The Kemper power plant issue drew Sam Britton, a Laurel CPA and investment banker, into politics, where as Southern District public service commissioner he helped craft a settlement to that multi-billion-dollar debacle.
With that over, the Republican has set his sights on a new position, secretary of state.
The current officeholder, Delbert Hosemann, is running for lieutenant governor, and Britton will face State Sen. Michael Watson, R-Pascagoula, in the GOP primary with the winner in the driver’s seat to take over the office that oversees elections, corporation registration, 16th Section lands and other matters in Mississippi.
Britton spoke Thursday to the Columbia Lions Club. He talked about his roots in Waynesboro and as a wildcatter in the oil fields before the crash of the early 1980s pushed him back to school to become an accountant. He also spoke at length about the importance of American freedom.
Britton discussed his support for President Trump and opposition to allowing non-citizens to vote and overreach by the Environmental Protection Agency. He also said as the lone Republican versus two Democrats on the PSC that he’s learned you have to work together to make progress.
“I understand business. I understand finance, and more importantly I understand getting things done,” he said.
The dominating issue during his one term on the public service commission was the debate about what to do with the failed plan by Mississippi Power to make power at a coal-gasification plant in Kemper County. Mississippi Power ultimately used natural gas as the fuel source after never being able to get the experimental coal gasification to work after spending $7.5 billion. Mississippi Power and PSC reached a deal where the utility would eat $6.4 billion of the cost and its customers would pay $1.1 billion.
“That issue, again, was highly emotional. It was billions of dollars over budget. It was a difficult thing,” he said. “Most long-term politicians did not want to go after that position because as one gentleman in the industry told me, ‘Look, Sam. It’s bad. It’s going to be bad, and when it ends it’s still going to be bad.’ And he was true. But what I was able to do was there and work with them and get as best a conclusion as we possibly could.
“It wasn’t a foregone conclusion that I’d still be standing politically after that. So I did not sign up to be a long-term public service commissioner. I signed up to do a job, and one of the biggest things it taught me moving through it is one person can make a difference but one person can’t do it by themselves. As soon as Kemper became clear it was going to be settled, I had people start talking to me about running for statewide office.”
Britton said he has a real passion for seeing Mississippi grow its economy and that’s why he chose to run.
