Elected and Appointed Government Officials

Florence native Tate Reeves has been a twice re-elected Treasurer and now a twice re-elected Lt. Governor in Mississippi all before the age of 45.  His political star remains extremely bright.  Having campaign coffers full and wielding a level of influence as Lt. Governor with a legislative supermajority, at this point he looks to be the odds on successor to Phil Bryant as Governor for the open seat in 2019.

Reeves’s tenure in the Lt. Governor’s office has been marked by consolidation of control.  To quote a lobbyist, “no piece of legislation has passed in the last 5 years without his blessing.”  In 2014 and 2015, Reeves deftly put down a tea party fueled insurrection of sorts and relegated the few remaining malcontents from his own party permanently to the fringes.  As lobbyists and legislators will attest, there are rarely legislative surprises in the Senate as he runs a very tight ship.  As a self-avowed “numbers guy”, Reeves dives into the economic and tax policy and his influence on those issues in particular are felt throughout the Capitol Dome.

He’s accomplished much in his first term.  Phasing out franchise tax was a huge win in the most recent legislative session.  Education legislation involving charter schools, 3^rd Grade Gate, appointed School Superintendents, and simplified A-F grading of schools all while raising education spending annually have all had real impact.  However, Reeves still has challenges in the remaining three years as Lt. Governor.  Education funding remains a major battle.  The sharp rise of medical care post-Obamacare continues to put stress on governmental budgets at all levels.  But with the legislative supermajority, there are opportunities for Reeves to be one of the architects of big things now and for the better part of the next decade.