Former Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes didn’t stay out of the political scene long. Three months after turning over his mayoral seat to longtime Mississippi Gulf Coast attorney and fellow Republican Hugh Keating, Hewes has been tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as a commissioner on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The president nominated Hewes on Oct. 2 to join the commission’s acting chairman, Peter Feldman, as its two lone members. Earlier this year, Trump removed three commissioners appointed during President Joe Biden’s administration, and another commissioner announced his resignation. The three terminated commissioners had their posts restored temporarily until the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Trump’s decision to fire them during the summer.
Hewes, who was born in Louisiana but grew up in Gulfport, first entered the political realm when he was elected in 1992 to represent Senate District 49. He held that position until 2012, serving as President Pro Tempore from 2008 until 2012. After a loss to current Gov. Tate Reeves in the 2011 race for lieutenant governor, Hewes decided to go home and turn his attention to serving on the local level, where he did so as mayor of Mississippi’s second-largest city for more than a decade.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent federal regulatory agency tasked with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death by developing and enforcing safety standards, conducting recalls, and educating consumers about product hazards. The Trump administration, however, has floated the prospect of shuttering the agency and moving its functions to the Department of Health and Human Services, which would require congressional approval.
In addition to his elected roles, Hewes was appointed in 2018 to serve on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Board of First Responder Network Authority, along with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park System Advisory Board.
Before becoming a commissioner to the Trump-nominated Consumer Product Safety Commission post, Hewes must first be given a green light by the U.S. Senate. His nomination has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, but a confirmation hearing has not been scheduled at this time.
