State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement.
Today State Auditor Shad White released an audit of the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund (GCRF) showing 62% of GCRF funds awarded by the Legislature went to projects without the recommendation of the GCRF Advisory Board or the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA).
“This money paid to Mississippi as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is critical for the future of the coast,” said State Auditor White. “These projects should be high-impact and have clear performance metrics attached. My concern is that, under the legislature’s current method for selecting projects, politicians may fund projects that don’t meet those criteria.”
The GCRF was created to help Mississippi’s coastal communities recover after the 2010 BP oil spill—the largest in US history. The spill released over 205 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of America. The MDA, working with the GCRF Advisory Board, administers GCRF funds. This means they receive recommendations from the community about how to spend the money and recommend to the Legislature worthwhile projects that have performance metrics, timelines, and proof of required matching funds.
“While MDA can recommend certain projects be funded, the Legislature still has the legal power to ignore their recommendations and spend money on what they want,” said White. “I worry that, in the future, projects may be funded just because a politician likes the project, not because the project is well-designed and meets a vital need.”
Mississippi began receiving BP settlement funds for the GCRF in 2018. From 2018 to 2033, the Fund will receive over half a billion dollars to be spent on projects intended to boost the coast’s economy.
Analysts at the State Auditor’s Office also compiled the full list of projects funded with GCRF dollars thus far, which can be found in the appendix on the GCRF report.
42 comments:
You in Mississippi, boy!
Shad is a legit public servant who works hard for the citizens of Mississippi.
For some reason, the tobacco trust fund just came to mind…
It's something something the culcha dontcha know.
@7:10pm, no my friend, you are mistaken. Shad is a politician who is trying to use anything and everything he can from his CURRENT elected office to provide him a stairstep to what he wants to be his NEXT elected political office.
This 'audit' - nothing more than a report of what and where the funds from this settlement went - is HIS opinion of where the money should have gone. But the terms of the settlement stated who had control of how it was to be spent, and for what it was to be spent.
NONE of that agreement asked for the input or opinion of the state auditor. But because Shad wants to put his two cents in on anything and everything regarding spending of state money - even money that comes to the state with requirements and controls on it such as the BP settlement, he gets to pontificate in a way that makes him appear to be - as has worked with you evidently - a "legit public servant". But he fooled you evidently, so maybe it works.
Politicians at the money trough
Some day I hope to achieve ultimate clarity as 8:35 seems to have. Until then, I shall post no more, coming here simply to read the wise words we are lucky he has chosen to grace us with.
8:35, Shad is the state auditor; his job is to audit, and he seems to be pretty good at it. He’s looking under ever rock he can, catching some people and I’m sure acting as a deterrent for others. Of course he’s trying to impress voters in this job in order to move up, but that makes him no better or no worse than any other politician. I’m glad he’s pointed out the legislature is treating the GCRF as their pet project slush fund, even if they’re not legally bound to follow the advisory board’s recommendations. If he didn’t tell us, who would?
@8:35. Let’s get a few things straight. Your argument presupposes that this report is the only thing on which I am basing my opinion, and that he has “fooled” me due to this report. I can assure you—I follow what is happening in our State very closely. And nothing about this report is “fooling” me. I don’t base my opinions on some one-off publications here or there. Second, did you even read the thing? You just said it’s “HIS opinion of where the money should have gone.” Okay, so tell me what page I need to look to in order to find where the report says where the money should have gone. What project does he recommend should have been funded? What RFP does he claim should have been approved? Because I must have missed it. Maybe… juuusstt maybe… it’s because—the report doesn’t make funding recommendations. It merely reemphasizes having processes/protocols in place to ensure funds are not spent haphazardly and in the absence of performance metrics. But sure… drone on about who’s been “fooled” here champ.
8:35 for today's win!
The honcho over at MDA is an arrogant interloper.
In other words, the legislature spent it the same way they spend all of Mississippi's money.
Just another cash cow of free money, just like Covid money.
Hmmm. Reading that, it appears some counties along with MSU and USM have found themselves a slush fund.
But the terms of the settlement stated who had control of how it was to be spent, and for what it was to be spent.
Link?
It isn't Shad White's fault that Lynn Fitch is a ZERO.
Shad would make a great attorney general. Much better than the current one
Exactly....without a care in the world to what would benefit Mississippians.
8:35, maybe you should run for his position so you can show us how it’s done. Or, you can stay behind a keyboard telling us all what he is doing wrong. I suspect you shall stick with the latter.
He would need to go to war with the MS Repuplican Party for all the graft/grift, and general corruption going on, and he ain't gone do that skippy. Even the Northern/Southern U.S. Attorney Generals chosen/appointed for MS are hand-picked to make sure they don't go after all of it. Mississippi is rotten to the core, with the power structure based out of Oxford, and purposefully intended to keep MS 200 years behind everyone.
The application process is a joke. You can have a perfect app, but you better have a friend in Congress. Most of the money goes to local gov and pet projects.
11:13 for the win so far.
Https://Gcrf.mississippi.org/application_public.aspx has every application approved
Mississippi - trying to catch up since 1865.
The legislature bosses always control the disbursement of grant money; especillay, if the money came from an outside source like an oil company or tobacco companies.
The key word in the GCRF Advisory Board is ADVISORY.
835, the Auditor is literally required by law to specifically audit GCRF, so try again, pal. He can't help that the Legislature uses it as a slush fund, and I'm glad he said as much.
Why don't you just go back to Chicago?
It's a low bar when your predecessors were Deputy Phil and Veterans Affairs Pickering, but at least Shad's cleared it.
"Why don't you just go back to Chicago?", I second that emotion, all in favor say aye. Damn Yankees.
Shad is nothing but a narcissist unlike many other politicians. Everything he does he has to put out a press release for. He thinks very highly of himself. He went to Harvard of course. He is on the dole just like the rest of them.
If done legally, why is it any issue of the OSA. "Auditor" not "Policy Maker", right? guess it's approaching election time.
What about the $2 million grift by the State Auditor to his Harvard buddies to repackage a study previously published.
8:35. “Put his personal stamp on whatever is spent” he’s literally the auditor. Good Lord the ignorance.
Shad get's his money's worth for advertising on this site.
I will vote for Shad for whatever he runs for. Keep up the great work..
"Mississippi is rotten to the core, with the power structure based out of Oxford"
They why is it every wannabe governor has to go kiss ass in Rankin County?
Funniest comment on here!
Post his press releases just as the rest of the media does. Bet you don't bitch to them about it. Of course not. I'll let you in on a little secret. Mr. White's press releases tend to receive more hits than other press releases issued by public officials and agencies. Like it or not, people are interested in what he does.
Half the fans in the stands want to piss on the guy with the highest batting average.
Rankin County may progress once Irl Dean Rhodes is no longer around to keep it operating in the same manor it did in the 70’s.
Fans in the stands remember more what the player delivered (or didn't) when the at bats really mattered more than the season or carreer batting averages.
Shad took the TANF scandal to the currently indicted local cigar bar operator and Hinds County DA Jody Owens for either quick indictments or shutting something down.
That's a choice, and anyone thinking the feds probably would not have done a better job of investigating and indicting with their search warrants and grand juries is
a fool.
He can bust 10 small fish a day for a year, but you don't get to add up all the small bottom feeders he catches and say that's the same as catching the equivalent weight in 200 lb tarpon.
That was a bargain!
He would have had to hire people to do that in house.
The MS Code cited by Shadrack’s minions states that the MDA administers funds as the legislature appropriates them. It makes no mention of an advisory board to vet expenditures.
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