JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A nominee to the board of the newly created Mississippi Lottery Corp. recently hosted a fundraiser for a politician who has a vote in his confirmation.
Businessman Gerard Gibert held a reception at his Ridgeland home last week for Republican state Sen. Michael Watson of Pascagoula, who is running for secretary of state. People attending the fundraiser paid at least $250 each, and Republican Gov. Phil Bryant made an appearance, The Clarion Ledger reported.
Legislators voted in August to create a lottery to help provide money for transportation. In January, Bryant nominated Gibert and five others to the lottery board. Gibert told The Associated Press on Monday that the lottery should be up and running during the final half of this year.
Gibert said he is “deeply offended” that anyone would see a potential conflict in his raising money for Watson, who serves on the Senate Finance Committee. Gibert said he has known Watson for years.
Watson said Gibert will lose money as a non-paid member of the lottery board.
The Finance Committee recommended Wednesday that the full Senate confirm Gibert’s nomination. Watson voted for the recommendation.
During the confirmation hearing, much of the discussion centered on the fundraiser Gibert hosted. The newspaper reported that Watson choked up as he defended his decision to have the reception.
“I’ve got a wife and three little girls. When I stand in front of them, making sure they know their husband and father is a man of integrity is much more important than any title in this building,” Watson said.
Speaking of his vote to recommend confirmation of Gibert, Watson said: “There are few votes that I’ve cast in 12 years that I’m more sure of.”
Democratic Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory, who is a Finance Committee member, posed questions during Gibert’s confirmation hearing about what role Mississippi Republican Party Lucien Smith might have in advising the lottery board.
“I’m certainly not trying to pick on Lucien,” Bryan said. “But one hire has been made, and the hire’s that’s been made is the law firm that employs the executive director of the state Republican Party.”
Smith is an attorney with Balch & Bingham, which was one of six law firms that submitted proposals to represent the board.
The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday also advanced the nominations of Mike McGrevey, Cass Pennington and Phillip Chamblee to the lottery board. A vote on whether to recommend confirmation of Kimberly LaRosa will occur later. The full Senate must consider whether to confirm the board members before the Legislature finishes its session in the next couple of weeks.
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Information from: The Clarion Ledger, http://www.clarionledger.com
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