Rep. Zuber Visits Ocean Springs to Hear Citizen Concerns

With the state legislature not in session until January, representatives are taking the time to hold town hall meetings. Monday night in Ocean Springs, Representative Hank Zuber met with a few of his constituents to hear their concerns about state government.

Monday night, about a dozen residents sat around an old wooden table at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center. Representative Hank Zuber was curious to know what they thought. Zuber says, “They’re the ones that pay my salary. They’re my boss, so that’s the first thing that I wanted to do. I thought the back and forth was excellent.”

Larry Huff, a resident, says, “Hank’s doing fine work up there. It’s good of him to do something like this, kinda’ let everyone know what’s going on.”

The big topic Monday night was education. Zuber projects state revenues will increase 4% in 2016, and the legislator from Ocean Springs thinks local schools could use a break. Zuber also says, “Our superintendents are doing more with less, and I’ll go ahead and say it, than any other school district in other parts of the state.”

Also at Monday night’s town hall meeting, Zuber discussed an initiative to bring a pharmacy school to William Carey’s Tradition campus. The closest school in the state is in Starkville. Zuber also says, “It’s just something that’s needed. We’re sending students now to Louisiana and Alabama and we can keep them here.”

Huff also says, “The pharmacy school that he’s pushing real hard down here in south Mississippi, it’s gonna’ be a great, great thing for the Coast.” Zuber also addressed the up and down year for casinos in Mississippi.

Zuber closes, “Gaming revenue in the State of Mississippi is up. You’ve got some serious problems with some of the river casinos.”