The Cambridge English Dictionary defines serendipity as “the fact of finding interesting or valuable things by chance:”
I joked with a friend, when sharing photographs of a recent ceremony at the Capitol, that he would become Master of Ceremonies after I am elected Governor in four years. The thought clarified priorities as quadrennial officials take their oaths of office. Everyone should pursue the exercise.
This column is not an announcement of candidacy. I wish nothing less save gender reassignment surgery: Politics is the art of the possible. Choices and compromises must be made. One angers everybody. The man in the mirror would be unhappiest of all sacrificing, repeatedly, goals near and dear.
The reward would be the betterment of Mississippians’ lives — that and commissioning a portrait for the Capitol afterwards, a pleasure given an interest in portraiture.
I cannot divulge to whom Chief of Staff was offered while interrupted when writing said friend. Jeff Good texted simultaneously. I promised the Royal Warrant for Takeout during my reign to Jeff. Jason Bouldin would paint my official portrait — notwithstanding my admiration for Baxter Knowlton — because Jason’s father Marshall Bouldin created Governor Winter’s powerful portrait in the Capitol.
One would execute countless decisions alienating others. Why bother at the expense of one’s privacy, exercise, contemplation, and calm?
High among the pursuits rewarding life in a fishbowl would be health care. Having grown up in Jackson’s medical community, I would prioritize medical services. Absenteeism does not stimulate economic growth. No adult or child should risk illness, encountering people without access to adequate health care who expose others to infectious disease. Mississippi has communities lacking medical facilities, impermissible waiting times for ambulances and treatment in emergency rooms, and hospitals closing. A Wiener Administration would demand better.
Just as I would work closely with the State Medical Association, the State Board of Health, and hospital administrators, I would align myself with the State Bar Association, judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement. Crime is impermissible. Living in fear is stressful. Emphasis would be placed on unassailable investigations, searches, and trials. I would highlight dotting i’s and crossing t’s to ensure that convictions hold. There would be zero tolerance for innocent people being convicted so prosecutors can tout high conviction rates when campaigning.
I would consider whether Mississippi should join the states no longer imposing the death sentence — pursuing life without parole instead. Death row appeals consume endless time and resources arguably better used convicting miscreants and reducing backlogs.
Rehabilitation would be underscored. I would not presume that criminals are incorrigible, visiting the Parchman Farm periodically to ensure that convicts and their families are not forgotten. Restoring voting rights is worth entertaining. The point is helping felons become fully functional rather than risking recidivism.
My paternal grandfather was bank president in Canton. I am friends with the executive director of the Mississippi Bankers Association. I would work closely with bankers and the banking association to promote a healthy, expanding economy.
I would emphasize clean, sustainable development, wanting Mississippi’s best qualities to endure. I would anticipate a changing climate to ensure that our well-being does not diminish if warmer weather is our fate.
I would eliminate Hatfield and McCoy — Capulet and Montague — feuding — religiously, racially, and politically. The legacy of an unfortunate past should be investigated and whatever remains of the mindset laid to rest.
Mississippi is a beautiful state. It has a rich culture. There is nowhere with people more likable.
Mississippi was once one of the wealthiest states. Everything that might restore our prosperity should be encouraged.
These would be among my priorities as Governor. What would be yours?
Your ideas are as inspirational as those of our elected officials. Please reduce your thoughts to writing in the coming days and make your voices heard during the next four years.
Jay Wiener is a Northsider.
