The Governor of Mississippi is selecting a millennial with no elective experience as the new state auditor. MPB's Ashley Norwood reports.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant is appointing Shadrack White to be the new state auditor. He succeeds Republican Stacey Pickering, who's resigning to become director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board.
White is a 32-year-old attorney who has never held elected office.
Bryant says he wanted to change things up.
"I thought it would be a different opportunity for me to select someone as state auditor which has to be above all independent and someone that is not in the political world," said Bryant.
The Jones County native had been director of Mississippi Justice Institute, a conservative legal group, since December. White says he will work hard to protect taxpayers money in Mississippi.
"It's not my money, it's not my predecessor's money, it's the taxpayers' money. And so, I'm passionate about this job because I think that we need a state auditor who's going to work just as hard to protect that money as the folks who earned it worked to get it in the first place," said White.
Outgoing auditor Pickering says he supports the Governor's choice.
"Shad's an exceptional young man. It's exciting to see this next generation of leadership. Especially someone of his caliber. I've known Shad most all of his life and to see him and his accomplishments and now the governor to put this confidence to put him in as state auditor I'm excited to see how he's going to lead the staff and protect the state," said Pickering.
White will serve the rest of Pickering's four-year term, which ends in January 2020. Ashley Norwood, MPB News.
