Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann wants his Senate to develop a plan to reorganize state government.
Hosemann and Sen. Chris Johnson, chair of the Senate Government Structures Committee, set that as a “top priority during next year’s session,” reported the Clarion-Ledger last week. This followed a presentation to Johnson’s committee by former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson who successfully reorganized government in Arkansas.
Good luck. The history of significant government reorganization in Mississippi consists mostly of failures.
As I write in my book A Republican’s Lament: Mississippi Needs Good Government Conservatives, “In 1932 the Institute for Government Research of the Brookings Institution studied Mississippi government. Its Report on a Survey of the Organization and Administration of State and County Government in Mississippi recommended a maximum of 12 agencies. A study by Highsaw and Mullican, The Growth of State Administration in Mississippi, suggested 17 agencies in 1950. A group of CEOs, said 32 agencies in 1971. These thoughtful recommendations got nowhere with the Mississippi Legislature which wielded the power over agency creation and dissolution. In 1817 the state started with eight administrative agencies, by 1932 there were 80 and by 1950 just over 100, and in 2023 over 140.”
“We in Mississippi have over 200 boards and commissions,” Hosemann told the Clarion-Ledger. “We’re laying the predicate here for a really strong look at Mississippi government. We want to have a very efficient government.”
In 1975, Republican gubernatorial candidate Gil Carmichael made “efficient and effective” government via reorganization a cornerstone of his campaign. Gil believed it would take a constitutional convention to get anything done.
Gov. Kirk Fordice tried to get the legislature to streamline government during his two terms to little avail.As I mentioned in a recent column, Gov. Haley Barbour in 2009 put forth 18 proposals to rightsize government. The legislature thwarted those proposals too.
That is not to say that no government reorganization has occurred. It has, but those changes have been minor in scope compared to the proposals of Carmichael, Fordice, and Barbour, as well as several governors who preceded them.
The exciting element in Hosemann’s effort is that the legislature may be bringing major proposals forward, not the governor.
Interestingly, Fordice and Barbour sought to save money through reorganization, Hosemann said his intent is otherwise.
“We probably will save money,” he told the Clarion-Ledger, “but the most important thing is to be effective and be available to people we work for.”
Of course, a study committee is one thing, legislative action with governor approval quite another.
“Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” – Philippians 2:2.
Crawford is the author of A Republican’s Lament: Mississippi Needs Good Government Conservatives.
26 comments:
Does this mean that he wants to create more high paying patronage positions?
Instead of counting agencies, boards, and commissions, count people. In 2013, there were 32,921 active members of PERS in state agencies. In 2023, there were 24,922 active members of PERS in state agencies, which is a reduction of 24%. With the exception of counties, all other areas of government have fewer employees in 2023 than 2013.
https://www.pers.ms.gov/Content/CAFR/CAFR2013.pdf
https://www.pers.ms.gov/sites/default/files/Content/CAFR/2023_ACFR.pdf
Since Delbert is running for Governor, we should just agree that his efficiency proposal is essentially being offered “by the Governor.” Same difference.
Impossible to tell if you're mixing oranges and sneakers. You don't account for all the so-called 'contract workers' who suddenly came to work in these agencies as soon as retirements and downsizing (if any) occurred. That became really popular under the Barbour regime and has never slowed down since.
First Delbert wants to study workforce representation, which is impossible. Then he wants to talk about 'Brain Drain', something else that cannot be proven since no agency measures or records any data. Now he wants to reorganize all of government.
Can't the boy just be happy with a state hunting preserve bearing his name while riding off into a PERS sunset?
Put a bowtie and a green visor on him, in retirement, and he'd be an excellent casino blackjack dealer over in his hometown. Win Win!
@8.47 AM, what is your point?
Clearly Delbert is running but the 80+ year old candidate is not gonna work in Mississippi .
And this here ladies and germs is the reason PERS is tanking. Simple math. Inverted pyramid. I believe it was this same politician who said state retirement was sacrosanct and would never be touched. Just another bloviating politician unless you are ready to lose your next election in return for making hard (i.e., unpopular) choices.
You want to make MS Government more efficient? How about upgrading systems like the 40 year old piece of shit software called MAGIC.
Theses men are nothing but RINO’s! Hosemann is nothing but a democrat wearing republicans clothes. I hope real republican runs against him
You might be right he will run but I hope he doesn’t win. He will expand Medicaid and increase social programs. He’s not a conservative
He wants to expand goverment
Same tired political shit, a bunch of politicians who know nothing about running an organization want to "reorganize" government to impress their blind and dumb constituency into thinking that they have actually accomplished something. How about someone focusing on improving the services that the government already provides. That is something that is most certainly needed.
Although it's almost never discussed Mississippi's present Constitution was written with one priority in mind. Every provision was influenced by that peculiar priority which supposedly no longer holds sway in our modern state. Or does it? Or don't we now have other reasons to hold onto our outdated and inefficient governmental structure. Like it or not we're stuck in a time warp. This is Mississippi.
The brain drain is easy to follow. You use a computer. In the decade 2010-20, we lost 35,000 ages 25-35, the sweet spot of the population. That's the size of Tupelo.
When Duff jumps in the Gov race, you'll see Hoseman, Fitch, and Shadrack part the waters. Gipson will probably stay in the race, though. He doesn't know any better
By “reorganization “ what exactly do you mean? An aristocratic government? I’m all in
Wonder who the Dems are gonna put up. Presley wasn’t a bad candidate. Just broke politics 101: don’t run against incumbents
Sorry, but there's no way in hell you can relate census data to those who managed to obtain a professional degree at a local college. You can make assumptions, but they're without basis.
'Sweet Spot'? According to whom and by what measure.
You probably also assume that any county that gained population in that age group increased its number of those with master's degrees. Get the hell outa here with that flawed logic.
Help me out. Who is Duff?
In the decade 2010-20, we lost 35,000 ages 25-35 ...
Link?
Hosemann isn't an agent of change, he's about supporting the status quo. The boards and/of commissions he'll propose to eliminate are those populated who non-Hosemann supporters. Shad White is clearly living in Democrat Delbert's brain rent-free.
Any restructuring that doesn't include the education sector is useless.
Any reduction in the number of state employees has been offset by state agencies contracting out task previously performed by state employees.
Tommy Duff. Only Billionaire and richest man in MS. Owns Southern Tire Mart, KLLM Trucking, Deepwell oilfield services, an insurance company, TL Wallace construction, courtesy Ford in Hattiesburg, and a bunch of other car dealerships all over the state.
Oh. THAT Duff. You forgot to mention that he's in partnership with his brother and they also own FFE (refrigerated freight out of Texas), so he's alone in this wealth. I see their names on the USM fieldhouse, that, instead of TANF money, was built with family money. They also provide the beautifully wrapped 18 wheelers that haul team gear for the state's three Division 1 university football teams. Good guys.
Can't imagine why he would want to be Gubnor of Mississippi. Unless he has a dream of hitting highway 49 at 88 mph in an MHP car.
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