Sarita Simmons

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

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

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. "Sarita Simmons". Mississippi State Senate. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  2. "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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