Longtime state Rep. Thomas U. “Tommy” Reynolds announced early this week that he will not be seeking reelection this year.
By the end of his term in December, the then 69-year-old Reynolds will have served 44 years in the Mississippi Legislature, making him and fellow Democratic state Rep. Percy Watson, 71, of District 103 in Hattiesburg, the longest continuously serving current members of the House — both having taken their seats in the chamber in 1980. As of Jan. 24, Watson, who is running for reelection, was unopposed.
At nearly 50 years in office, the late Walter Sillers Jr. of Rosedale holds the state House record for longevity. He died while in office.
In addition to purchasing an advertisement in The Sun-Sentinel to speak directly to his constituents (Jan. 26, Page 3), Reynolds talked about his decision during a telephone conversation Tuesday from Jackson, where the Legislature is currently in session.
“Forty-four years is a great deal of my adult life,” he said. “You know, for everything there is a season, as the Scripture says.”
State Rep. Tommy Reynolds of Charleston is pictured in the House chamber, circa 1986. (Sun-Sentinel file photo)
Elected in 1979 to take office in 1980, Reynolds succeeded fellow Charlestonian, the late George Payne Cossar Sr., who served 32 years in the House before retiring from office at the close of 1979.
Reynolds has served in the Legislature longer than any other Tallahatchian, a list of legislators that notably includes Cascilla native Jamie L. Whitten Jr., who served in the Mississippi House of Representatives before launching his congressional career. Whitten would serve 53 years and 60 days in the U.S. House of Representatives and at the time of his 1995 retirement due to declining health, he was the longest-serving member ever in either house of Congress.
A Charleston native now living in Water Valley, Reynolds said his decision to leave public office after 11 terms was part of a process that occurred gradually over time, noting that family considerations played a major role.
“I really need to spend more time with my family. That’s very important,” he said, pointing out that he and his wife, Tallahatchie County native Liz Fedric Reynolds, have three young grandchildren, ages 6, 2 and 1.
"That is a privilege that's hard to beat," Reynolds said of grandparenting. "We've been blessed in that regard, along with so many other ways."
He quicky noted that retiring from the Legislature does not mean retiring, period.
Reynolds plans to maintain his law practice on Court Square in Charleston, where he serves as attorney for the city of Charleston and the Tallahatchie County Board of Supervisors.
“I do stuff for water associations and other things like a lawyer would do, but my law practice mainly consists of representing individuals, and it has been a blessing to do that,” he noted. “People work will keep you going, keep you young — just to know that, maybe, you can make a difference here and there.”
Leaving Jackson also will not end his passion for public service, he added.
State Rep. Tommy Reynolds, second from left, is pictured at a 2014 state Democratic Party dinner, where he received the William Winter Legendary Public Official Award for exemplary public service. Also pictured, from left, are his niece, attorney Leanna Reynolds, attorney Micah Dutro and Kate Dutro. (Sun-Sentinel file photo)
“You want to be there as long as you can make a difference, but I can make a difference at home; I know that,” Reynolds said. “I want to continue to try to make a difference wherever and in whatever capacity I have. ... I still want to be just as involved as I have been on the local level and other levels.”
Reynolds said he counts his blessings.
“To be allowed to be in the place where I’ve been, and serve the people I’ve served, I just can’t fathom how it would have been better,” he noted. “You’ve got to be thankful to your Maker, and thankful to your people who have been there through thick and thin with you. And if they’ll put up with me a while longer, I’ll stay with them until the end.”
Reynolds’ House District 33 includes portions of Tallahatchie, Yalobusha and Grenada counties that are being absorbed by two other districts under a new state redistricting plan that takes effect in January.
District 30, held by Democratic Rep. Tracey Rosebud of Tutwiler, and District 34, the charge of Republican Rep. Kevin Horan of Grenada, are being expanded. Under the plan, Rosebud’s district will grow to include the entirety of Tallahatchie County, while Horan’s district will gobble up other areas in Grenada and Yalobusha counties.
