Dale to seek eighth term as insurance commissioner

By By William F. West / community editor
July 9, 2002
State Insurance Commissioner George Dale said Monday he will seek an eighth term in office.
Dale, 61, said he considered giving up elected office to teach history classes at Mississippi College, but that option was eliminated in January when he was named to serve on its board of trustees.
The longest-serving insurance commissioner in the United States says he will probably lose money if re-elected.
At age 65, Dale said, the amounts he will receive from the state retirement system and Social Security could be "equal to or greater than the salary I'm making now by working."
Dale has taught in public schools and got his start in state government in 1972 as administrative assistant to Gov. Bill Waller.
He said he used to think "a good bit" about running for governor.
Dale said he once considered running for Congress before learning only one of his children liked the idea. And that, he recalled, was because the child liked the fact that it snows in the nation's capital.
Dale, a Democrat, remains loyal to his party, although he said he disagrees with its stands on some issues. One of his best friends is a Republican.
But Dale said he does not particularly like political parties because he believes they polarize people.