I first met Congressman Gregg Harper several years ago at Choctaw Book Store in Jackson. That first impression he was cordial and treated everyone with respect. Last August I visited with him during the Book Festival at the Capitol in Jackson and that same impression has held through the years of keeping up with him. He never participated in the slash and burn style of politics we see so much of today, he is truly a good person. He was everything a public servant should be; he worked hard, treated everyone with respect, was in it for the right reasons serving the people, and he never made a career out of it. Over the years, I came to realize this state would be served well if we elected more leaders like Harper.
The retirement of Harper will bring a crowded field and it opens the door here in Mississippi, for a candidate to make history if Mississippi sends a woman to Congress. While there are many qualified men and women who could serve, the qualities of Harper would be excellent in his successor when chosen this year. His shoes will be big to fill because he put others above his own ambitions.
Harper knew that to get results it was important in the legislative process to gain respect and influence. After all he was elected to represent the third congressional district that had been served for decades by legendary Congressman G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery. Harper has been considered a rising star in the GOP House leadership. He is the highest-ranking member of the Mississippi U.S. House delegation and the only member to hold a full committee chairmanship, leading the Committee on House Administration. Along with his leadership style, he had what I and anyone else who ever met him realized, a compassion for people. When he first arrived in the House, he started an internship program for college students with intellectual disabilities in the Mason Life Program that opened the hearts of Capitol Hill staffers and members to the possibilities of those young adults with special needs. These were things he didn’t have to do but he did, that’s his style. It’s easy for officials to pad a retirement, be self serving or stir up a commotion with divisions but that wasn’t him. Helping the people in a courteous and respectful manner while making a difference was him.
I can honestly say he set a great example for elected officials on any level of government. Harper is a person that I admire. As for myself, after keeping up with him for so long, I try to follow his example not just as an official but as a human being. After learning of Harpers retirement, former Democratic Party Chairman Rickey Cole said, “Gregg is a Christian gentleman.” That is a fine legacy Harper leaves that can be agreed on by both sides of the political aisle that Mississippi can be proud of.
Ken Strachan, is a North Carrollton columnist and serves as a North Carrollton Alderman.
