Sam R. Hall: Bryant’s, Gunn’s politicized political nominations backfired
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves last year roiled some people when he rejected Gov. Haley Barbour’s appointment of Dr. Carl Reddix’s to the Mississippi State Board of Health because of Reddix’s loose association with the state’s only abortion clinic.
Reddix did not perform abortions at the clinic, but he was affiliated there as an emergency contact because he holds admitting privileges at local hospitals.
Reeves made it clear that even that loose association with an abortion clinic was troubling to conservatives, and in rejecting the appointment, Reeves and the Senate essentially said they wanted only pro-life appointees to the Board of Health.
And that’s exactly what Gov. Phil Bryant gave him with Terri Herring, arguably the state’s leading pro-life activist, who also just happens to have a “strained” relationship with Reeves. The two may share pro-life beliefs, but they certainly have different styles and personalities.
Sam Hall
Clarion Ledger
4/6/13
