(AP) — Mississippi’s top tax collector is retiring after four years in that job, and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves will nominate someone to succeed him.
Herb Frierson said Wednesday that he retired as revenue commissioner when the state budget year ended Tuesday, ending a 42-year career in state government.
“He was a pretty good coach, a great legislator, excellent Commissioner, and an even better friend,” Reeves said Wednesday on Twitter. “Enjoy your well-deserved downtime, Herb!”
Reeves will choose a new leader for the Department of Revenue, and that person must be confirmed by the state Senate. The nominee is likely to serve several months while awaiting confirmation because legislators are at the end of their annual session. It’s not unusual for nominees to work before they are confirmed.
Frierson, of Poplarville, started serving in the Mississippi House in 1992 as a Democrat. He became a Republican in 2003 and remained in the House until mid-2016, when then-Gov. Phil Bryant nominated him as revenue commissioner for a term that ends June 30, 2022. The Senate confirmed Frierson during the 2016 session.
Frierson was one of the top state budget writers as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee at the end of his legislative career. As revenue commissioner, he was in a small group of experts who estimated how much money the state might have available to spend each year. Legislators used those revenue estimates as the basis for writing and revising budgets.