Lawmakers eager to see proposals
By Staff
January 14, 2004
By Terry R. Cassreino / assistant managing editor
JACKSON Now that Haley Barbour has made jobs, education and fighting crime the priorities for his administration, state lawmakers say they want to see specific proposals from the new governor.
But that isn't expected to happen until later this month when Barbour inaugurated Tuesday as Mississippi's 63rd governor gives his first State of the State speech to a joint session of the Legislature.
More than 5,000 people from across Mississippi filled the Capitol grounds to watch Barbour, 56, officially become the state's second Republican governor since Reconstruction.
Barbour replaced Democrat Ronnie Musgrove, who lost his re-election bid last year and left office after one term.
Barbour takes oath
Barbour, with his wife, Marsha, by his side, stood on the Capitol steps shortly before noon Tuesday and took the oath of office. Soldiers fired a 19-gun salute and Air Force jets roared overhead.
Minutes later, under mostly cloudy skies and with temperatures in the low 60s unusually warm for a gubernatorial inauguration Barbour challenged Mississippians and elected officials to work together.
Barbour, a Yazoo City native and former chairman of the Republican National Committee, promised to forge a good working relationship with the Mississippi Legislature and take the state to a new level.
Barbour's inaugural speech covered many of the same issues he talked about during his gubernatorial campaign and since wining office in November. He discussed no specific policy proposals.
Governor names priorities
The new governor, however, did tell the crowd and legislators that his No. 1 priority will be creating jobs an issue he said he heard Mississippians mention repeatedly while he campaigned for office.
He said other important areas include state finances, crime and education. Barbour takes office at time when Mississippi is still struggling to recover from an economic downturn and tight finances.
Many in the crowd waved small American flags, sported political buttons with Barbour's picture or held some of the 4,000 magnolia tree seedlings Inaugural Committee members distributed.
Jinnie Wilson and her husband, Jimmy, traveled from Oxford to witness their first inauguration. They attended a concert Monday night and had tickets to the inaugural ball Tuesday night.
But Jinnie said anything will be hard to top the actual swearing-in ceremony.
Event attracts many
Barbara Allen of Jackson attended her 13th straight gubernatorial inauguration, dating back to J.P. Coleman's in 1956. Allen said she thought Barbour's was as good as the others.
East Mississippi legislators said they also hold high hopes for Barbour. They said they like the new governor's efforts to improve the relationship between the executive and legislative branches.
State Rep. Charles Young, D-Meridian, said he thinks it's important for Barbour to "follow through with his commitments he made in his speech. I think that he shows concern about the state."
State Sen. Gloria Williamson, D-Philadelphia, said she will have to wait for the State of the State speech to learn specifics about proposals Barbour plans to present to the Legislature this year.
