BIPEC Updates

26 Jul
2017

BIPEC Recommended Candidate Wins Election

Stacey Wilkes, the BIPEC Recommended “Best for Business & Jobs” candidate, has won a Special Election for the Mississippi House of Representatives. Wilkes will represent House District 108 located in Pearl River County. This seat became vacant when former Representative Mark Formby of Picayune was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant to the three-member Workers Compensation Commission.

Stacey Wilkes was declared the unofficial winner last night with 1,375 votes or 50.5%. Tavish Kelly was second with 812 votes or 29.8%, and Jerry Frazier received 531 votes or 19.5%. There are still 32 affidavit votes to be validated and counted but if any of the affidavit votes are disqualified or if Stacey Wilkes receives only one of those votes, she will have received the 50 percent plus one vote of the total votes cast therefore avoiding a runoff.

Wilkes stated, “As a small business owner, it is truly an honor for me to be recommended as ‘Best for Business & Jobs’ by one of the most sought-after endorsements by a candidate seeking elected office. I look forward to working with the people of House District 108 as we look to strengthen and grow our economy.”

Stacey is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science degree in American Studies and a minor in Business Administration. With 17 years in the insurance industry, she holds an agent and adjuster’s license. In addition, she currently owns a successful small business, Right Minded, LLC, a public relations consultancy firm. You can learn more about her from this announcement in the Picayune Item http://www.picayuneitem.com/2017/05/stacey-wilkes-announces-candidacy-for-district-108-representative/.

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13 Jul
2017

BIPEC Recommended Candidate – Stacey Wilkes

BIPEC has named Stacey Wilkes as “Best for Business & Jobs” in an upcoming Special Election for the Mississippi House of Representatives. Wilkes is running for House District 108 located in Pearl River County. The election will be held on July 25 (a runoff, if needed, will be Aug 15). This seat became vacant when former Representative Mark Formby of Picayune was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant to the three-member Workers Compensation Commission.

BIPEC reviews backgrounds and key positions of candidates running for the Legislature. BIPEC disseminates research findings to members and educates its membership on the impact that elected officials could have on economic growth and MS employers. It is an independent, autonomous organization and is not affiliated with any political party or candidate. BIPEC actions are limited to advocacy, candidate research and candidate recommendations. BIPEC evaluates many factors while considering recommendations including potential election unity within the business/employer community.

Wilkes stated, “As a small business owner, it is truly an honor for me to be recommended as ‘Best for Business & Jobs’ by one of the most sought-after endorsements by a candidate seeking elected office. I look forward to working with the people of House District 108 as we look to strengthen and grow our economy.”

Stacey is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science degree in American Studies and a minor in Business Administration. With 17 years in the insurance industry, she holds an agent and adjuster’s license. In addition, she currently owns a successful small business, Right Minded, LLC, a public relations consultancy firm. You can learn more about her from this announcement in the Picayune Item http://www.picayuneitem.com/2017/05/stacey-wilkes-announces-candidacy-for-district-108-representative/.

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22 May
2017

BIPEC Releases 2017 LEGISLATOR “BUSINESS & JOBS” REPORT CARD

Click here to view the 2017 Business & Jobs Report Card.

During a press conference today at the Mississippi Capitol, BIPEC (Business and Industry Political Education Committee) released its Legislator “Business & Jobs” Report Card for the 2017 legislative session.  The event, led by BIPEC Chairman Clay Wagner, recognized twenty-seven (27) senators and forty-one (41) representatives as “Business & Jobs Champions” for their work supporting economic growth, job development, and business-related issues for the legislative session this year.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Speaker of the House Philip Gunn joined the large contingent of BIPEC supporters at the Capitol, with both acknowledging the BIPEC Report Card as a tool for accountability, and as an incentive and stimulus for jobs and economic development legislative action.

“BIPEC recognizes and appreciates the efforts of these Business & Jobs Champion Legislators, “Clay Wagner said, “For me and all of the members and supporters of BIPEC, the Legislator Report Card has long been a resource that we keep on our desk as a valued tool for the business community to see the measured performance of our legislators and their support for the growth of jobs and economic development in Mississippi.”

BIPEC is a 501c6 membership organization founded in 1980 by Mississippi’s business and professional leaders.  BIPEC is a nonprofit association comprised of individuals, trade associations and companies who unite to protect and advance free enterprise through research, education, and member action.  BIPEC’s purpose is to learn backgrounds, voting records and key positions of members and candidates for the Mississippi Legislature, Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.  BIPEC disseminates credible research findings to BIPEC members, educates BIPEC’s membership network on the impact that legislator and judge-made decisions have on Mississippi’s economic growth, business attractiveness and general prosperity of the State’s employers.  BIPEC publishes the Legislator Report Card annually.

At www.bipec.org you can view the interactive version of the report card. Click the heading links to switch between Representatives and Senators. The report card is sortable by grade, legislator name, party, and district. You can hover over the bill names to see a description of each bill. When you click on a legislator’s name, you will see a list of bills with links to the bill and to the individual votes recorded at the Mississippi Legislative Website. You can also search for legislators at the top of the page using any part of their name.

Click here to view the 2017 Business & Jobs Report Card.

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03 Feb
2017

BIPEC releases new tool for campaign finance transparency

BIPEC has released a new tool for browsing and sorting data from campaign finance reports, filled at the Secretary of State’s website. The tool shows quick highlights from the reports with links to full details.

You can explore the new tool here: BIPEC Campaign Finance Tool.

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