The Nation : Mississippi Adopts Reforms for Counties

Legislators in Jackson, Miss., overwhelmingly approved a bill that would restructure that state’s century-old system of county government, a move that Gov. Ray Mabus called historic. Mabus, who was state auditor for the four years preceding his election last November, assisted the FBI in an investigation that resulted in federal graft charges against 56 supervisors from 25 counties. “For the first time, the government of the state of Mississippi is on record for honest and efficient government,” Mabus said after the bill passed 111 to 7 in the House and 50 to 0 in the Senate. The bill would require counties to implement central purchasing, receiving and inventory control systems with separate clerks for each by Jan. 2, 1989. They could, however, designate existing personnel for the positions.