Senate committee advances MDOT director’s reappointment after ice-storm review
The Senate Highway and Transportation Committee voted Wednesday to send Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Brad White’s reappointment to the full Senate after questioning him about the agency’s response to a January ice storm, committee members and White said.
White told lawmakers he appreciated the Legislature’s recent funding that he said has helped the department rebuild its workforce and restart construction projects. He credited SEC Squared and the Personnel Board for helping retain employees and said close to $1 billion in supplemental funding, federal ARPA money and a fuel tax increase have aided road rehabilitation, White said.
Responding to a question from State Sen. Neil Whaley, R, White said MDOT organizes crews by district because geography, equipment maneuverability and fuel availability limit how far maintenance crews can operate. He said widespread power outages during the storm hindered crews’ ability to fuel equipment and vehicles and described the event as one Mississippi “has not seen in a generation,” calling it a “flash freeze” caused by freezing rain and prior precipitation.
White disputed reports that employees abandoned their posts. He said nearly 400 MDOT workers who live in affected areas left their homes after the storm to remove trees and clear roads, and that about 500 additional employees from central and south Mississippi relocated to help. He said those workers logged 26,000 man-hours, cleared routes that allowed emergency personnel to reach residents and helped rescue people dependent on medical equipment during power outages.
White told the committee the department faces ongoing challenges with pay and staffing, saying below-market salaries have forced MDOT to rely on private contractors for engineering services and have reduced maintenance personnel. After White’s remarks, State Sen. Andy Berry, R, moved to send the reappointment to the full Senate, and the committee approved the motion unanimously, lawmakers said.
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