Sun Herald - Endorsement: Johnny DuPree for Governor

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By Editorial Staff

Johnny DuPree offers Mississippians the opportunity to elect a governor with both the experience and the vision to transform the state. It is an opportunity voters should seize.

DuPree's election would place in the Governor's Mansion a chief executive who has earned an invaluable appreciation of the challenges and responsibilities of both the private and public sectors of society.

He acquired a commendable work ethic early in life.

Born in Georgia on Nov. 18, 1953, DuPree's "parents separated when I was a small boy, and later, my mother, sister, brother and I moved to Hattiesburg. My mom worked domestic jobs to support us, but since I was the oldest male in the house, I was also expected to work. So, at the age of eight, I began working to help support my family."

In time, he would go to work for Sears for 15 years before he and his wife went into real estate.

He appreciates the value of family and faith. When he and his wife became teenage parents, he says, "My wife and I didn't start out with a lot of money, but we were determined to raise our girls with a strong Christian faith. … our circumstances were less than desirable, but we were both determined to do our best because we had made a commitment to each other and wanted to keep it."

His public service began at the most local level of government.

Appointed to the Hattiesburg Public School Board in 1987, DuPree was elected to the Forrest County Board of Supervisors in 1991. Ten years later, he was elected mayor of Hattiesburg, an office he still holds.

Now he is seeking the governorship.

"No matter the circumstances, I am determined to do my best," DuPree has said. "I give you my word that I will wake up every day, regardless of the circumstances, with the intent of being the best governor for Mississippi."

Among his objectives:

DuPree will focus on creating new jobs through small business development, protecting the jobs we already have and working to recruit new jobs to Mississippi. During his 10 years as mayor, Hattiesburg created more than 6,000 jobs and never raised taxes. As he told the Sun Herald, "I'm not interested in raising taxes on anyone." But he would, according to his website (johnnydupree.com), "require that every person who works in Mississippi, claims homestead in Mississippi or reports to be a resident of Mississippi pays Mississippi income taxes. Because when they don't, they are cheating you, me and the state of Mississippi."

As for business incentives, DuPree would work with the Mississippi Development Authority to create incentive packages for small businesses that mirror what is routinely offered large corporations. He would also review corporate tax incentives.

As he explains it: "Offering tax incentives to corporations who want to come to Mississippi and create jobs is fine, so long as it is a smart investment. But once that investment is made, we should have annual reviews to ensure that the corporations are creating the jobs they agreed to create. If not, the state should work with them to correct the problem or revisit the tax incentives. This is not about being anti-big business. Big business creates jobs and improves our economy. It's about holding everyone accountable -- individuals, government and businesses.

"When we recruit new businesses to Mississippi, we cannot be afraid to make our own requirements in return for the generous tax incentives they seek. We need to make sure they are hiring Mississippi contractors and Mississippi workers -- not bringing in a lot of out-of-state labor."

As for public education, DuPree wants it to be fully funded and begin early in life. His school board experience convinced him that "it takes all of us working together -- parents, schools, government, the business community and nonprofit organizations

-- to make our children first."

On health care, DuPree wants to develop a comprehensive plan that addresses not just health care and insurance but also promotes healthier lifestyles across the state.

On Medicaid in particular, DuPree supports a "crackdown on those who are taking advantage of the system without building brick walls to services for Mississippians who honestly qualify for Medicaid."

On the Public Employee Retirement System, DuPree says that all current employees and current retirees should be guaranteed the benefits they were promised and that any future changes should not affect their plans.

On the three ballot initiatives:

4 DuPree "ultimately supports" the Personhood Amendment because he believes life begins at conception, but he has concerns about the ramifications it might have on in vitro fertilization and birth control.

4 DuPree says Voter ID is a solution in search of a problem. "The proven cases of voter fraud in Mississippi would not have been prevented by voter ID, but the early voting programs killed by the Republicans in the Senate would have fixed those problems," says DuPree. However, if Voter ID passes, he says he will enforce the law.

4 He supports the Eminent Domain Amendment, saying, "While the use of eminent domain for the public good should be used when absolutely necessary, government should never take private property for a private corporate venture."

As for running the executive branch of state government, DuPree said the "core services" of each department should be identified and then the money should be found to provide those services. That can be accomplished, he said, by "getting the right people and getting out of their way."

All of this and more is part of DuPree's plan to change the results on scorecards that consistently place Mississippi at or near the bottom of the best lists and at or near the top of the worst rankings.

His approach to doing that is both practical and appealing. It has won him our endorsement, and we hope that DuPree will win your support on Nov. 8 to become the next governor of Mississippi.

This editorial represents the views of the Sun Herald editorial board, which consists of President-Publisher Glen Nardi, Vice President and Executive Editor Stan Tiner, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Flora S. Point, Circulation and Human Resources Director Wanda Howell, Marketing Services Director John McFarland and Associate Editor Tony Biffle. Opinions expressed by columnists, cartoonists and letter writers are their own.

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