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State Treasurer Lynn Fitch stopped by the MageeNews.com offices July 16 while on the campaign trail. Treasurer Fitch sat down with Sue to talk politics, and took the opportunity to quell some of the rumors and accusations that have been hurled at her from the opposition. Most notable of the rumors was that Ms. Fitch spent an obscene amount of money to furnish her office once she took the position of State Treasurer. When asked directly about the furnishings, Ms. Fitch calmly answered that these claims were unfounded and that many of the furnishings in her office came from her very own home. 
Sue also questioned the Treasurer on her apparently high rate of employee turnover, citing that several of Fitch’s top staff members have left since the term began. Fitch stated that she places a strong emphasis on investing in human capital, and that before she took the position the office of the Treasury was plagued with a 48% employee turnover rate. After taking over, Ms. Fitch explained that personnel changes were necessary to create a better team at the State Treasury.
Treasurer Fitch also spoke on some of her successes since she has taken office. Ms. Fitch spoke passionately about her work restarting the MPACT Program, a state funded pre-paid tuition program. Fitch took office and found that MPACT was no longer sustainable and chose to temporarily suspend the program. After two years of work with experts, the Treasury reopened a reworked and financially sustainable MPACT Program. The Treasurer also boasted that her office had saved Mississippi taxpayers $69 million and has returned over $40 million in unclaimed property to taxpayers. 
Treasurer Fitch touched briefly on a financial education program for high school students called the Treasurer’s Education About Money or TEAM, which is currently being integrated into the personal finance curriculum at public schools in the state. Fitch also reported that the state is actually in fairly good financial health and is moving in a great direction fiscally.
Pictured: Lynn Fitch, Caroline Kerley, Sue Honea, Peyton Varner
