Chaney shouldn’t be surprised at bitter response to his sweet talk about Wind Pool

Chaney shouldn’t be surprised at bitter response to his sweet talk about Wind Pool

Mike Chaney still seems surprised that his sweet talk about Wind Pool insurance rates was greeted with bitter responses from many of his constituents.

Speaking in Gulfport on Tuesday, Chaney cited miscommunication as a possible basis for the hostile reception his press release received.

Yet Chaney admitted last week to the Sun Herald’s Anita Lee that “If you buy exactly the same policy that you did before Katrina, it would be more, that is true.”

Indeed, there appears to be only one house in all of South Mississippi that qualifies for the “significant savings” that Chaney bragged about in his press release.

This newspaper endorsed Chaney because he was a seasoned legislator with a degree of expertise about insurance. We were impressed by a candidate who did not deny how difficult the job was going to be.

So when Chaney starts trying to over-accentuate the positive, we wonder what happened to his more honest approach to the dire circumstances of many of his constituents.

When the insurance market in South Mississippi improves, homeowners won’t need the commissioner to issue a press release telling them about it. They’ll know as soon as the premiums start to drop.

Sun Herald
5/21/8