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On my very first day in the Mississippi Legislature, I took the first empty chair I saw. Turns out, I - not paying attention to the name plates - accidentally sat between two icons: Rep. Steve Holland and Speaker Billy McCoy, whom I was about to vote against for Speaker...
Speaker votes aren& #39;t by secret ballot or machine. You literally have to call out the name of the person you& #39;re voting for; & of course...there were like 3 tie votes. For the youngest, newest member of the minority party, it was about as awkward a situation as you could imagine...
However, Billy McCoy was as gracious a man as you could imagine. He joked with me & gave me the best legislative revelation anyone could have given after I took the oath:
"You& #39;re now responsible for every bad thing that& #39;s ever happened."
"You& #39;re now responsible for every bad thing that& #39;s ever happened."
During my first term, our sides did battle. But one on one, he was encouraging, funny & loyal to the House. Even if you voted against him that day, you were a member of the People& #39;s House. That& #39;s all that mattered. He would defend your honor until your dying day...
Between Speaker McCoy & Holland, I received more opportunities to work than any freshman member should...particularly one in the opposing party. A few of my classmates & I would go to his hotel once a week & just listen to stories. I wish I would have recorded every word now.
He was stubborn, loyal to a fault & hot tempered...but he never backed down. He loved Mississippi. He loved the Hills in Northeast MS. He loved his family. He loved the House. They don& #39;t make them like Billy McCoy anymore, faults & all.
Billy McCoy& #39;s passing is a reminder to the 122 of the true value of the House as a legislative institution of the people. It is beautiful & messy. But it reflects the beauty and messiness of the people of our state. I am grateful I was there to witness it in his final days.
