No doubt Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is one of the state’s shrewdest politicians.
At 43, he’s by far the youngest statewide elected official and has a strong chance at becoming the next governor.
The lieutenant governor, though, still doesn’t appear to be able to listen to his constituents.
That fact was evidenced last week when he abruptly killed a bill that would have given neighborhoods across Jackson another tool to protect their property values.
That bill was SB 3045 and would have allowed residents in Jackson to form community improvement districts, or CIDs.
As lieutenant governor, Reeves presides over the Senate. He likely ordered Sen. Joey Fillingane, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, not to bring the measure up for a vote.
Ever a good soldier, Fillingane complied.
This is the fourth time in just as many years CID legislation has died at the hands of the lieutenant governor, and Northsiders are rightfully angry.
CIDs are a simple concept. Under provisions of 3045, neighbors would be able to tax themselves and use the funds to supplement city services.
Reeves, who is running for governor and wants to be known as the anti-tax candidate, killed the measure because it was a tax bill, and he doesn’t support raising taxes.
His decision comes even after 3045 was modified at the behest of Reeves staffers, and even after leaders from across the capital city urged him to support it.
Reeves’ argument, as well as his unwillingness to listen to his constituents, shows him to be more demagogue than practical leader.
True, 3045 would raise taxes, but only on neighborhoods that wanted it.
The bill also included numerous protections for those who did not want additional taxes.
First, neighborhoods would have to petition the local government, in this case Jackson, for support. From there, the boundaries of the district would have to be set. In other words, anyone who did not want to be part of a CID could simply be drawn out.
Then, before any tax could be levied, 60 percent of the property owners in the affected area would have to sign on.
Those protections aside, Reeves was unwilling to waver, and Northsiders are upset.
Leland Speed, chairman emeritus of Downtown Jackson Partners, questioned whether Reeves was a dictator.
Ben Allen, president of DJP said our government is not “of Reeves, by Reeves and for Reeves, but of the people, by the people and for the people.”
Harsh criticisms from two fellow Republicans.
Reeves isn’t a dictator, but rather a demagogue so focused on his ambitions that he’s forgotten about thousands of people who helped get him there.
That blind ambition, coupled with his refusal to support SB 3045, could cost him the governorship.
Northeast Jackson has one of the state’s largest concentrations of Republicans.
If he’s challenged by a popular Republican in the party primary, his inflexibility will be a weakness. And in a statewide race against a moderate Democrat, it could be an Achilles’ Heel.
