Enterprise Journal - Dupree Speaks to Supporters in Summit

News Article

By Matt Williamson

Johnny DuPree continued his tour across Mississippi with a stop in Summit Thursday evening, speaking to supporters at a fundraiser and stoking the base in his run for the governor's mansion with 25 days before Election Day.

The three-term Hattiesburg mayor faces Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant in the Nov. 8 election.

The two will hold a debate at 7 tonight at the Mississippi College School of Law. WLBT will broadcast the debate.

"I got into this race because as looked around I saw a number of people who decided to run, I looked at my experience on the school board, my experience on the board of supervisors, my experience with municipal government, I realized nobody in this race had the kind of experience that I had," DuPree said at the home of Jim and Missy Hancock. "Nobody worked grass roots like we do.

"Everybody in this race either had no experience, or they had experience going up to Jackson for two or three months and going home," he said, giving an obvious jab at his opponent.

DuPree said his experience as the top executive in Hattiesburg's government makes him qualified to lead the state. He cited the bustling economic development and downtown revitalization successes in Mississippi's fourth-largest city.

DuPree noted that the city added 6,000 jobs last year, the American Planning Association ranked a historic Hattiesburg neighborhood as one of the most livable in the country, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield ranked Hattiesburg as the most fit city in Mississippi with a population of more than 10,000. He said Hattiesburg also has the only fully handicap accessible park in the state, and Census figures show its 24- to 29-year-old population grew by 11 percent in the last decade.

DuPree said his city's success came through a diverse group of motivated people "working together to solve our problems.

"I'm talking about black, white, rich, poor, Democrats and Republicans.

"I wish I could say I did all that, but I would not be telling the truth," he said.

He also noted the unique challenges that come with the job.

"Nobody (else) gets calls saying we have bed lice and we need to come get rid of them. I get those calls. I also get those calls when people can't pay their mortgage, they can't pay their utility bills, they want a job."

Dupree said he hopes to bring the same level of collaborative success and a sympathetic ear to the governor's office.

"I believe people in Mississippi want the same thing," he said. "They want Mississippi to be first. ... If we can solve our problems in Mississippi, then we can solve our problems in the nation."

DuPree acknowledges that he's well outspent by Bryant, whose war chest has topped $4 million, while Dupree's has yet to crack the million-dollar mark.

"We've always relied on volunteers, people who are interested in moving forward. ... That's not saying we wouldn't enjoy having parity in the money," he said. "I say all the time you give me a choice between a thousand dollars and a hundred voters, I'll take a hundred voters."

The elephant in the room throughout the campaign is the fact that DuPree has come closer to the Mississippi governor's mansion than any other black candidate, although he's largely downplayed that issue.

"Sometimes in a closed gathering, I say, "By the way I'm black,' " he said with a laugh. "I'm a proud African-American, but I'm even more proud to be the Democratic nominee for the governor of the state of Mississippi."

DuPree has instead focused on education throughout the race, saying it is linked to most of the state's successes and failures.

"All of the ills we have in Mississippi, I think, you can trace it back to eduction," he said. "Seventy percent of the people incarcerated are high school dropouts. Does that not say something?"

He said he believes state support for early childhood education, and education in general, is on the line in the election.

As for funding such measures, "you've got to decide what are the core services."

"You've got to look at ways to increase revenues, and I'm not saying increase taxes," he said. "We were able to fund our budget in Hattiesburg in the same economic downturn without raising taxes."

DuPree said the sate also must look at "equity and fairness in taxation."

"Those companies that are not paying taxes have to pay their fair share," he said. "Or if there's an employment agreement that they will hire "X' amount of employees to get those tax breaks, then they need to hire them."

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