Seating Draw; Other Updates

Today we drew for seats. The way it works is that the members who have been there the longest get to choose their seats first. So, starting with the class of 1980 (which still have several members in office...including our own Rep. Percy Watson), the members of a class draw numbers to see who chooses first.

The idea is to avoid getting stuck on the front row, especially on the middle aisle. Landing on the front row in the middle aisle means that you will spend the next four years right in front of the well (the main lectern) of the House chambers. The problem occurs during particularly passionate speeches in which errant saliva might be thrown from whomever is speaking at the well.

So, after a good hour-plus, the class of 2008 was finally called. Out of 19, I drew #10 (not as good as Bob Evans or Mac Huddleston- but not as bad as Bubba Carpenter or Mark DuVall, who drew #18 and #19, respectively). In the end, I took one of the few remaining seats on the next-to-back row, in the middle aisle. I'm sitting on a row with Tommy Woods, Alex Monsour and Larry Baker.

Other notable news is that J.P. Compretta from the Gulf Coast was re-elected Speaker Pro Tem. Rep. Percy Watson of Hattiesburg was elected again to the Management Committee. This is good news for the Pine Belt because the Management Committee helps select which members go to each committee.