth.

It’s not that they haven’t met Southern politicians before. Or that they don’t recognize the oddly shaped pin on his lapel as the state of Mississippi. The people of New Hampshire have been courted by politicians of all shapes and sizes over the years. It’s just that very few of them have encountered an accent quite like this.

“I noticed it, absolutely. You notice it,” said Jim Waddell, a state Representative from Hampton. He’s a one-time jogging partner of President Bill Clinton and recently shared breakfast here with Barbour. “Some people might say, ‘Ah, that’s phony, or that’s not real, or that’s hickish, or that’s redneckish.’ But I don’t feel that way. ... From my own point of view, I love a Southern accent and I love the way they use a lot of expressions in it. It’s lively.”



Roll Call

Poll shows Haley closing the gap on perceived GOP Presidential frontrunners

A new National Journal Poll shows Romney support growing slowly, but Governor Haley Barbour is closing the gap. The comparison of Romney's Massachusetts health care bill to Obamacare are getting louder and louder, and Pawlenty has a Cap and Trade problem.

Presidential hopefuls Cap and Trade stance offers "Pawlenty" of problems

Governor Tim Pawlenty

Minnesota Governor and Republican Presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty has a problem. He WAS a big supporter of Cap and Trade. He has tried to distance himself lately by saying it was a mistake. But, in a 2008 article published in the Star Tribune he seemed pretty cozied up to the idea to just dismiss it now as "a mistake."

In the article his then spokesman Alex Carey said, ""He would prefer that come from the federal government, it was something he really wanted to do."

Pawlenty joins global-warming radio ad


The governors of Minnesota and Arizona take to the airwaves to urge Congress to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Deepening his involvement in the global warming debate and in national affairs, Gov. Tim Pawlenty is lending his voice to a nationwide radio ad sponsored by the activist Environmental Defense Action Fund. In the ad, Pawlenty teams up with Arizona's Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano to scold Congress for not doing more to combat climate change.

Against a background of inspirational, New Age-style music, the two tout state-level achievements and urge Congress to pass national curbs on greenhouse gas emissions. Quick action could spur thousands of "enviro-friendly" jobs, Pawlenty and Napolitano say in the ad. Foot-dragging, they warn, could push job-yielding innovations overseas.

Those claims are disputed by some critics who say that the jury is still out on climate change and that promises of a golden age of affordable, homegrown fuel and controllable climate are overstated. Many of those are in Pawlenty's Republican Party, and the pressure on him to back off the issue has been substantial at times.

But Alex Carey, spokesman for Pawlenty, said the governor is convinced of the need for action. Pawlenty plans another clean energy package in the coming legislative session and has adopted renewable energy as his signature issue during his tenure leading the National Governors Association. Napolitano was the previous chair.

Mississippi leads nation in childhood immunizations

We’re No. 1 in childhood immunizations

GULFPORT -- The state Health Department announced today that Mississippi is the national leader -- ranked No. 1 -- in immunizing 2- and 3-year-olds, according to data released by the National Immunization Survey.

The NIS also designated Mississippi “most improved,” because in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, Mississippi ranked 18th.

Mississippi has an average immunization rate of 81.1 percent for the major childhood vaccinations for children 19 to 35 months of age (including DTaP, Polio, MMR, and other recommended vaccinations).

That exceeds the national average rate of 71.5 percent.

It is the Mississippi Department of Health that gives about 40 percent of all childhood vaccinations. Private providers give about 60 percent.

“Our immunization nurses in health department clinics and health care providers -- especially pediatricians and family practitioners -- across the state have been essential in achieving this goal,” said Dr. Mary Currier, state health officer. “We focus on making sure each child has the best possible protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Gallup poll shows American's want to tread lightly in Libya

Americans Back U.S. Involvement in Libya, But Oppose a ‘Leading’ Role

While most Americans support some level of involvement in the military operation in Libya, there is strong sentiment against the U.S. playing a leading role with very few in support of a leading role, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted March 25-27. The survey was taken before President Obama’s Monday night speech explaining his reasons for taking action. (Transcript).

The largest group among those surveyed — 36 percent — want the U.S. role to be minor. Twenty-nine percent support a “major role,” but only 10 percent back a “leading” role. Twenty-two percent want to see the U.S. withdraw.

Republicans tend to favor a stronger hand for the U.S. with 52 percent backing a leading or major role compared to 29 percent who favor a minor role. Democrats and independents lead more strongly to the minor role position, with 41 percent of Democrats and 38 percent of independents in that camp.

Congressman Thompson pays outstanding parking tickets in DC after report

Members Collect Many Unpaid Tickets


Rep. Bennie Thompson and his chief of staff paid off $860 worth of parking tickets last week after Roll Call brought the outstanding fines to their attention.

Members of Congress have immunity from many routine parking tickets in the District of Columbia, but that doesn’t mean they can’t try to rack up fines.

According to a Roll Call survey of vehicles parked on Capitol Hill and at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as of mid-March, lawmakers were carrying at least $15,000 in outstanding tickets — ranging from expired meters to speeding camera violations — and potentially thousands of dollars more.

Three-quarters of those tickets, worth about $11,500, were in default at the time of the survey, having gone more than 60 days, and in some cases years, without payment.

Roll Call canvassed Congressional parking facilities, as well as a special Members-only parking lot at the airport, and reviewed about 300 vehicles displaying a House- or Senate-issued Member parking tag.

Information on parking violations was obtained from the District of Columbia’s public ticket database, which is searchable by license plate and includes information on minor violations.

While many vehicles registered a single ticket, valued at as little as $20, a handful of automobiles reported several hundred to thousands of dollars in unpaid tickets.

Roll Call’s inquiry appears to have led some offenders to pay up.

Aides to Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said the lawmakers repaid their respective tickets after being contacted by Roll Call.

The District’s database showed Weiner received nearly $2,180 in tickets from 2007 to early March, including some instances in which he appears to have incurred multiple violations at the same time, such as failing to display current tags while parked in a taxi stand zone.

“All of the Congressman’s parking tickets have been paid. He is pleased to have helped decrease the D.C. budget deficit,” Weiner spokesman Dave Arnold said.

Thompson spokesman Lanier Avant likewise said the Mississippi lawmaker repaid $610 in outstanding tickets that his vehicle received from 2004 to 2010. During Roll Call’s survey, a second vehicle displaying Thompson’s Member parking permit also returned $250 in parking tickets, which Avant said were his own and were also repaid.

According to the House Administration Committee, Members must pay their own parking tickets and are not permitted to use official funds.

Poll: Should we stay on "summer time"?

NPR asks the question:

Should the U.S. stop changing its clocks?


Or, to put it another way, should Americans stop going "off" Daylight Saving Time every winter?

There are parts of the U.S., including Arizona and Hawaii, that don't change their clocks. Here's a question: Should the rest of the nation just stay on "summer time" permanently so that our evenings always (sort of) last longer?

Sun Herald providing more ammo for Barbour naysayers.

Gov. Haley Barbour had hand in release of convicted killer Joseph Goff

The Sun Herald has learned that Gov. Haley Barbour helped in the early release of convicted killer Joseph Goff, whose release today after serving eight years of a 20-year sentence has drawn outrage from law enforcement and the community.

A spokeswoman for Barbour on Thursday had said, “The inmate’s release is set by state sentencing laws. The governor has no role.”

But 130 days of the time off Goff received was granted by Barbour in Executive Order 956 for work Goff did cleaning up after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Simpson, Quitman, Marion and Walthall counties, according to South Mississippi lawmakers, the Mississippi Department of Corrections and the Attorney General’s Office.

Barbour’s office has not yet responded to a follow-up call from the Sun Herald today seeking further comment and information.

“This is just unbelievable, to give a murderer 130 days off because he cleaned up after a storm, which is what an inmate should be doing anyway,” said state Sen. Michael Watson, R-Pascagoula. “It’s beyond me, to be honest with you. I’m almost at a loss for words.”

Goff shot and killed Kyle Todd, 19, while Todd was standing by a Christmas tree inside his family’s Gautier home on Dec. 8, 2001. Todd died in his mother’s arms. He was a former valedictorian at Gautier High School and the son of Carla Todd, president of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.

Listen to Governor Barbour speak live at 9 am at Rediscover God Breakfast in Iowa

Governor Barbour has just taken the stage at the Rediscover God Breakfast in Iowa. Other guests include Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and Michelle Bachmann.

You can listen live by going HERE