Stacey Pickering

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Stacey Pickering
Stacey E. Pickering.jpg
41st Auditor of Mississippi
In office
January 10, 2008 – July 12, 2018
GovernorHaley Barbour
Phil Bryant
Preceded byPhil Bryant
Succeeded byShad White
Member of the Mississippi State Senate
from the 42nd district
In office
January 6, 2004 – January 8, 2008
Preceded byVincent Scoper
Succeeded byChris McDaniel
Personal details
Born
Stacey Eugene Pickering

(1968-07-12) July 12, 1968 (age 56)
Laurel, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseWhitney Pickering
Children4
RelativesCharles W. Pickering (uncle)
Chip Pickering (cousin)
EducationJones County Junior College
Samford University (BS)
New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary (MS)

Stacey Eugene Pickering (born July 12, 1968) is a politician and public official from Laurel, Mississippi, United States. Pickering has served as a Mississippi State Senator, as State Auditor of Mississippi, and as executive director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board.

Background

Pickering is a seventh-generation Mississippian, reared in the Hebron community of Jones County on the family dairy farm. He graduated from West Jones High School as a National 4-H scholarship winner and continued his education at Jones County Junior College. He furthered his educational career by earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and a master's degree in marriage and family counseling in 1993 from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Before serving in the State Senate, Pickering worked in the private sector as the director of governmental affairs and inside sales manager for Howard Technology Solutions, a division of Howard Industries in Laurel, Mississippi.

He serves as a chaplain in the Mississippi Air National Guard of the 186th Air Refueling Wing.

State Senate

Pickering represented District 42, based in Jones County, in the Mississippi State Senate, to which he was elected in 2003, after incumbent state senator, Vincent Scoper, decided to retire.[1][2][3] Pickering served as chairman of two committees: Local and Private, and Enrolled Bills. He was named by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to the national policy task forces on transportation and homeland security.

He served as co-chairman of the Mississippi Legislative Sportsman's Caucus that pushed successfully for passage of pro-hunting legislation.

State Auditor

File:State Auditor Stacey Pickering.jpg
Pickering speaking at a fundraiser for Mitt Romney in 2012
Pickering speaking at the Neshoba County Fair in 2013

Pickering was elected state auditor in 2007, when he defeated the Democrat Mike Sumrall, 55 to 45 percent, in the general election.[4] He was sworn-in on January 10, 2008.[5] In 2011, Pickering received only third-party opposition as he defeated Reform Party nominee Ashley Norwood, 76 to 24 percent.[6]

In June 2012, Pickering was honored with the National State Auditor's Association's "National Excellence in Accountability Award" for his work on accountability and oversight regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[7] In 2009, the United States Department of Defense honored him with a "Patriot Award" from its Mississippi Committee on Employer's Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) in recognition of his extraordinary support of its employees who serve in the Mississippi National Guard and Reserve.[8] Pickering received this same award again in May, 2013.[9]

In 2014, Pickering received the David M. Walker Excellence in Government Performance and Accountability Award, a national award presented once every two years to three auditors from the public sector accountability community who represent federal, state, and local governments.[10]

He also served on the Domestic Working Group for the office of the Comptroller General of the United States and the Financial Management and Intergovernmental Affairs and Performance Audit Committees for the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers.

Pickering resigned in 2018.[11]

2012 presidential campaign

Pickering served as the chairman of Mitt Romney's Mississippi campaign during the 2012 presidential campaign.[12]

Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board

Pickering served as executive director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board (MSVA) from 2018 to 2022. In May 2022, MSVA issued a press release stating that Pickering and his chief of staff were both resigning.[11] Following the press release, WLBT News reported that Pickering resigned because he had an unprofessional relationship with his chief of staff.[13][14] WLBT also alleged abuse of state time and alluded to a possible criminal probe.[13][14]

Personal

Pickering and his wife, Whitney, reside in Laurel, Mississippi, with their four children. The Pickerings have served as past presidents of their children's Parent Teacher Organization and volunteer for the Laurel Rogers Museum of Art. Pickering is a Mason, volunteer firefighter, member of the National Rifle Association and Sigma Nu fraternity. He serves on the board of the Pine Burr Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.[15]

He is a cousin of former U.S. Representative Chip Pickering of Mississippi's 3rd congressional district, and a nephew of Charles W. Pickering, a former state senator, Republican party state chairman, and a former judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.

Electoral history

Mississippi State Senate 42nd District election, 2003
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Stacey Pickering 10,932 58.77
Democratic Randy Ellzey 7,669 41.23
Mississippi Auditor election, 2007
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Stacey Pickering 399,279 54.97
Democratic Mike Sumrall 327,033 45.03
Mississippi Auditor election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Stacey Pickering (inc.) 596,395 75.62
Reform Ashley Norwood 192,271 24.38
Mississippi Auditor Republican primary election, 2015
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Stacey Pickering (inc.) 183,367 67.74
Republican Mary Hawkins-Butler 87,318 32.26
Mississippi Auditor election, 2015
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Stacey Pickering (inc.) 453,601 63.99
Democratic Jocelyn "Joce" Pepper Pritchett 245,899 34.69
Reform Lajena Walley 9,380 1.32

References

  1. ^ "Mississippi Senator Vince Scoper Announces Plans for Retirement".
  2. ^ "16 Jan 2003, 17 - The Times of South Mississippi at". Newspapers.com. 2003-01-16. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - MS State Senate 42 Race - Nov 04, 2003".
  4. ^ Mississippi Secretary of State. "Total Votes Reported by County for the 2007 General Election" (PDF).
  5. ^ Byrd, Shelia (January 11, 2008). "7 statewide officials take oath of office". Hattiesburg American. pp. 3A, 9A.
  6. ^ Mississippi Secretary of State. "Official Tabulation of Vote for State Office of Auditor" (PDF).
  7. ^ "State Auditor Stacey Pickering Wins National Award for Excellence in Accountability". 27 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Pickering Honored by DOD for Extraordinary Support of Employees Who Serve". 10 March 2009.
  9. ^ "Auditor Stacey Pickering Receives Second Patriot Award". 8 May 2013.
  10. ^ "State Auditor's Work Recognized with National Award". 25 August 2014.
  11. ^ a b Mitchell, J.T. (May 16, 2022). "Stacey Pickering officially resigns from state VA board". SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
  12. ^ "Mitt Romney Set to be in Mississippi for July Fundraiser".
  13. ^ a b LeMaster, C. J. "3 On Your Side Investigates: State of Affairs". wlbt.com. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  14. ^ a b "Veterans 'affairs'?". Laurel Leader-Call. Retrieved 2022-06-15. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  15. ^ "StaceyPickering.com: About Stacey".

External links

Mississippi State Senate
Preceded by
Vincent Scoper
 Member of the Mississippi State Senate
from the 42nd district
2004–2008 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Auditor of Mississippi
2008–2018 		Succeeded by
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