Republican District 37 House of Representatives candidate David Chism intends to get tough on what he sees as waste and misuse of government money.
Chism, who is running for the seat in the state legislature formerly held by the late Lynn Wright, spoke to the Columbus Exchange Club Thursday at Lion Hills Center. The club is inviting candidates on the ballot in November, one at a time, to address them and answer questions. Former Frank P. Phillips YMCA director Andy Boyd, also a Republican District 37 candidate, will speak next week.
Chism and Boyd are the only two candidates thus far. The deadline to qualify is Sept. 19.
Chism, a Lowndes County businessman who owns Greenaway Pool & Spa, said he wants legislation passed requiring stricter scrutiny of how taxpayer dollars are spent.
“One of the things I would like to do is propose a law that any municipality, township or county that experiences a loss due to malfeasance or embezzlement (of) more than $25,000 shall be subject to an independent financial investigation at the discretion of the state auditor’s office,” he said.
The same law should penalize officials who don’t do so, he said.
“Any councilperson, commissioner, supervisor or officer that obstructs the acquisition of documents shall be subject to recall per the dereliction of their duties,” he said. “I’m really a nice guy, but I’m serious about the money. The money is what keeps the town moving and the roads being built.”
Chism was referring to the embezzlement conviction of former Columbus Chief Financial Officer Milton Rawle, who stole nearly $300,000 between December 2016 and December 2018. Mayor Keith Gaskin tried, and failed, to get the Columbus City Council to approve a forensic audit after he came in office.
Chism said he supported a forensic audit.
Chism also said he thinks the Republican Party needed to “take the moral high ground” in order to have a robust future.
“That will be regardless of who’s in charge, regardless of who the power players are,” he said. “One thing I can tell you today is that I am not going to Jackson to do the blind bidding of (Speaker of the House Philip Gunn). I am not going to Jackson to kiss the ring of (Gov. Tate Reeves). If (former governor) Phil Bryant committed crimes, Phil Bryant needs to be prosecuted.”
Bryant is currently embroiled in a scandal around the spending of $5 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Funds to build a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has been subpoenaed as part of a state investigation into the spending.
Club member and retired chancery judge Jim Davidson asked Chism if he supported Reeves’ recent decision to pull the state out of a federal pandemic rental assistance program and to send unspent money back to Washington. Davidson pointed out that two-thirds of the people receiving that money were employed, which undercuts Reeves’ contention that assistance was encouraging people not to work.
“What comes to mind is teaching a man to fish instead of perpetually giving him fish,” Chism said. “I think maybe some discussions can be made, maybe some exceptions can be made. Not all money is good money. Some money is toxic money. … My beef is with people who ride the system.”
Club member Ralph Null asked Chism if he would vote for legislation that originates with out-of-state think tanks, such as the American Legislative Exchange Council.
“I have not thought about that,” Chism said. “I am not a far-right loon, as one might say. There is a side of the Republican party that is heartless and driven by ideology. I’m not driven by ideology, I’m driven by ideas. And I think there’s a big difference there.”
Chism was asked if he supported Medicaid expansion.
“As a conservative I have to look at it and say can we afford it,” Chism said. “What I can tell you is that I am not a provocateur or an enemy of the medical community. When the experts come together on a consensus about things that work and increase health in Mississippi I’m generally in favor of that, but I can’t answer that question yet. … When the time comes, it’ll come, but I don’t know that that’s right now.”
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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