Says tainted legacy of 19 years of service is “unavoidable”
In the midst of controversy that includes a massive investigation into the agency for which it oversees, the chairman of Mississippi’s Commission on Marine Resources has resigned.
Dr. Vernon Asper stepped down July 3, two days after what would have been his 20th year on the Commission began. He has served on the Commission since its inception, including many years as chairman.
Asper said he was following directives of his employer, the University of Southern Mississippi, where he has been a professor of marine sciences for 27 years and is based at the Stennis Space Center in Hancock County.
DMR is under an audit and FBI investigation, a probe that led to the Commission firing longtime agency director Bill Walker earlier this year.
“There are a lot of good memories, but the events of this part year have resulted in a situation where it’s really not a lot of fun anymore,” Asper told WLOX.
Asper said USM officials have discussed his separation from the Commission for months, and that the tipping point was likely the recent release of a report by the Inspector General, which includes concerns about conflict of interest and inappropriate handling of funds involving Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP).
CIAP is a $1 billion federal program that provides grants to oil and gas producing states and their coastal subdivisions to mitigate impact from oil production on the outer continental shelf, outside of state jurisdiction.
In addition to the ongoing investigation, which is expected to lead to indictments, DMR and its Commission was hit pretty hard in an outside analysis conducted by a private firm the agency hired to do a 60-day review. The report offered by Horne CPA and Business Advisors of Ridgeland found a worrisome lack of oversight that could foster fraud, waste and abuse. The Horne report also said the agency needed to increase emphasis on ethical behavior and work hard to rebuild public trust.
Asper said he is concerned about him possibly being among those facing indictments.
“I’m concerned about it,” he told WLOX. “I haven’t done anything wrong, so I don’t know why I would be charged. So I guess we’ll see.”
Asper told the station he was sure of one thing.
“My legacy is going to be that I resigned during this situation,” he said. “So, that’s how I’m going to be remembered. It’s unavoidable. That’s the way it is in any public service. When you dedicate 19 years to an event, but one situation like this develops, which I admit is really big, it’s going to taint everything. Has to.”
Jamie Miller, who was named DMR’s executive director this spring, said Asper’s long service has been beneficial to the agency.
“I would like to thank Dr. Asper for his 19 years of service with the Commission on Marine Resources,” Miller said in a news release. “His leadership has been invaluable to the Commission and the Agency, and we will miss his hard work and dedication.”
Jimmy Taylor, who was vice chairman, will assume the role as chairman of the Commission.
Asper will have to be replaced by Gov. Phil Bryant. The governor appoints all five members, and his appointments must get Senate approval.
Under Mississippi statute, the governor appoints the five-member panel to four-year terms. The Commission must include representatives from the charter boat, commercial fishing, recreational sports fishing and commercial seafood processing industries, as well as a member of an incorporated nonprofit environmental organization. No more than two members can be from one of the three coastal counties.
Asper was the lone Commissioner from Hancock County and was the representative from an environmental organization. Bryant’s next appointment would need to meet those requirements.
The remaining Commission includes:
Taylor, charter boat operator, Harrison County.
Steve Bosarge, commercial fisherman, Jackson County.
Shelby Drummond, sports fisherman, Jackson County.
Richard Gollott, seafood processor, Harrison County.
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