Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant Photo by Jacob Fuller.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
In his annual State of the State speech, Gov. Phil Bryant beamed as he boasted of last year’s business-friendly legislative session and state-backed economic development that yielded close to 3,000 new jobs.
The jobs Bryant spoke about were created all over the state—Oxford, Pascagoula, Holly Springs, Columbus, Prentiss, Tupelo and other towns. Conspicuously absent from the governor’s eight-and-a-half page speech was any mention of the capital city save for the footer at the bottom of the page that lists the governor office’s address in Jackson.
“I don’t think he realizes we have a capital,” said Rep. Alyce Clarke, D-Jackson. Clarke said she plans to meet with the governor to talk about job creation in Jackson.
Bryant did give a nod to Nissan’s recent celebration of the carmaker’s 10-year anniversary of its facility in Canton, which is part of the Jackson metro area.
Democratic Sen. Kenneth Wayne Jones, who represents Canton, appreciated the shout out to his hometown but believes Bryant’s references to “welfare” were targeted at the constituency Jones represents. Jones also chairs the Legislative Black Caucus.
Speaking about the need for education reform, Bryant said, “We must make reforms now so that our citizens can be productive contributors to our communities and less reliant on social-welfare programs.”
Bryant, of course, used the speech, which took place in a less-than-full House chamber at 5 p.m., to reinstate his support for charter schools. The Senate passed a charter-school bill last week while the House Education Committee agreed on the House version this week.
The governor also asked the Legislature to fund 200 full scholarships for Mississippi high school seniors who have a 3.5 grade-point average and 28 ACT score who agree to teach in a Mississippi public school for five years. Bryant added that the Lamar, Gulfport, Rankin and Clarksdale school districts will pilot a merit-pay teacher program.
There was scant mention of Bryant’s plan to grow the state’s health-care industry, particularly in Jackson along Woodrow Wilson Avenue, although Bryant did say he wants to increase the number of doctors in the state.
Once again, Bryant stated his stance against expanding Medicaid, which federal law allows and the federal government would largely fund.
“We should be compassionate by lowering our Medicaid population through economic growth, personal responsibility and providing more access to private-sector health care,” Bryant said.
To bolster his argument, Bryant cited a report his predecessor, Gov. Haley Barbour, commissioned from the consulting firm Milliman Inc. According to Bryant’s interpretation of the Milliman study, Medicaid expansion would cost Mississippi taxpayers $12 billion between 2014 and 2020. However, the figure Bryant cited is the overall cost of expanding Medicaid; the state’s share would top out at 10 percent of the total by the time the expansion is fully implemented in 2020, with 100 percent of the cost of newly eligible people through 2016.
In touting the growth potential of the health-care industry, Bryant was unwittingly praising President Barack Obama’s economic initiatives, said Sen. Hillman Frazier, D-Jackson. Frazier, who chairs the Senate Housing Committee, said he is excited about health-care expansion in the capital city.
“It’s going to help Jackson tremendously,” he said.
Comments
tamikacurley 11 years, 2 months ago
Hmm...interesting enough and quite obvious--Jackson is failing to thrive. I have watched for the past several months, businesses move from Jackson to areas outside of Jackson. Being a graduate student with a business degree, I understand how business works, and being married to someone in public policy and administration, I see how politics work. It is sad that although Jackson is the capital city, there are no plans for its future development, job growth, education system, etc.--no hope for Jackson at all. And yet Mississippi stands at the bottom of a lot of things--wonder why? I guess the world may never know.
donnaladd 11 years, 2 months ago
No small part has to do with crumbling infrastructure, which virtually no one has the will to pay for. There are many reasons for that, of course.
Tom_Head 11 years, 2 months ago
I'm trying to find a source for Phil Bryant's comment about Jackson a few years ago—to the effect that he wished he could wheel the capitol building out to Rankin County—and having no luck. I probably shouldn't be surprised that a guy who uses The Dukes of Hazzard as his ringtone isn't invested in a 79% black city, but it would be nice if he'd at least pretend to be a 21st-century governor every now and then.
sarahmina 11 years, 2 months ago
As long as Jackson is run by Black people, the state of Mississippi will NOT provide the support needed to help it progress. Unfortunately, the Black Caucus is too weak and lacking the political savy or "will" to be effective,. They keep electing the nice lady down the street to serve with no political experince or related background. You get what you get, The only people benefiting from this kind of degradation, is the good old boys, both black and white who reap the benefits( contacts, sweetheart deals etc._) of keeping the oppressed, oppressed. The Mayors' race will be a good indicaion of whether the city progresses as a brillant, all inclusive, progressive, city that is representative of the people who live in the city OR it is allowed to decline furher and further until it has to be taken over by white interest, money and control. Lord knows there are hundreds of examples of that happening around the country. Your current mayor has no vision for the city, NO passion. The question is will the next one???
The Black community doesn't demand anything more SO it doesn't get anything more. They seem satisfied with the Harvey Johnsons and Kenny Stokes of the world. You get what you get. Kenny Stokes sticks a cardboard mother's day card on a light pole and every one cheers AND he gets re-elected every term for doing NOTHING to raise the expectations of his people and demanding more.
The only candidate I've seen so far that will challenge the status quo is, Chowai Lumumba. I heard so many people say he is too ratical for the city, I decided to look or myself. His history shows that he has been a stanch advocate for the under priviledged and has always fought for dairnedd. Most of his work is commumnity based lawyering. He defines himself as a HUMAN RIGHTS lawyer and from what I can see of his past,, that is EXACTLY who he is. Anyone interested in advancing human rights and dignity, this is your man. Check out his website for yourself. DEMAND MORE!!!!
donnaladd 11 years, 2 months ago
Yes, we should have that. Hold on.
bill_jackson 11 years, 2 months ago
Does the city of Jackson have such an inferiority complex that it gets its feelings hurt because the Gov. doesn't pay it lip service in a speech?
donnaladd 11 years, 2 months ago
No, Bill.
bill_jackson 11 years, 2 months ago
Then what exactly is the gist of this article?
Tom_Head 11 years, 2 months ago
Maybe you should just read it, Bill.
bill_jackson 11 years, 2 months ago
I did, Tom. Still, I ask, is it the State of the State address, or would ya'll prefer it to be the State of Jackson address?
Tom_Head 11 years, 2 months ago
Bill, Phil Bryant's job is to serve as governor of Mississippi. Jackson is the largest city in Mississippi, and it also happens to be the capital city. If you think he can be the governor of white, rural Mississippi while alternately ignoring and disparaging black, urban residents, you're obviously one of the Mississippians he does care about. That's fine—I'm glad at least one of us has a governor—but don't expect everyone else to be happy with that arrangement.
darryl 11 years, 2 months ago
As Governor Bryant spends a great deal of his time in Jackson, I'm hopeful that its future is as ever-present on his mind as is the rest of Mississippi - no more and no less than the smallest of municipalities. Its people, his de facto employees, and the other persons in this state are, it is similarly hoped, governed to the best of his abilities. I hope Governor Bryant governs with grace white or black, rural or urban and otherwise.
As one who lives on the periphery of Jackson, I would implore its citizens NOT to elect Lumumba. He has practiced divisiveness his entire personal and professional career. Please get a true businessman in office who can read a balance sheet and has at least a rudimentary understanding of want vs. need.
Knowledge06 11 years, 2 months ago
Based on the decisions of governor byrant thus far darryl, the future of Jackson is nowhere near his mind. If Jackson's future was ever-present on his mind, he would show some leadership and implore the House Speaker to bring to a vote and urge the passage of the Senate bill to purchase the Landmark Building in downtown Jackson and locate the State Tax Commission there. If the Governor understands a financial statement, that would be a prudent business decision. Further, if Jackson was near his mind, he would show some leadership and encourage the legislature to provide cash in lieu payments to compensate the City for loss of property tax revenue for the State buildings that are non-taxable. If Jackson was near his mind, he would have shown leadership by speaking out against the teenagers in the county (Rankin) and city(Brandon) that he resides who habitually trolled parts of Jackson looking for helpless black people to harass, shoot sling shots at and even run over. I could go on and will at a later time. But spare me YOUR rudimentary understanding of what YOU think is near phil bryant's mind!!!
darryl 11 years, 2 months ago
Oh, goody! I do so want to read about YOUR exceptional understanding of how to be a governor. Please. Imploring your elected officials in Jackson and Hinds County to be proactive and business-friendly is likely to be of greater benefit. And I haven't heard Governor Bryant go out of his way to speak out on other isolated criminal matters, black, white or brown. Spare me that, too.
Knowledge06 11 years, 2 months ago
darryl, it doesn't take exceptional understanding in order to know how to be a governor. Whatever it takes doesn't exist with phil byrant nor has it existed with any Mississippi governor in quite some time. If the current governor is YOUR idea of exceptional then you're a sad man. If your leadership as governor doesn't lift the state that you lead then you are a failure. Simple as that. When was the last time Mississippi moved from the bottom with all of this exceptional leadership? Facts are facts. Surely your limited knowledge shows you that!
donnaladd 11 years, 2 months ago
Darryl, put the snark back in your pocket. Anyone has the right to question or criticize a public servant, and that is all a governor is.
The way to spare yourself from it is not to read it. No one else here has to "spare" you anything.
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