HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — The southern district transportation commissioner in Mississippi says he will not seek reelection in 2023.
Republican Tom King of Hattiesburg made the announcement Wednesday on “The Extra Mile,” a podcast produced by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
King said he intends to serve the final year of the current term, his third in that office. He is currently chairman of the three-person commission, with other members coming from the northern and central districts.
“It’s been an honor to serve the public,” King said in a news release. “I appreciate all the support that people have given me, and I’ve always been fair. If you do what’s right, you don’t have a problem sleeping, and I feel like that’s what I’ve done throughout my career.”
King is a Vietnam War veteran who served in the Air Force.
Before becoming a transportation commissioner in 2012, King served 19 years in the state Legislature — the first seven in the House and the next 12 in the Senate.
As chairman of the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee, King sponsored a $300 million bond bill for highways and bridges.
Mississippi voters in 2023 will elect a governor and seven other statewide officials, three transportation commissioners, three public service commissioners, 122 state House members and 52 state senators.
Candidates' qualifying deadline is Feb. 1. Party primaries are Aug. 8, and the general election is Nov. 7.
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