Sarita Simmons
Member of the Mississippi Senate
from the 13th district
Assumed office
January 7, 2020
Preceded byWillie Lee Simmons
Personal details
Born
Sarita Simmons

(1977-05-14) May 14, 1977
Cleveland, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materAlcorn State University

Sarita Simmons (born May 14, 1977) is an American politician, serving in the Mississippi State Senate from the 13th district since 2020.[1]

Early life and education

Simmons was born in Cleveland, Mississippi.[1] Her father is Willie Lee Simmons, former Mississippi Senate member from the 13th district and current Central District Transportation Commissioner.[2] Her mother was the Bolivar County Circuit Clerk, the first African American since Reconstruction to serve that post.[2] Simmons attended Cleveland High School and graduated from Alcorn State University with a bachelor's in education and psychology.[1][3]

Career

Simmons has worked as the general manager for the family-owned restaurant, The Senator's Place, which is located in Cleveland, Mississippi.[2][4] When her father didn't file for re-election for the 13th district, she decided to run. The district encompasses parts of Bolivar, Sunflower, and Tallahatchie counties.[5] She received 42.1% of the vote in the Democratic primary election and 65.1% in the general election; she assumed office on January 7, 2020.[6]

In the Mississippi Senate, she serves as vice-chair for the Investigate State Offices Committee and is a member on the following committees: Agriculture; Appropriations; Corrections; Drug Policy; Environment Prot, Cons, and Water Res; Labor; Ports and Marine Resources; and State Library.[1]

Political positions

Simmons, in partnership with Senator Walter Michel, authored a bill to allow wine sales in grocery stores; the bipartisan bill died in the Senate Finance Committee.[7]

In coordination with several Delta Legislators, Simmons created a multi-step plan to address conditions at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Sunflower County, an infamous prison located in Simmon's 13th district.[8][9][10] This came after lawmakers proposed additional cuts for funding to the Mississippi Department of Corrections.[11]

She voted for changing the Mississippi state flag.[12]

Personal life

She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, NAACP, National Council of Negro Women, and the Bolivar County Democratic Executive Committee.[1] She is a Christian.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sarita Simmons". Mississippi State Senate. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Simmons Family – A Recipe for Success in Public Service | Bolivar Bullet". Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  3. ↑ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  4. ↑ "Your ballot explained". www.ballotready.org. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  5. ↑ "The MSJRC - State of Mississippi Senate Districts By County". www.msjrc.state.ms.us. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  6. ↑ "Sarita Simmons". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  7. ↑ "Wine sales in grocery stores dead". The Northside Sun. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  8. ↑ Down, Locked. "Lawmakers Refused to Increase an Infamous Prison's Funding. Then, Chaos Erupted". ProPublica. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  9. ↑ Zhu, Alissa. "Parchman prison Unit 29 deemed unsafe. Where will 625 Mississippi inmates go?". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  10. ↑ "Delta lawmakers present plan to address Parchman issues | The Enterprise-Tocsin". www.enterprise-tocsin.com. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  11. ↑ Richard, Brandon. "Mississippi lawmakers propose cuts at Parchman, reject improvement plan". WLBT News. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  12. ↑ Bologna, Giacomo. "Here is how each lawmaker voted on the Mississippi state flag resolution". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
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