[Fleming] Storm Clouds A’Brewin

by Rep. Erik Fleming
House District 72
Jan. 13, 2004

There is nothing like the honeymoon period of a governmental transition. Optimism is running rampant, public officials are cordial to each other, and controversy doesn't seem to raise our blood pressure as high. But, alas, this too shall pass, and we will be right back to normal, stabbing each other in the back, making insensitive decisions and forgetting our purpose.

An all-too-familiar gloomy picture is developing. On the first day of the session, the House elected a new speaker, Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, and a new speaker pro tempore, J. P. Compretta, D-Bay St. Louis. The race that elected Compretta got some things stirring. First off, let me say that Compretta is one of the coolest guys to serve in the Legislature, some critics say to his detriment. However, he has a track record of being fair and respectful of his colleagues, and this new responsibility is a perfect fit for him and the House.

Now back to the election, where one of Compretta's opponents was the venerable George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg. Before I split from the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus because of its lack of unity, we had committed to support Flaggs 100 percent. Technically, that means all 36 of the caucus' votes were supposed to go to the gentleman from Warren County.

At that time there were four members who were interested in the pro tem position: David Green, D-Gloster; Billy Broomfield, D-Moss Point, Mary Coleman, D-Jackson and National Black Caucus of State Legislators president; and Flaggs. Flaggs received the most votes and therefore, the public endorsement by the caucus.

Somewhere between that time and the first day of the session, Green and Broomfield decided they were not going to honor that commitment. They voted for Compretta each chance they had, as the pro tem's race was decided after three ballots. Here again is another reason why there is no such thing as a "Black Caucus" in Mississippi. Two members of the group, who agreed publicly to the terms set by that group, openly defied it with no retribution.

If an elected official cannot honor a commitment amongst his or her peers, what chance does the community have of them honoring a commitment to them? If the group doesn't hold its members accountable for their actions of defiance, how cohesive can that group be? More importantly, how effective can they be? It is that selfish nature of black members of the Mississippi Legislature that keeps us from being the most powerful collection of black officials in the nation.

Why do I harp on that point? Because despite Mississippi's small total population size (the city of Chicago, for example, has double our state's total population), there are only 16 states, including the District of Columbia, that have more black people than we do. No state has more black legislators than Mississippi does. Therefore, we should be in a position of power that is respected and emulated throughout this nation. Instead, we are mired in petty personal conflicts and driven by personal ambition, and our people suffer needlessly because of it.

Meanwhile, our new governor has disposed of three of the most respected black government administrators we have had; he kept one to his credit and put in at least one person who has a diabolical track record toward African Americans in Mississippi.

If the MLBC had some cohesiveness and true political clout, these things would not have happened so methodically. The new governor, during this honeymoon period, would have been accountable for those decisions and, I believe, much more sensitive to the concerns of black leaders.

As stated before, today, during this transition, sunshine abounds, but trust me, the forecast is about to change, for the storm clouds are brewing and moving quickly.

Fleming, D-Hinds/Madison, represents House District 72. The JFP invites other Jackson-area legislators to submit opinion pieces to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) We are also looking for elected officials to do regular short opinion blogs for the JFP Web site.

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