Governor Bryant?

The Sun Herald reported today that Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant is considering a run for governor in 2011. (Unless Barbour changes the Mississippi Constitution, this is his last term.)

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant told the Sun Herald Thursday he is mulling a run for governor, the same day he held a fundraiser to build his war chest for future campaigns.

Bryant said he had not made any firm decision yet about whether to seek re-election as lieutenant governor or to run for governor, but he was certainly considering seeking higher office.

He said keeping revenue in his political account is vital, so Bryant was to hold a fundraiser at a Biloxi home Thursday where attendees would pay $250 a couple, he said. The funds could be used for either his reelection or, if he so chooses, a bid to become governor when Republican Gov. Haley Barbour, an ally of Bryant's, finishes his last term, which would officially end in early 2012 following the 2011 elections.

"I haven't made that decision yet," Bryant said. "The one thing you never try to do is look three years into the future and decide but the one thing I do know is whether I am running for re-election or decide to run for governor it is going to take a lot of money to do so. I don't like to try to wait until the last minute."

We have all been speculating on what he might do in 2011, so it's not surprising to see his comments.

Several employees of the state auditor's office (former and current) have made rumblings about the mess Bryant made while auditor. It will be interesting to see if Pickering can clean up the mess before 2011 since it will come back to haunt Bryant if he runs for governor.

Pay raise for elected officials

Below are the new raises legislators in the House voted on yesterday. The bill narrowly passed the House and now goes to the Senate.

From the Sun Herald:

With the raise, the speaker of the House and lieutenant governor would get $90,000 a year in addition to the compensation they get for being in the Legislature.

Legislators' pay would rise from $10,000 a year to $15,000, in addition to mileage and other compensation. Per diem for lawmakers would also be raised to $75 per day, and they would now receive $2,500 per month when the legislature is not in session, up from $1,500.

Among the other raises:
• Governor - $152,000, up from $122,160.
• Attorney general - $140,000, up from $108,960.
• Secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, insurance commissioner and agriculture commissioner - $120,000, up from $90,000.
• Transportation commissioners and public service commissioners - $108,000, up from $78,000.

New Franks Ad: Phil Bryant Has Failed As Our Auditor

State Auditor's Department about Auditing

We should all appreciate the fact that the Democratic candidate for State Auditor, Mike Sumrall, is committed to improving and promoting the State Auditor's office.

Staffing is Sumrall's main concern because he says some of the more experienced auditors have resigned. "Staffing is the key problem," Sumrall said. "The staff they have is young and inexperienced."

Sumrall also said he wants to make sure auditors know how to do a complete audit, not just parts of one, and he wants employees to be trained in different departments.

"I want to create a cross-training program so we can use people in different areas," he said.

Sumrall added he would like to see employees in the auditor's office get extra pay when they get an advanced degree or certification. He said those incentives are added to and taken away from the budget, but he wants them to be restored.

While fraud prevention and prosecution is important, if auditors aren't trained to find fraud, we'll miss a critical piece to that puzzle. Mike Sumrall proves, once again, he's got the experience and not just the rhetoric to be our next State Auditor.

Click here to read the complete story.

Democratic Candidate For Auditor Mike Sumrall

Republican Candidate For Auditor Stacey Pickering

Dewey Phil Bryant and Republicans Play Fast and Loose with the Facts

First Republican ad distorting the truth for Dewey Phil Bryant:


Franks' campaign responds with the facts:

Ad Watch: Anti-Franks Ad, #1

CLAIM: "Jamie Franks is a personal injury trial lawyer who tried to stop tort reform."(Anti-Franks Ad, #1)

FACT: Co-Authored Tort Reform Bill in 2004. On June 2, 2004, the House passed (92-24) HB 13, co-authored by Jamie Franks, a tort reform bill. The legislation imposed non-economic caps, caps on punitive damages, protected innocent sellers of defective products and implemented several liability restrictions. (NFIB, Jun. 2, 2004)

CLAIM: "Jamie Franks has given thousands of dollars to liberals like John Kerry, Al Gore, and Bennie Thompson who don't share our values." (Anti-Franks Ad, #1)

FACT: Total amount contributed to the above candidates: $2250. $1,000 to Bennie Thompson in 2006. $1,000 to John Kerry in 2004. $250 to Al Gore in 1999. (Center for Responsive Politics)

CLAIM: "Jamie Franks voted for millions in new taxes. And high taxes hurt families and cost jobs." (Anti-Franks Ad, #1)

FACT: On Feb. 9, 2005, the House PASSED HB 1409. The bill provided for new fees to be charged by state agencies for services provided, not a tax increase on individual taxpayers or businesses as the ad implies. (Ironically, the first fee increase in the bill was for the State Auditor's Office. Phil Bryant continuously cites the low fees he is allowed to charge as the reason his office is drastically behind in audits performed.) The bill died in Senate committee. Jamie Franks voted AYE. (BIPEC Legislative Scorecard, 2005; MS House, HB 1409, 2005)

Second Republican ad playing loose with the truth for Dewey Phil Bryant:


Franks' campaign responds again with the facts:

Ad Watch: Anti-Franks Ad, #2

CLAIM: "Jamie Franks voted against a comprehensive voter ID program to clean up election fraud." (Anti-Franks Ad, #2)

FACT: On May 19, 2004, the House PASSED HB 1 on third reading. Jamie Franks voted "aye" for initial passage.

Jamie Franks has supported voter ID legislation. On Apr. 13, 2004; the House PASSED (92-28) HB 1827. The bill required voters to present identification listed in the Help America Vote Act, but exempted persons 65 or older. Jamie Franks voted "aye." (House Journal, Apr. 13, 2004, p. 870; Clarion Ledger, Apr. 14, 2004)

CLAIM: "Jamie Franks voted against tax cuts for small business that helped create new jobs." (Anti-Franks Ad, # 2)

FACT: SB 2480 (2005, Regular Session) would have simply prevented a planned increase, not raise taxes as the ad claims. SB2480 was signed into law on 3/23 by Governor Haley Barbour.

CLAIM: "Jamie Franks voted for the beef plant boondoggle that cost taxpayers 55 million dollars" (Anti-Franks Ad, # 2)

FACT: Along with nearly every other Legislator, Jamie Franks voted to allow the Land, Water and Timber Resources Board to fund projects to promote agriculture in Mississippi. One of those projects was Mississippi Beef Processors. The State Auditor knew in April of 2002 about a fraudulent project invoice in excess of $3,800 forged by the CEO of the Beef Plant. If Phil Bryant had done his job and reported the CEO at that time, no further funds possibly would have been allocated to the project.

The Legislature provided $50,000 to Bryant to fund what they thought would be Bryant's professional oversight of all Board projects. Over the next two years, Bryant only spent $10,000 of the allocation, and never provided the Legislature with reports that warned of the project's massive problems. As the only state official with the authority to account for the taxpayers' money, Bryant simply did not do his job. Had the Legislature known what he knew, the outcome could have been vastly different. And Bryant's thirst for the spotlight insured that others who had a criminal role in the debacle will never be prosecuted because he announced an investigation the day before the Attorney General was set to wire an informant in hopes of netting other perpetrators.

Franks: Bryant to Blame / Bryant: I Know You Are But What Am I?

Franks: Bryant To Blame In Beef Plant's Failure

The Daily Journal:

The failed Mississippi Beef Processors Plant has now become an issue in the race for lieutenant governor.

State Rep. Jamie Franks of Mooreville, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, said Monday that his opponent, state Auditor Phil Bryant, was primarily responsible for the failure of the cull cow processing plant that cost the state $55 million when it closed.

"The fact is, Bryant's failure of accountability to do the job to which he was elected has cost Mississippi millions of dollars in this one project alone," Franks said Monday during a news conference at the state Capitol.

In a release, Bryant called Franks' claims "wrong and irresponsible."

When the Legislature approved the beef processing plant, it provided the state Auditor's Office $50,000 to monitor the construction and initial operation of the plant, but Franks said Bryant spent only $10,000 of the funds.

Franks, buoyed by confirmation from Attorney General Jim Hood, also said Bryant botched the criminal investigation associated with the plant by talking about the investigation in the media.

According to Hood, the day before he was set to place a wire on plant owner-operator Richard Hall to try to catch other possible wrongdoers, Bryant issued a news release announcing the investigation.

"The confidential information was burned at that point," Hood said. "It is hard to slip up on a criminal when a law enforcement agency announces an investigation in the newspaper.

Bryant Fails Accountablility Test In Beef Plant Fiasco

In a press conference held today, State Rep. Jamie Franks, Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor, exposed State Auditor Phil Bryant's role in the 2004 failure of the Mississippi Beef Processors program which cost the taxpayers of Mississippi over $54 million dollars.

Friday's sentencing of project CEO Richard Hall to eight years in the federal penitentiary as a principal player in the beef plant debacle brings into focus the serious lack of responsibility the State Auditor demonstrated during the two years he was directly associated with the program.


PR OPPORTUNITY TRUMPS INVESTIGATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

Accounting standards are clear: when official auditors are assigned to a case, they are required to report to the proper authorities any problems they encounter, especially those that appear to be criminal.1

"When it became certain that criminal activity had taken place, Bryant recklessly announced his investigation before the media2 without alerting or cooperating with the other investigative authorities. In so doing, he demolished the potential for a criminal case that would have punished everyone responsible for the debacle and recovered millions in damages for the state," Franks said.

"But Bryant, with complete disregard for proper protocol, chose instead to use the disaster as a publicity stunt. While the full extent of the loss can never be known, Bryant's lapse of common sense and professional conduct cost the state millions in unrecoverable damages and ensured any other responsible parties, aside from Richard Hall, would never be brought to justice by the state," Franks said. "In Saturday's editorial, the Clarion-Ledger asked why.3 Here is their answer."

"Despite having ruined the state's efforts to apprehend others involved in the fiasco, Bryant is still pretending that his investigation may result in indictments,4" Franks said. "He knows this is not true."

BRYANT KNEW FROM THE BEGINNING

"Although the State Auditor has been eager to keep the finger of blame pointing at others, in fact he bears a large responsibility for the failure of Mississippi Beef Processors and its cost to the taxpayers of Mississippi," Franks said.

"Phil Bryant and two of his staffers were present at a closed-door meeting in April of 2002, when concerns over the program's financial problems were aired5," Franks said. "It was Bryant's duty as State Auditor to investigate those problems and share them with the Legislature. If he had done his job early in the game, the whole disaster could have been avoided. But he did nothing."

CHOOSES TO MONITOR INSTEAD OF ASSIST

In early March 2003, Bryant's office was allocated $50,0006 to assist the Land, Water and Timber Resource Board with the administration of their various projects, the largest of which was the beef plant. The Legislative intent of that bill was for the Auditor to help the board, not watch its actions from afar.

Instead of employing his accountants to sort out the financial aspects of the project, Bryant assigned it to his Performance Audit Division7 for monitoring.

Bryant produced carefully crafted, encouraging reports to the Legislature8 until it became public knowledge that the project was in shambles. Once the plant fiasco became talk radio fodder, just a few weeks before it went under, Bryant finally issued a report exposing financial problems with the project.9"

"Mississippi taxpayers are not financial experts. They employ a team of professional accountants to oversee our investments and protect our money – the State Auditor's Office," Franks said. "Bryant had a staff of accountants and $50,000 at his disposal. It's not as if he didn't have the resources to look at the plant's finances. He simply didn't do his job."

By the time the plant collapsed, Bryant had only spent $10,00010. When asked about his accountability, Bryant took offense that Legislators were daring to question the timeliness of his reports in early 200511.

DOESN'T DESERVE PROMOTION

"The fact is, Bryant's failure to do the job to which he was elected has cost Mississippi millions of dollars in this one project alone," Franks said. "We simply cannot afford to elevate him to an office that oversees the entire budget of the State of Mississippi."

Jamie Franks, the Democratic nominee for Mississippi's Lt. Governor is a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the 19th House District, representing Lee, Itawamba, and Tishomingo counties. He currently serves as the Majority whip and Chairman of the Conservation & Water Resources committee.

Mike Sumrall in Downtown Jackson on Labor Day

Mike Sumrall is the only candidate running for State Auditor who is qualified.

I said so before the primary, I said so before the runoff and I'm saying so now.

He's a good man with experience in state and local governments in auditing and bookkeeping.

He's the only one with an accounting degree. He is the only one with experience. He is the candidate we need.

Hopefully his qualifications will outweigh the Pickering name in the general election.

John Goodman Details The Differences Between Sumrall and Pickering

From PearlMississippiCPA:

Stacey Pickering is totally unqualified to be State Auditor. He is a media consultant and a part-time public relations person (Wonderful. That is really one bippy of a great qualification--making people look good and saying groovy sound bites.). He knows as much about accounting and auditing as my cat Bueller does. If he is elected, he'll be bored stiff as State Auditor. And you can rest assured he'll play politics with the job just as his predecessors after Hamp King have. In four years, he'll be looking to move up the political totem pole. (That should be interesting, since his cousin Charles plans to run for governor in 2011. You can get two of them for the price of one. Goody goody.)

Mike Sumrall recognizes the need for drastic changes in the Office of State Auditor. The number of staff is at an all-time low. He wants to have cross-training of auditors so that they can do school audits, agency audits or county audits. The investigative division has more staff than any time in the history of the agency yet it takes more than three years to complete investigations. (You can thank Phil the Pill Bryant for the surplus of investigators. Bryant used to be a fire investigator but knows as much about accounting and auditing as my cat.)

Read the full post at PearlMississippiCPA.

Rickey Cole Rightfully Rips Spell in Greenwood

In addittion to hammering Lester Spell on the culled cow beef plant that he engineered and sold to legislature with a final price tag of $55 million dollars Rickey Cole found other failures in Lester Spell's recent history.

"Lester Spell spent $4 million on a Farmer's Market in Jackson," Cole told the group. "And it isn't taking in enough money to pay the light bill."

In his speech at the Neshoba County Fair I heard Spell defend his farmers market saying that there was a waiting list of folks wanting to have space at the market. A good question in response to that would be to ask why it is only open 3 mornings a week if the demand is so great.

Cole went on to say that Spell claims to have conducted 4,500 supermarket inspections in 2006.

"You know how many inspectors he has?" Cole asked the crowd.

After one man guessed 100, Cole told him the correct answer is 10.

"(Spell) is telling us with a straight face they did a thorough inspection with those 10 people," Cole said. "That means if those 10 inspectors worked 225 days last year, they did two stores a day. He might have done it, but he didn't do a very good job."

People expect that the food they buy at the grocery store will be safe. It is the job and duty of the Commissioner of Agriculture's office to do so. Has he accomplished his job? I don't think so.

Cole, a native of Ovett who now lives in Utica, said that while 16 people will be running for state offices in November, he is the lone candidate with rustic credentials. He also is the only one who can claim to be a farmer.

"I tell people I never did fall off the turnip truck," Cole added. "I just kept on driving.

"My home is 18 miles from the nearest incorporated town," said Cole. "When I leave, the population goes down by 10 percent."

Cole told the crowd he feels not enough is done to promote Mississippi's rural atmosphere and blue-collar culture, something he feels is the state's real strength.

I've advocated the election of Mike Sumrall partially do the regional diversity he'd bring to state government as a candidate from South Mississippi; Cole is the only candidate who would provide a rural voice in state government and I think you'd have to agree that that is a voice that is very much needed.

"There is no easy way to fix all our problems," Cole said. "But we can't fix it with one huge project. Economic development is small businesses opening. It's the people who need $10,000 or $50,000 to start a business that my office will come to work with."

Huge economic development projects (usually) look good and help politicians of both parties win re-election, but it is the Viking Range' of our state that really create jobs and support communities and if we strive to find and support home grown businesses we will be able to benefit the state far more with far less effect on our state budget. For no more irresponsible investment in failed projects while being open to supporting expanded local business a vote for Rickey Cole is the right one.

The Greenwood Commonwealth Article

Your Democratic Nominee for Auditor

Congratulations Democratic Nominee Mike Sumrall



Check this out for a few good reasons to support Mike Sumrall for State Auditor

Todd Brand's Attack Ad on Mike Sumrall

I disagree with the ad, but feel folks should be able to see it. You can see why I support Mike Sumrall in the post directly below.

Vote for Mike Sumrall

There are many reasons why you should vote for Mike Sumrall including but not limited to his long and deep experience doing the kind of work that is necessary for the job of State Auditor.

Dr. Todd Brand is a very intelligent man and I'm sure that a doctorate in Community College Leadership will help him get about any job he'd like to have, but I really think now is the time to choose Mike Sumrall. Allow me to spell out some reasons.

1. He is very, very qualified. The web page details his pertinent work experience He is the most qualified out of the 3 remaining candidates (Sumrall, Brand, Pickering).

2. He not only has experience, but has shown competence and vision. Years before computers became the norm he saw where technology was going so he went back to school to study computer science so he would be prepared to meet that challenge. Between his knowledge of audits at various levels and his knowledge of automating processes using technology he would be an excellent fit for State Auditor today.

3. He didn't say the following:

"(Bryant) has done an outstanding job leading the audit department, but he has faced a shrinking budget for the last three fiscal years."

Defending the current Republican candidate for Lt. Governor's failed tenure as Auditor is not a quality I want in a Democratic nominee. The Auditor's office was given money to investigate the beef plant fiasco and he gave most of it back. With people (finally) going to jail, shouldn't they have been a little more thorough?

4. He's from South Mississippi. This may count against him elsewhere, but I'd like you to think about how few of our statewide candidates are from the Coast. I think he is one of two running statewide from the Southern region. We deserve representation too.

Mike Sumrall is a man of good character and a friend to the people of Mississippi and seeks the office so that he may serve the people just as he has done for the last 20 years. He deserves your vote and support. Vote for him tomorrow, Tuesday the 27th.

John Goodman on the State Auditors Race

Let's look at the record since 1984, when long-serving State Auditor W. Hamp King stepped down. He was the last State Auditor who kept politics out of the Office of State Audit (hereafter abbreviated as OSA). His successor, Ray Mabus (1984-1988), used it as a successful launching pad for Governor. After him came Pete Johnson (1988-1992). He was elected as a Democrat, became a Republican in late 1988, and unsuccessfully ran for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 1991. After him came Steve Patterson (1992-Nov. 1996), who was going to use it for an eventual run for Governor or Lt. Governor. And finally, Phil Bryant (Nov. 1996 to present) used the OSA as a launching pad for his run for Lt. Governor. All of those four auditors used the OSA as a political fiefdom.

Mike Sumrall knows the inner workings of the OSA. It is true he is NOT a CPA. But he is the ONLY candidate with an accounting degree. He has twenty-three years auditing experience with the OSA, three years as County Administrator and CFO of Forrest County and two years as business manager of Pike County Schools. As you can see, he has experience in state, county and school audits and financial accounting. Add it up: That's twenty-eight years of accounting and auditing experience of government.

...

If you are a Democrat, please vote for Mike Sumrall on August 28th. As a CPA, I can tell you he is the most qualified man to run for State Auditor in decades. At long last, the man and the office have met. Mississippi desperately needs Mike Sumrall as our State Auditor.

Read the entire post at PearlMississippiCPA

Republican Dirty Tricks In State Auditor Race

Todd Brand of Meridian, who is vying for the Democratic nomination for auditor, said Monday he believes automated phone calls from an unknown source might have influenced his election and others in the Democratic primary….He said some of his supporters had affidavits from African-American voters saying they received automated phone calls near the election with the message that Sumrall was the black candidate in the race.
...

The "black" candidate in the race.
...
Brand said the company doing the calls was "Grassroots Out of Virginia." On Republican Gov. Haley Barbour's campaign finance report is a $50,000 expenditure to Grassroots Targeting/Microtargeting of Alexandria, Va.

Ryan Annison, a spokesman for the Barbour campaign, said automated phone calls "is not what that company does. Like all campaigns, we did some polling with them."

The Daily Journal Article

Last Minute Ad Buy For Jacob Ray

Democratic Candidate for State Auditor Jacob Ray looks to avoid a runoff in the primary with this advertisement in addition to a well run campaign.

Hat Tip to Will Bardwell for catching it first.

Jacob Ray At The Neshoba County Fair

I missed his speech, but caught up with him later where he consented to answering why he would be the best State Auditor.

This was recorded in the heat of a hot, hot Neshoba county Summer day.