Rep. Karl Oliver, R-Winona, is taking heat online for an email exchange with a Gulfport woman who recently wrote to state House members urging them to vote against upcoming tax-cut legislation.
Becky Guidry, an Illinois native who has lived in Gulfport since 2001 and has a child enrolled in public school, said she is opposed to Senate Bill 2858 — the “Taxpayer Pay Raise Act” —- because it would further eat into tax revenue available for use in public school systems.
On March 11, Guidry sent House members an email stating that “our children are not receiving the benefit of a fully-funded education” and asking them to vote “no” to the bill.
According to a Facebook post made by Guidry, she received the following response from Oliver on Thursday:
“I see you are not a native to the great state of Mississippi nor do you and I have similar political views. The people of our Great State overwhelmingly share my same or similar views on Government responsibility. I appreciate you going to the trouble to share yours with me, but quite frankly, and with all due respect, I could care less.”
The email continues:
“I would, however, recommend that there are a rather large number of like minded citizens in Illinois that would love to see you return. With warmest personal regards, Karl Oliver.”
Oliver confirmed this morning that he was the author of the email, but said Guidry has “twisted this into me being anti-public education” because she is a Democrat and their views do not align.
Oliver said his email did not amount to telling Guidry she should leave the state, but was pointing out that a majority of Illinois voters probably share her views.
“I read it like he was telling me I didn’t belong here, that my opinion didn’t count,” sGuidry told the Commonwealth in a telephone interview today.
She said she has received massive support both from friends and social media acquaintances.
One commenter suggested that she take the matter to the House Ethics Committee. Guidry said she does not plan on doing that.
“I don’t think this needs to go there,” she said.
Guidry relocated to Gulfport 15 years ago with her company. She works in information technology for Caesar’s Entertainment, a Nevada-based gaming corporation that operates more than 50 hotels and casinos.
She said her husband’s family has been in Mississippi for five generations, and she considers Gulfport her home now.
Guidry said she often writes to her local legislators, and occasionally to those from other parts of the state.
“We’ve been hearing for the past several months that revenues were not coming in as projected and that once again MAEP was going to receive level funding from last year,” said Guidry.
The Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the law that is supposed to ensure that every school district in Mississippi has enough money to provide at least a midlevel education, has been fully funded only twice since its adoption in 1997.
In 2015, 52 percent of the state’s voters rejected Initiative 42, which would have required the state to provide an “adequate and efficient system of free public schools” and allowed for judicial enforcement of the mandate. Supporters of the measure said it would have required the Legislature to fund MAEP.
In Leflore County, 66 percent of voters supported the ballot initiative.
In her email, Guidry said that she would not consider the Senate Bill 2858 viable unless “countermeasures were put in place to offset the revenue loss” caused by the tax cuts.
• Contact Nick Rogers at 581-7235 or nrogers@gwcommonwealth.com.
