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Gov. Tate Reeves zones in again on taxes but remains silent on critical retirement system problems

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mississippitoday.org – Bobby Harrison – 2025-01-12 06:00:00

Hours before the 2025 session of the Mississippi Legislature kicked off last week, Gov. Tate Reeves went to social media to proclaim the No. 1 goal “for this Republican” is to eliminate the state income tax.

The governor does not have a vote in the Legislature and cannot even introduce legislation. He must seek out a legislative ally to file bills he supports.

But the governor has perhaps the biggest political bully pulpit in the state, giving an effective governor the immense opportunity to sway public opinion. And the governor has the power of the veto, which it takes an imposing two-thirds majority in both legislative chambers to override.

Obviously, one of the governor’s most important duties is working with the Legislature to develop policies for the betterment of the state.

In the opinion of Jonathan Tate Reeves, now in his 21st year as a statewide elected official and in his fifth year as governor, the most important issue facing 3 million Mississippians is eliminating the income tax.

Reeves has proposed phasing out the income tax every year he has been governor. His latest proposal is to phase out the tax, which accounts for about 30% of the state general fund, by 2029.

Other Republicans in the state, including House Speaker Jason White, also say the elimination of the income tax is their top priority or near the top of their “to do list.” But White speaks of eliminating the tax in eight to 10 years. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann wants to cut the tax, but says if legislation is enacted to fully eliminate the tax, it will be after his tenure as lieutenant governor ends in January 2028.

Many politicians cite other pressing needs facing the state, not the least of which is ensuring the long-term viability of the state’s massive retirement program for public employees. Some say if the Public Employees Retirement System is not fiscally sound in the long term, the financial impact on the state could be devastating.

Yet the governor has rarely commented about the issues facing PERS, which provides or will provide retirement benefits for more than 350,000 people who worked or have worked in the public sector — including for state agencies, local governmental entities and public schools, kindergarten through the university level. In other words, more than 10% of the state’s population is in the PERS system.

Experts say the system has a deficit of $25 billion. It should be stressed that the deficit could be considered a bit misleading because PERS has assets to meet its obligations for years — for long after Reeves leaves office.

But many believe that if steps are not taken now to shore up the system, the state will eventually face financial obligations like it has never experienced. It is very unlikely Reeves will have to deal with that likelihood since he will long be gone from state government service.

The PERS governing board and legislators began work to shore up the system before the 2024 session began. That work is continuing this year. While Reeves talks about eliminating the income tax all the time, he seldom if ever weighs in on what he believes should be done to deal with PERS.

After the 2024 session, Reeves allowed a bill that made significant changes to PERS to become law without his signature. It was not clear whether he supported or opposed the legislation that was viewed by many as an opening salvo in dealing with issues surrounding PERS.

The governor’s silence is particularly interesting considering he was a member of the governing board of PERS when he served as state treasurer. Reeves’ experience as treasure and his short career in the private sector in finance should give him a unique perspective on the financial issues the retirement system faces.

Every politician has different priorities. Reeves has not been shy about letting Mississippians know his top priority. It is easy to find his thoughts on the income tax in his social media posts.

But on PERS, it is crickets when it comes to what the governor thinks.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi Today

Ole Miss graduate facing new charge for hiding Jimmie ‘Jay’ Lee’s body

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mississippitoday.org – Molly Minta – 2025-02-11 16:53:00

The University of Mississippi graduate accused of killing Jimmie “Jay” Lee was indicted for tampering with physical evidence, a new charge that comes on the heels of the unexpected discovery of Lee’s body last week.

Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. reported to the Lafayette County Circuit Court on Tuesday to face a new indictment that alleges he obstructed justice by hiding Lee’s body after he killed Lee on July 8, 2022.

Herrington, who pleaded not guilty, was also appointed a public defender, Oxford-based attorney Denise Fondren, according to multiple reports. Then he was taken to jail where he will remain until his bond hearing next week.

That’s when Lafayette County District Attorney Ben Creekmore said he would announce if the state will seek the death penalty or life in prison in the event Herrington is convicted of capital murder at the next trial, a date for which has yet to be set.

Creekmore did not pursue the death penalty at the trial in December, but he told the Daily Journal that the finding of Lee’s body last week was a “material change in circumstances.”

READ MORE: ‘Hopelessly deadlocked’: Judge declares mistrial in Tim Herrington trial

Lee’s body was discovered last week at a well-known dumping site in Carroll County, about a half-hour from Herrington’s parent’s house. The day Lee went missing, Herrington was seen on video retrieving a long-handle shovel and wheelbarrow from his parent’s house and putting it into the back of a box truck that belonged to his moving company, according to evidence released in the case.

Also last week, the Oxford Police Department pulled from the court’s evidence file a partially used roll of duct tape that was discovered in Herrington’s apartment after police brought him in for questioning. Herrington purchased duct tape the morning Lee went missing, according to a receipt that police obtained.

READ MORE: Police investigation into Ole Miss student killing: Timeline, what we know so far

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Marshand Crisler heading to federal prison for 2 ½ years

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mississippitoday.org – Mina Corpuz – 2025-02-11 13:48:00

Former Hinds County interim sheriff Marshand Crisler has been sentenced to 2 ½ years in federal prison for soliciting and accepting bribes during his unsuccessful 2021 campaign.

U.S. District Court Judge Tom Lee sentenced him Tuesday for the two counts he was convicted of in November. Crisler received concurrent sentences of 30 months in custody of the Bureau of Prisons, followed by three years of supervision and an order to pay a $15,000 fine, according to court records. 

Crisler faced up to 10 years in prison. He remained out on bond until his sentencing. 

The court recommended Crisler to be assigned to the nearest facility to Jackson. Nearby federal facilities are in Yazoo City, Aliceville, Alabama, central Louisiana and Memphis.  

Crisler was charged with soliciting and accepting $9,500 worth of bribes during his 2021 campaign for Hinds County sheriff in exchange for favors from a man with previous felony convictions and giving ammunition the man can’t possess as a felon. 

The jury heard from several witnesses, including Crisler himself and Tonarri Moore, the man with past felonies and pending state and federal charges who the FBI recruited as an informant. 

Parts of recorded conversations between the men, which Moore made for investigators, were played in court.

During several meetings in Jackson and around Hinds County in 2021, Crisler said he would tell Moore about investigations involving him, move Moore’s cousin to a safer part of the Hinds County jail, give him a job with the sheriff’s office and give him freedom to have a gun despite prohibitions on Moore having one. 

Crisler was found guilty after a three-day trial in Jackson. The jury took about two hours to reach a unanimous verdict for both charges .

In November after the verdict, his attorney, John Colette, told reporters his client and family were disappointed in the decision and Crisler planned to appeal. 

Crisler was indicted in April 2023 – the same year he ran again for Hinds County sheriff. He lost in a runoff election to Tyree Jones, the incumbent Crisler faced two years earlier. 

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Court-ordered redistricting will require do-over legislative elections this year

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mississippitoday.org – Taylor Vance – 2025-02-11 11:23:00

Five House seats will be re-decided in a November special election, pending court approval, under a resolution the House approved to comply with a federal court order.

Even though voters just elected members of the Legislature in 2023, the races will be held again because a three-judge federal panel determined last year that the Legislature did not create enough Black-majority districts when it redrew its districts.

 The panel ordered the state to redraw the districts and create a new majority-Black district in north Mississippi’s Chickasaw County. 

House Elections Chairman Noah Sanford, R-Collins, told House members he believes the new map complies with the federal Voting Rights Act and will allow Black voters in Chickasaw County to elect a candidate of their choice. 

“I tried to keep the number of members affected minimal,” Sanford said. 

The House plan does not require incumbent legislators to run against each other. The main change in the new map is that it makes the District 22 seat in Chickasaw County, currently held by Republican Rep. Jon Lancaster of Houston, who is white and a majority-Black voter district. 

The other four House districts that lawmakers voted to redraw are: 

  • House District 16: Rep. Rickey Thompson, D-Shannon
  • House District 36: Karl Gibbs, D-West Point
  • House District 39: Dana McLean, R-Columbus
  • House District 41: Kabir Karriem, D-Columbus 

Lancaster told Mississippi Today he did not want to comment on the proposed maps since the litigation over the legislative districts was still pending, and he did not know if he would run in a November special election. 

Under the legislation, the qualifying period will run from May 19 to May 30. The primary election will be held on August 5, with a potential primary runoff on September 2 and the general election on November 4. 

The federal courts also ruled that the Senate must redraw its districts to create a new Black-majority district in the DeSoto County and Hattiesburg areas. 

Senate Rules Chairman Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, has introduced a measure to change some Senate districts. However, he told Mississippi Today he is still tweaking the plan and does not know when the Rules Committee will debate it. 

Once the Legislature passes a redistricting plan, it must go back before the federal courts for approval.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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