Jackson, Miss. (AP) – With a big campaign fund and a well-known name statewide, Delbert Hosemann is focused on the general election for Mississippi lieutenant governor. But he does have a challenger on Aug. 6 for the Republican nomination — Shane Quick of DeSoto County.

Hosemann, after three terms as secretary of state, seeks to ascend to a powerful office that traditionally controls the state Senate. He’s pledging yearly pay raises for teachers, a broad expansion of Mississippi’s preschool program for 4-year-olds, more focus on career training and community college, and improved roads and bridges.

“We can run the government better,” said Hosemann. “Those savings that come from running the government better are going into transportation and infrastructure.”

Along those lines, he touts his management of the secretary of state’s office, both in cutting expenses as well as in improving technology and service. He promises to be “way up in the state agencies” examining their spending and success in meeting goals.

Hosemann said he wants to improve career technical education, as well as college classes offered to high school students on a dual-enrollment basis. While he said too few Mississippi students earn college degrees, Hosemann said “the other 70% need a meaningful economic job.” He also indicated he supports expanded free tuition for community college, already available to students in some counties.

Hosemann is noncommittal on whether he supports expanding the state-federal Medicaid health insurance program to currently uninsured adults. He said he hasn’t evaluated a proposal by the Mississippi Hospital Association to require beneficiaries and hospitals to cover the state’s costs. However, he says “there has to be some economic contribution by anyone receiving health care, anyone who can possibly afford it.”

Quick, a first-time candidate who works in health care, is running a low-budget campaign focused on tea party and libertarian themes.

Hosemann had raised $883,000 this year through June 30, spent $520,000, and had $3 million on hand thanks to fundraising in prior years. By contrast, Quick had raised $101 and spent none of it. Quick said a lack of contributions from companies and lobbyists will enable him to “truly represent the common man’s point of view.” He also touts his lack of political experience as “part of the foundational basis of my candidacy.”

Quick says he wants to judge proposed legislation based on whether it’s acceptable “to the common, law-abiding citizen.”

“Is this bill or legislation infringing on my rights, freedom or liberty?” is the test Quick says he would use.

Quick says he favors allowing public money to be spent on private schools and says he favors competition as a way to drive down health care costs and expand access. Quick said he lost much of his hearing following a flu shot, calling himself a victim of vaccine injury.

“I am not an anti-vaccine person. I am a vaccine-injured person who recognizes that some things need to be different about our policy,” he said.

In November, the Republican nominee will face Democrat Jay Hughes of Oxford, a one-term state representative who is unopposed for his party’s nomination.

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JACKSON, Miss. (WAPT) – Ever since the 2016 presidential election, the issue of foreign operatives and hackers manipulating the voting process has been a huge concern.

Hackers tried 200,000 times on Election Day to jam the polling place locator on the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said his office works year-round to identify and stop any potential problems.

“We have been meeting and giving cybersecurity information to our circuit clerks and our election commissioners in a lot of instances,” Hosemann said. “We’ve started dual authentication if they want to get into the statewide election management system.”

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, which is the only federal agency focused full time on elections, says states have only spent about 29% of the $380 million Congress allocated in spring 2018 for election security. Congress gave states five years to spend those funds. Eleven states, including Mississippi, still have at least one precinct that uses paperless voting equipment that does not provide a voter-verified paper ballot to allow for risk-limiting audits.

Hosemann said there’s an independent audit going on right now of every county. There have also been tests of the system from outside entities.

“We’ve had a review by Homeland Security. I’ve asked them to come to Mississippi and they did. We got very high marks from them. We’ve had independent groups come and try to penetrate the system. We were able to thwart all of those,” Hosemann said.

Thirty-nine counties have started using their allocations. Some used all of the funds and some are awaiting approval of the expenses.

The funds for Hinds County were rejected. The Secretary of State’s Office said Hinds County officials requested more than $176,000 — of the more than $320,000 that’s allocated for them for repaving entire parking lots at several polling places. Only the portion of a parking lot designated for the handicapped is eligible for funding, so Hinds County has submitted a corrected application.

Hosemann said with all the checks and balances, Mississippi is well-prepared and he doesn’t want anyone scared that their vote won’t be counted and will be stolen.

“We’re not connected to the internet for any of our voting, so there’s nobody who’s going to take your ballot,” Hosemann said. “If you go and cast it, it’s going to be counted.”

Hosemann advised residents not to take everything that’s said on social media as truth, because those are some of the tactics used to keep voter participation down.

“They try to drive you to where you don’t trust one or the other, or what not, so you don’t participate. If you don’t participate and cast your ballot, they win — the Russians win,” Hosemann said.

Hosemann wants voters to know that everything is being done to make sure the right to vote is protected.

“I spend a part of every day on cybersecurity,” Hosemann said.

The Aug. 6 primary election is for statewide, state district, legislative, county and county district offices. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Jackson, Miss. (Y’all Politics) – Citing his clear commitment to upholding Second Amendment rights, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) endorsed Delbert Hosemann for Lieutenant Governor in the 2019 Mississippi Republican Primary.

“Delbert Hosemann will protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners,” NRA-PVF Chairman Jason Ouimet said. “The NRA encourages all freedom-loving Mississippians to vote Hosemann for Lieutenant Governor on August 6.”

Hosemann, former recipient of the Kirk Fordice Freedom Award from the NRA Central Mississippi chapter, received an “A” rating from the NRA-PVF. This rating is reserved for solidly pro-gun and pro-hunting candidates.

“The U.S. and Mississippi Constitutions afford us certain rights as it relates to keeping and bearing arms, and I look forward to helping defend those rights as Mississippi’s next Lieutenant Governor,” said Hosemann, an avid hunter and lifetime member of the NRA.

As a steadfast conservative who spent most of his career as a businessman in the private sector, Hosemann’s platform touches several major areas centered on growing Mississippi’s economy. These include: refocusing on skills training and increasing the State’s educated workforce; reducing unnecessary regulations and streamlining state government; encouraging small business and start-up growth; shoring up aging infrastructure; and improving access to healthcare and improving health outcomes.

Hosemann announced his campaign for Lieutenant Governor in early January with a three-day tour to businesses in Vicksburg, Brookhaven, Columbus, DeSoto County, Greenwood, Hattiesburg, Meridian, Rankin County, Tupelo, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Since then, Hosemann and his wife, Lynn—along with campaign staff and dozens of volunteers—have been on the road participating in forums, roundtables, festivals, and other events across the State.

The Republican Primary Election in Mississippi is Tuesday, August 6, 2019. For more information about the campaign, visit www.delberthosemann.com.

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Jackson, Miss. (WLBT) – 3 On Side introduced you to a pastor in south Jackson, in June, ARM’d with determination to transform his community.

He made a proposition to the Secretary of State in that report and now Delbert Hosemann responds in this Taking Back Our Streets follow up.

Pastor Lanford Porter had a message for the Secretary of State in my first report. It was about the eyesore across the street from his church that was once Apple Ridge Shopping Center.

“And if the Secretary of State would sign a piece of paper and sign this property over to us, we would implement a plan that would turn this into a mecca in the desert,” said Pastor Porter.

Delbert Hosemann said, “We’re ready to go. I have met with him by phone and we have decreased the price on AppleRidge. It’s appraised at $475,000 and we’ve told them that we’ll sell it for $47,000.”

In fact, Hosemann says it’s the goal of his office to return land like Apple Ridge to productive use.

Now there are plenty of properties all over the state of Mississippi for sale at a discount and you can bid on those properties at an auction online, all you have to do is go to the Secretary of State’s website, scroll down to tax forfeited property, click on view auction and there you have it.

“Go on the website. There’s a bid price and you don’t even have to put any money up and then in 30-days, we’ll come and right away, you will know in 24 to 48 hours, we’ll come back to you and either counter and tell you to do this or accept your bid and then within 30-days, we go through the process of issuing the patent. The governor has to sign it. I have to sign it. It usually closes in about 60 days so, it’s a pretty quick process, really.” said the Secretary of State.

And those property sales are beneficial in many ways.

Hosemann said, “Like the Jackson Public Schools got over a million dollars from this property that we sold. That’s really important, but even more important is that it’s back on the tax rolls.”

As for the $47,000 price tag on the old Apple Ridge Shopping Center, Pastor Porter said he’s not worried.

“I always believe that whenever God gives a vision, he always makes provision and he uses people to bring those visions to pass, so we plan on partnering with other entities in the community that could help us to bring that to pass,” said Pastor Porter.

Secretary of State Hosemann said, “When I talked to the pastor, he was indicating he’s going to be asking a lot of people for money and I would encourage him to do that. That’s a corner stone out in that community. If it’s gets converted to either residential or come back as commercial, it certainly would exceed, the six acres would exceed $47,000 dollars.”

But what about crime in the community? Pastor Porter indicates the transformation from eyesore to affordable home ownership will address that problem.

“But when you give people hope; when you give them the ability or the chance to own their own property, they have a tendency to not only take care of their own homes, but take care of their own community.” said Pastor Porter.

So, it could be a win-win for all involved and 3 On Your Side will continue to monitor the progress and give you updates.

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Gulfport, Miss. (WLBT) – Gov. Phil Bryant spoke once again to officials at the Harrison County Emergency Operations Center after Tropical Storm Barry made landfall on Saturday.
While the storm did strengthen to a hurricane for a few hours, it made landfall over Louisiana as a tropical storm.

“So, the good news is that much of the punch has been taken out,” Bryant said. “However, this event is not over. There is a lot of water out there, and it is headed our way.”

Areas of the Mississippi Gulf Coast have been experiencing heavy rains and high winds all day Saturday. Areas of Hancock County are experiencing flooding and sand has blown onto Highway 90 in Harrison County.

“I would tell everyone to be extremely careful. Please slow down. It is wet and we do not want injuries from an automobile accident,” Bryant said.

This storm comes during a particularly rough period of time for the Mississippi Gulf Coast as freshwater intrusion from the Bonnet Carré Spillway has had a negative impact on the local economy and environment.

“This storm is only part of a long range disaster that has occurred along the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Bryant said.

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Gulfport, Miss. (Sun Herald) – Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an immediate review of the operating manuals and use of the Bonnet Carré Spillway and Morganza Floodway to deal with flooding on the Mississippi River.

The Corps regulates when the Bonnet Carré opens to prevent the Mississippi River flooding in New Orleans. The spillway was opened for 44 days from February until April and again on May 10. It remains open and the fresh water continues to flow.

This is the first time it was opened twice in one year, and has brought “devastating ecological damage to oyster reefs, fisheries and marine life,” Hosemann said Thursday.

The blue-green algal bloom that followed the fresh water intrusion into the Mississippi Sound closed every beach along the Coast during the peak of the tourist season. It also killed dolphins, oysters and other marine life.

With Tropical Storm Barry threatening a foot of additional rain over the area, Hosemann asked in his letter why the Morganza Floodway was not opened this year and whether the Corps would support flexibility in the law regarding the operation.

He posed 14 additional questions — and asked for answers in 30 days.

The Army Corps announced in May it would open the Morganza Spillway in Louisiana for only the third time in 65 years and funnel part of the river’s flow into the Atchafalaya Basin, which is freshwater. The spillway never was opened.

Hosemann said he has met with Maj. Gen. Richard Kaiser, commander of the Army Corps in Vicksburg and president of the Mississippi River Commission. The issue with the Morganza has to do with one sentence of statutory regulations written 90 years ago, he said, that say the spillway won’t open until 1.5 million cubic feet go by.

It had reached just shy of that level this spring, he said, and had the Morganza been opened as scheduled, the river level would be lower now before the tropical storm hits.

He acknowledged that bureaucracy moves too slowly to get the problem solved in time for this weekend’s tropical storm. But he said it’s imperative the issue is resolved so this doesn’t happen to the Mississippi Coast again.

Asked why nothing was done during the last 5 years when the Bonnet Carre was open repeatedly, Hoseman said, “”Maybe nobody ever asked. But I’m going to.”

Hosemann’s letter follows a May 28 meeting in Biloxi attended by most of the Coast’s 12 mayors to join forces and look for help. Several mayors attended Thursday’s press conference in Gulfport.

Attorney General Jim Hood threatened last month he will sue the Army Corps over environmental damages as a “last resort.”

Hosemann said Mississippi needs more information from the Army Corps to determine the cause and extent of the damage in the Mississippi Sound to determine what should be the next steps should be.

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Rankin County, Miss. (Clarion Ledger) – The Mississippi secretary of state’s office is taking bids for 300 tax-forfeited properties in Rankin County.

A news release from the office says the properties are valued at more than $497,000.

Bids can be placed through an online auction portal until July 24.

In recent years, tax-forfeited properties have been sold in Bay St. Louis, Bolivar County, Greenville, Greenwood, Hinds County, Jackson, Jones County, Madison County, McComb, Meridian, Pearl River County, Waveland and Yazoo City.

The release says the sales have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for schools, cities and counties.

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Jackson, Miss. (Y’all Politics) – Hundreds of Mississippi businesses are currently providing apprenticeship opportunities to students, according to a new Secretary of State’s Office survey of Mississippi business owners.

The survey, sent to about 97,000 domestic business owners in the State, marks the fourth installment in a series of questionnaires sent by the Secretary of State’s Office related to workforce needs. More than 6,700 contacts from limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships (LPs), and corporations responded.

“Real-world experiences can help our students determine what career or college path they want to take before they receive their diploma on Graduation Day,” Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said. “It also makes good economic sense for businesses to invest in our schools. Their future employees are sitting in our classrooms.”

Among other responses, the survey also showed:

More than 70 percent of businesses have less than 5 percent “turn over” in staff each year;
About 25 percent of businesses are at full employment and are considering expanding. Between 20 and 30 percent are not at full employment; and
Most businesses are not using talent assessment tools to hire employees, but almost 15 percent said they would consider using one in the future.
The full survey is available here:

http://www.sos.ms.gov/BusinessServices/Documents/Yall_Business/Y%27all%20Business%20Surveys%20for%20web.pdf.

The Secretary of State’s Office is responsible for managing the corporate documents of about 190,000 foreign and domestic LLCs, corporations, and limited partnerships. Businesses are surveyed on a variety of topics intermittently throughout the year. Results are used to address business needs and improve economic development tools like Y’all Business (www.yallbusiness.sos.ms.gov), a website developed by the Secretary of State’s Office which offers free consumer and demographic information to burgeoning businesses. Results are shared with educational entities, business leaders, and economic development and state government stakeholders.

For more information about the Secretary of State’s Business Services Division, visit www.sos.ms.gov/BusinessServices or call (601) 359-1633.

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