Posted on 09/12/2004 7:56:21 PM PDT by Cedar
Fordice earned his chapter in state's history
Republican governor was his own man who shook up the status quo
A segment of Mississippi history died Tuesday.
Former Mississippi Gov. Kirk Fordice died after a short bout with leukemia. His passing is also the passing of an era in Mississippi politics, which was marked by progress, hardball politics and a no-nonsense approach to the affairs of state government.
Fordice was elected the first Republican governor of Mississippi in 116 years and served eight years from 1992 to 2000. Then he was the only governor to be re-elected.
Fordice was another of many politicians in the Ronald Reagan mold of conservatism that played well with the ever-increasing conservatism of Mississippi voters. His off-the-cuff remarks and shoot-from-the-hip style seemed to resonant well with many voters while also upsetting many others.
One thing about Kirk Fordice was that you either liked him or didn't. But he didn't run his campaigns, his office or his life based on the comments of others. He was his own man and shared his thoughts freely — take it or leave it.
The Vicksburg native, who was involved in the construction industry, understood fiscal restraints because as a businessman he knew that was how a business survived. He brought that business approach to Jackson and much to the dismay of the Democrat-controlled state House and Senate.
In his first term, Fordice's agenda included such issues as tax cuts, school choice and term limits which resonated well with many voters but did not with the state Legislature. And while he ran into legislative roadblocks each time on these issues, he was successful with other issues including pushing for spending limits, tougher sentencing laws and more prisons.
With Fordice's blessing, legislation was passed to restrict state spending to 98 percent of revenue with the remaining 2 percent going into a "rainy day" account. When Fordice left office, Mississippi had more than $200 million in that "rainy day" account and was fiscally sound.
Fordice was also tough on crime. With his blessing and urging, the Legislature also approved legislation that required people convicted of felonies to serve 85 percent of their sentences before any consideration could be given to their release through parole.
Much has also been made of Fordice's personal life, especially his well-publicized divorce from his wife, Pat, after 44 years of marriage. Then there was his affair with another women whom he later married, then divorced.
He also had his bouts with health problems from previous cancers, injuries sustained from a car crash in 1996 and gallbladder surgery.
Through it all, Fordice remained a steady icon in Mississippi politics offering plenty to write about and plenty to praise or criticize when it came to issues of public policy.
The only public office that Fordice sought was that of governor. And on that point, in an Associated Press interview reported Tuesday, Fordice was reported as saying, "Frankly, I don't miss being inside politics. It has often been called an ugly, dirty game, and in many ways it is."
On that point, little has changed. But candidates like Fordice don't come along too often to shake up the political status quo, offer new and innovative ideas (popular or not) or have the integrity to stay the course and say what's on their minds no matter what way the wind is blowing.
Like him or not, Fordice was his own man and his mark on Mississippi's political landscape will endure.
MS PING
Thanks for the ping. Well written article. All politicians wish they could leave such a legacy.
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