January 11 Special Election

The Governor has set the special election for 3 different positions to be held January 11, 2011. If a runoff is needed, that will occur on February 1, 2011. That would mean that the winner must receive majority plus one.

The qualifying deadline for candidates running for these positions is December 12, 2010.

The other positions besides the Northern District Transportation Commissioner include the District 6 Senate seat that was held by newly elected Congressman Alan Nunnelee and District 116 House seat that was held by newly elected Congressman Steven Palazzo.

Roadbuilder members in MS Top 100 Companies

Thirteen MRBA members were in Mississippi Business Journal's "Top 100 Mississippi privately held companies. "

Ergon, Inc. and The Yates Companies Inc. were number one and two respectively. Within the top twenty five were Puckett Machinery Co., Bank Plus, Community Bank, and T.L. Wallace Construction, Inc.

The other members listed in this prestigous list include: Neel-Schaffer Inc., Horne LLP, Dickerson & Bowen, Inc., Eutaw Construction Co. Inc., Dunn Roadbuilders, LLC, Marchetti Robertson & Brickell Insurance and Bonding Inc., and Burns Cooley Dennis, Inc.

Public Opinion Polls

As we fight for the reauthorization of a new federal highway transportation bill, a recent poll states Americans even in rural areas favor expanding public transportation as in rail or bus transit rather than highway construction which has traditionally received much more funding.

Yes, according to the poll, rural areas! Mississippi is definitely considered rural and it is hard to believe that many Mississippians would vote for rail, bus and ferry usage over highway construction. More than 80% said the nation would benefit even though less than 20% had actually used a bus, train or ferry during the preceding month. Half of the respondents said they have no access to modes of transportation such as bus, trains or ferry.

It made me think on how the Road Builders would like to see state/federal transportation dollars spent on actual road and bridge construction. But in a recent conversation on Sid Salter's "On Deadline" radio show, 75% of the calls related to the importance of building (rebuilding) rest stops.

May - Meetings Month

Meetings dominated the month of May, maybe adding to the absence of material put on this blog during that time.

The Road Builders had a very successful convention in historic Boston, Massachusetts. The convention was highlighted by a through update from ARTBA about national transportation issues such as reauthorization, climate change and many other proposed laws that would affect the industry. State news was also a major topic as we head into the summer month construction season. Many also were also able to tour the "Big Dig" - the largest public works project in the United States. It was a series of tunnels for all different forms of transportation through downtown Boston and its harbor.

(Pictures of "Big Dig" control room with our tour group)

AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) held their spring meeting in Natchez while many Road Builder members attended supporting MDOT's Butch Brown. Mr. Brown currently serves as President of AASHTO. People were in attendance from all over the nation. One of the highlights was the lighting of the Mississippi River bridge.

(Road Builder members at the President's Reception on the Mississippi River bluff)

ARTBA (American Road and Transportation Builders Association) held their annual Washington, D.C. Fly-In in late May. The first order of business was trying to influence Congress to approve a new six year reauthorization for highway funding. Other important federal legislative issues were also discussed. Senators from Mississippi were also briefed on a few major projects from MDOT.

Bond Commission Meeting

Since the signing of the monumental transportation bond bill in April, the big question was how long it would take to see movement on the state's issuance of bonds. On June 9, the Bond Commission was meeting to bring up some of the highway and bridge projects. The vote on the issuance of bonds now has been delayed till mid July. Both MDOT and State Aid had resolutions ready for the state to move on the issuance of bonds and I appreciate their hard work in preparing these quickly.

Speaking of the bond bill, Senator and Chairman of Finance Dean Kirby was a key player in the bond bills passage. While Road Builders was having our convention in May, I received a call that Dean had not only one heart attack but two. I just got off the phone with him and he is doing great with more energy than ever.

Commissioner Wayne Brown

Southern District Highway Commissioner Wayne Brown had quadruple bypass surgery Friday, April 30. He was moved to a private room today at Providence Hospital in Mobile. Despite what he has been through the past few days, he sounded very good and expects a full recovery soon.

Session is over

The 2010 Legislative Session is over Sine Die with the House of Representatives adjourning today.



The Mississippi Road Builders Association Board met yesterday and before the meeting had an opportunity to visit with Lt. Governor Phil Bryant on the recently signed $300 million bond bill. This is a monumental piece of legislation and we now look forward to working with the State Bond Commission on the approval of the release of bonds to make the state's infrastructure more efficient and safe.




(Left to Right - Hollis Cheek, Rick Webster, Kay Russell, Earl Stone, Dwayne Boyd, Kay Van Skiver, Lawrence Warren, Lt. Governor Phil Bryant, Joe McGee, Chairman Tom King, Bob Phillips, Bill Jones, Mike Pepper)

Just left a meeting with two judges that will be running for re-election in November. Supreme Court Justice Jess Dickinson spoke on the duties and functions of the Supreme Court. It seems like just yesterday (seven years) ago when he announced his candidacy and won the Supreme Court District 2 seat (South Mississippi). Also, Appellate Judge Donna Barnes spoke on the functions of the Court of Appeals. She will be running for re-election in a district that covers the northeast part of the state. I will keep you posted - May 7 is the deadline for challengers with the election in November.