MS wildlife commissioner loses seat over turkey baiting incident in cricket

The 2024 legislative session ended Saturday without a confirmation vote on outspoken conservation officer Leonard Bentz.

Bentz is no longer a commissioner, but what happens next?

“Today is the last day of the session,” Sen. Neil Whaley, R-Potts Camp, chairman of the Senate Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee, said before the Senate session Saturday morning. “I was not presented with the nomination by the governor for confirmation. In fact, there won’t be any.”

Bentz’s future at the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Commission seemed precarious. Bentz was appointed to the position by Governor Reeves in 2021 to fill a seat left vacant following the resignation of former Commissioner Clay Wagner.