Shad White will be the new State Auditor. First Consul Phil Bryant issued the following statement.
Gov. Phil Bryant announced today he has appointed Shad White state auditor. The appointment is effective July 17. White, 32, replaces Stacey Pickering, who resigned recently to become executive director of the Mississippi State Veterans Affairs Board.
“Stacey Pickering has served the people of Mississippi well, from the state Senate to the office of state auditor,” Gov. Bryant said. “I know that service will continue in his new role.”
White grew up in Sandersville, Miss. – population 731 – in a blue-collar family. His father and grandfather were oilfield pumpers, and his mother and grandmother were teachers. On the weekends, his father was music minister at their small country church, where his mother played the organ. Today, his father serves as mayor of their small town.
In 2011, Shad served as director of policy to then-Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant. Since then, White practiced law in the private sector, served as a special prosecutor in Rankin County, where he successfully prosecuted felonies involving the family of an elected official, and, most recently, served as director of the Mississippi Justice Institute.
“Shad’s credentials and ability are without question,” Gov. Bryant said. “He has proven himself a champion of limited and efficient government that serves the taxpayers. He is the perfect fit for this important office, and I am pleased he has accepted this appointment.”
At the Mississippi Justice Institute, White filed and led cases against public officials when they violated Mississippi's open government and ethics laws. He has also taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Mississippi, earned a certificate in forensic accounting (the use of accounting to detect fraud) from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and previously worked as a fellow at a national think tank on state policy.
"I'm honored by the faith Governor Bryant has placed in me with this appointment,” White said. “I know this office is important to him personally, and it's important to the taxpayers, too. I'm looking forward to being the watchdog of their hard-earned dollars. I've committed to the governor and will commit to Mississippians that I'll bring every ounce of energy I have and whatever talent God gave me to do this the right way. I'll always tell you the truth, even if the truth is uncomfortable. I'll always treat our public officials fairly, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure Mississippi's future is free from corruption."
After attending public school, Shad earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Truman scholar. He studied as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford, earning a master’s in economic history. White holds a law degree from Harvard Law School, where he learned the meaning of fighting for your values even when it is unpopular. At Harvard, White served as president of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal association, and brought speakers to campus to defend the legality of public prayer, the morality of work and free enterprise, and the importance of traditional moral values.
White and his wife, Rina, live in Rankin County and are faithful members of St. Richard Church.
74 comments:
Shadrack, being a young attorney who came from Butler Snow, is sorta like the governor's daughter who also got a nice gig. They both have to 'phone a friend' every time they get a request for legal advice.
I have seen him being ushered in somehow into a good ole boy position. He has never held down a real job before. I have known of him since he was a senior at Ole Miss.
It appears the two current commentators haven't watched his speech. This guy is going to be damn good.
this is after he hires that young dude to head medicaid, the one who looks like he knows his way around a bong or two. what is phil smoking??
The twin of Alfred E. Neuman.
@10:33 we need all our leaders smoking it. Pass it down Phil! Best appointment to date. Congratulations Mississippi. We now a legit genius with a heaping of middle class common sense roots. About time.
Y'allP water carrier and NMTC gravy trainer Lange terms it a "coup". LMAO
Love the pick. Sharp dude. It’s about time we find young conservatives to pass the torch. The people who don’t like the pick are just mad it’s not them.
so on one hand, people are expressing disappointment in someone well-connected and under-qualified (how many experienced people could be better?). on the other hand, we have his minions posing as average joe's saying how great he's going to be...how could you tell he's going to be great otherwise? he has no experience at anything.
OK. Here come the “what are his qualifications “ comments. Don’t know him have never heard of him but a degree from Harvard does carry some weight. Also see that he has had forensic accounting training. There might be better candidates but as damn sure worse.
if you go to harvard law and oxford on a rhodes scholarship, how do you still end up being a slave to Phil?
Too bad he will never get elected.
Nice guy. Might sprout leg hair by the next election.
Who knows...he’s 32.
Seems like a bright guy though.
Give him a chance.
@ 10:33, those two appointments are the best ones that he's made. One is a UVA law grad at the top of his class and the other is a Harvard grad and a Rhodes scholar. These guys may not work out, but it won't be because Phil went after some local yokels and Good Ol' Boys.
It's no longer good enough to be a member of a church. You now must be a "faithful member" for it to matter to whoever this kind of thing matters.
I missed the part in his bio where he went to USM. Thought that was the only litmus test Feel used.
Maybe it's just a Rankin County connection and then you're in.
Phil's going to be running two offices - Governor's and State Auditor. Phil has made three horrible appointments - Hyde-Smith, Gipson and now White. It's like a man told me the other day that Gipson was not a farmer by trade. He's got one cow with four tits! Hyde-Smith may run third in the race. Can you say Senator Espy? Look for someone from Rankin or Madison county. Way to go Phil!
This is the best headline for 2018 on JJ hands down
PERs is overwhelmed with retirement inquiries from employees at the auditors office
So let's take bets on who signs up to run? No way he goes unopposed.
“Elections have consequences.” - Barack Obama
1 reply 2 retweets 6 likes
Easiest job in the country. Let the professional staff uncover something. Get in front of camera and read script. Go campaign and raise money. Raise money and raise more money.
Appointments of unelected officials have consequences as well. No way this guy would ever gain enough votes to be even Mr. Ole Miss.
The thing we lack in the leadership of this state is top shelf mental capacity and aptitude. Deputy Feel, example 1.0.
We have some bright ones though that are newer to the scene that we need to PROMOTE, like this cat and Rep. Cory Wilson (Yale law grad and WH fellow under GWB for Sec Rumsfeld).
We need brains that can come up with SOLUTIONS. Heavens knows we have a great need for solutions inside the dunce filled state government. There is a natural vacuum around the capital for such. Cut these young guys loose and see what they can do. What's happening now clearly isn't working. What do we have to lose?
A 32-year old foot soldier from the Heritage Foundation/Mississippi Center for Public Policy!? In other words, Phil wants to make sure he leaves a little hellspawn from the Tea Party Express.
Keep on pumping the upward corporate welfare and keep Mississippi in the economic doldrums with the good ol' boy chitterling circuit in Rankin County.
The hits keep on coming.
12:44...."PERS is overwhelmed..." doesn't matter which agency coming from.
Some of you may remember a previous wunderkind named White--Jess White. Jess was involved in Mississippi politics for awhile, on the Democratic side of the aisle. Shad White is a staunch Republican, but from what I've seen of him I doubt that he will go in the Gipson direction toward puritanical ideology. There's no doubt for me that he will do a great job.
Jess White left the state to move to North Carolina years ago, possibly with an eye on the prospect of the Republican tsunami that was about to wash over us. I hope that Shad stays home.
Love all the usual nay-sayers with their bitching about this appointment, when half even admit they know nothing about him. (Maybe they ought to re-start a new party - the Know-Nothings, but I digress.)
Shad White is a smart, articulate, good conservative philosophy, reasonable and able. Don't know what you people expect out of appointments - either they are too old, or too young; they are either too smart, or too dumb; they either have no experience, or all they've ever done was be at the public trough.
Don't know about any of yall, but if I were hiring someone to work for my business in a similar area and was looking at White's (or for that matter, Snyder's) resume would certainly vault them to the top of the list for consideration. And if all I could offer in the way of compensation is a $90k/year job, but I could get a Rhodes scholar/Harvard law graduate - with a background in forensic accounting - I'd be jumping at the chance to hire him before he came to his senses and took a position at twice or more of the same pay.
Just because Feel had no experience, or reason to be considered (when he was handed the position by a Governor who didn't give a damn about appointments) doesn't mean that anyone he puts in the place would be the same. And when looking at most of the other names that were floated over the past several days as possibilities - we should all be dancing in the streets over the fact that Feel actually got one right.
Graduated from Harvard but lives in Rankin County. Go figure....
I don’t care who went to Harvard or Yale. I care if anybody has done something besides suck a non-profit or Governemt teet. Maybe somebody who has signed the front of a paycheck.
203...unemployment is down, like really low, and the state is up in revenue. So could it be that "corporate welfare" is a term you picked up from the liberal media that you can churn out when you dont want to talk facts
I don’t know why anyone would want to be an elected official in the internet age. We have become nothing more than keyboard warriors and Monday morning quarterbacks. Everyone else thinks they can do it better no matter the job.. Well.... I expect to see quite a few of you run for public office in 2019. Good luck Shad, a scholar and a gentleman.
2:36, so in your opinion, working in a non-profit institution is not good experience? Or practicing law is not good experience? Only someone who works beside you as you take my order at Starbucks is all that counts in your mind to qualify one for a higher job?
Hell, under your theory, there could never be someone in such a position as Auditor (or director of Medicaid)- its a "government job", so therefore anyone who took it couldn't get a real job somewhere else.
Check out most of the successful people in this world - either professionals (lawyers, CPAs, etc.) or business owners; most worked sometime in their life in a position that broadened their life experience. There is no doubt that White (or Snyder) could make much more money practicing law with one of the big firms, but are willing to spend some time during their early life serving in these positions.
Haters are going to hate, so keep yourself happy while you bitch. Your real problem is that both these young men have already reached a higher pinnacle than you will ever imagine in your life, and your jealousy is showing through.
A 90k state job is a life pinnacle? Frontier is on the job before the sun went down.
By the way, the Medicaid director is sharp. But that has nothing to do with this young chap and his lack of managing anything.
3:38 why do you demean people gainfully employed at Starbucks? Maybe you are a political elitist consultant? Like your boss?
Shad obviously knows how to work the interweb.
@ July 6, 2018 at 2:50 PM
"203...unemployment is down, like really low, and the state is up in revenue. So could it be that "corporate welfare" is a term you picked up from the liberal media that you can churn out when you dont want to talk facts"
unemployment is down
state is up in revenue
All fake news! Made up numbers! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!
See how it works now, LOL!!!!!!!
OO, all you naysayers go ahead and yowl and howl with your “ I hate Trump, Phil and Andy, and now Shadrack.”
I predict that this well educated young man will do an exemplary job and you may have to develop a taste for crow!
The other time that a fellow named Shadrack had an encounter with a fire he didn’t even get his hair singed!
4:13 - who said that being State Auditor was a "life pinnacle"? What I have read, and said, is that it is a good place for someone like White. In the olden days of people like Heber Ladner and Hamp King who served as SOS and SA for decades, there was the idea of this being a pinnacle - kinda like being a Chancery Clerk in a small county. But those days are probably gone - more indication of why these jobs should be appointed positions rather than elected but that's another argument for another day.
I would be shocked if this position is the pinnacle of the career ahead for White. May not be a political stepping stone as many have wanted/tried to use it as, but that is a totally different consideration.
38 comments on State Auditor--- u GOT to be kidding me-- in the REAL WORLD u wouldn't get 38 comments on the second coming of Christ!!
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2003/pdf/HB/0600-0699/HB0650SG.pdf
Section 3(c)
If state agency internal audit directors must meet minimum hiring requirements, shouldn’t the state’s highest auditor have to?
Oh wait... I guess the MS Internal Audit Act was specifically written to not include that position cause it’s not really a true auditor but just a springboard for Lt. Governor.
And those so impressed with his “forensic accounting” ... have you logged on to your online banking account/credit card statement (data collection), reconciled your debits/credits (data analysis) and ever identified an erroneous/fraudulent charge.... congratulations.... you performed forensic accounting.
I respect those who defend Shad. If he were my family, I would defend him, too!
Wow even McDaniel could beat this guy. Harvard Grad still living in Mississippi, uprobably still can't ride a bike.
What a non sequitur, 6:43. Without even spending a couple of minutes to search memory, I can personally name over two dozen "Harvard Grads" still living in Mississippi. Can't name but four Rhodes Scholars off the top of my head "still living in MS" -- but there are probably some that I'm not aware of having reached that "pinnacle".
Graduating Harvard doesn't mean jack shit. Does he know his way around a courthouse? nope. Is he familiar with the inner workings of municipal departments that handle large of amounts of cash? nope.
Has he ever participated in an audit of any government entity? nope. Has he got any experience at all with internal audits in the private sector? Nope. Has he got any familiarity with audit trails or signs to look for in cases of suspected public fund embezzlement? Nope.
WTF is up with this appointment of a junior leaguer? How could Bryant possibly explain or defend this if he was amind to?
Oh, wait.....several of you said he's sharp, made a good speech and is an 'up and coming republican'.
Will Phil's daughter be moving to the State Department of Audit?
I believe it was 3:38 that used the word pinnacle for this job.
Quote..."Only someone who works beside you as you take my order at Starbucks is all that counts in your mind to qualify one for a higher job?"
And there it is....an elitist establishment republican trying to defend a decision by being condescending while standing in line at Starbucks and demeaning those that work there. Can you say oxymoron?
At least it ain't Trey Baxter or heaven forbid Josh Gregory.
So are Watson and Harkins running? Did Phil split the baby so as to not make either mad? I see a large field in 2019 for this spot on the ballot.
7:18, obviously all you have ever done is tote the copy paper from the loading dock to the printing room.
The State Auditor doesn't conduct audits. Just like the Attorney General doesn't try cases. Or the Insurance Commissioner/Fire Marshall investigate arson cases.
These positions are what they call "Management" - those that make sure others are doing their jobs. The auditors and the investigators when looking at the OSA. Of the mydrid of attorneys in all sorts of specialty areas in the AG's office. Yes, it helps to be able to understand financial statements but that's not rocket science and I'm sure White's basic education has covered that. The larger issue is being able to use good sense in deciding where to focus the agency's energies; or in handling a sensitive investigation of public figures; and in having the balls to take on cases that might be personally politically harmful.
When private business go to hire top executives, they look to management ability, not to the specifics of the industry. Top CEO's move from industry to industry on a regular basis - and don't worry about if they are manufacturing cars, developing technology, or producing new pharmaceuticals. But I guess that concept overcomes your level of understanding, so get off your boss's computer and go back to running the next print job.
@ 7:18,
Everything you stated is completely irrelevant. This position is about managing people. It’s about delegating and staffing. It’s not about “knowing your way around a courtroom” and all that other nonsense bs.
Get off your high horse, and go sue someone else for a slip and fall.
Hold up - while Shad-bashing (purely on principle, this is the Good Ole Boy System at its finest), I forgot about the Timber Ponzi scheme. To me, that is still far uglier than this kid getting to be Auditor for a few months.
I taught Shad in the 6th grade. I think everyone wil.l be pleased with his work
Nothing can be worse than Cindy Hi Y’all-Smith being Senator. That is something surely causing the Founding Fathers to be turning in their graves.
Is it time for Pheel to meet google?!
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Shadrack
@7:41 - you are right. Management. As an associate at Butler Snow, Shadrack probably shared a secretary and paralegal with a couple of other associates during his two years there. MCPP has 5 employees listed including White. No management experience.
With the Gov appointing 2 Rankin County Republicans to the State Ag and Auditor positions, can we expect primary oppositions in 2019?
Y’all be crazy.
Phil was a deputy.
Stacy was a preacher.
We’re getting a substantial upgrade.
7:41 has gone from insulting people working at Starbucks to insulting people in the printing business. Exactly what work is meaningful in your small mind? I suppose only government work.
If "management" is so important, why appoint somebody with zero management experience?
This kid ain't Rankin county. He's Jones. He isn't a Harkins or a McLaurin. Just because you park your rear in Rankin and pay a mortgage there it doesn't make you old, established Rankin County. His name doesn't show up on the online Property Records Search as owning a house. (And the roll was updated on July 1). Bet he doesn't spend much time in Rankin other than a 5 minute trip down Lakeland Drive.
There hasn't been a "big field" of candidates in a while. I can't imagine more than 2 people who can self-fund jumping in. Where have all the leaders gone?
Speaking of our newly appointed Ag Commissioner, why is he still employed as an attorney at Jones Walker WHILE he is serving as Ag Commissioner????? Is Ag Commissioner a full time job? What about conflicts if any Jones Walker clients are receiving funds from the Dept. of Agriculture? I wish someone in the media would look into this.
The ignorance of this place is amazing.”Harvard don’t mean nothing.”
We have a smart guy who left and volunteered to come back and make Mississippi better, and people are mad because career politicians didn’t get the appointment. Shad was the hottest commodity in the legal field in the last decade. Law firms entered bidding wars for his talent. He stepped away from a salary larger than 95% of the posters here will ever have to run a conservative foundation dedicated to conservative principles. Yet, somehow he’s not qualified.
His qualifications exceed a Baptist minister and a reserve deputy sheriff.
Shad was my former boss on Bryant campaign. I have always been impressed by him. He is an excellent choice. Best appointment Phil has made to date.
There was a popular show called "The Apprentice" IIRC.
Guys, relax. This will make for a great story for his kids titled “That One Summer I Got to be State Auditor”.
Shadrack successfully won the campaign against the truck driver.
I have known all the State Auditors since Hamp King (the only CPA to hold the office). I don't know this man but his resume is quite impressive and much more so than some others who served as Auditor.
Let's get positive on this one......he's going to do OK.
7:21, if you give me your address I will send you a map of Mississippi whereby you can figure out (maybe with a little help) the difference between Rankin County and Simpson County.
Next time I want to get my books done for my business should I contact an attorney? Maybe if I want to Roof my house I should get a painter? If I want someone to work on my car I should get a barber? Next time I want to get my trees trimmed I should hire an electrician?
Next time I want to file a legal claim I should get an engineer?
It's probably about his character and convictions to GO AFTER the known corrupt players (which Pickering the coward couldn't stomach). Time will tell.
But if there is a stink, he will investigate - political powers be damned.
The State Auditor does not need to be an accountant. There is an entire staff of accountants. He needs to be smart and have a spine. Shad has both. He will do a fine job.
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