In the same week a Louisiana body shop owner announced his candidacy for insurance commissioner of Louisiana, John Mosley, owner of Clinton Body Shop in Clinton, Miss., has decided to run for insurance commissioner of Mississippi.
Mosley is one of the plaintiffs in a suit against insurers in Mississippi that is part of a bigger federal suit that he and Attorney John Eaves Jr. were instrumental in educating collision repairers on across the country. He was also one of the repairers featured on the CNN report on auto insurance fraud that aired on Feb. 11. He kicked off his campaign at a press conference March 4 in Clinton. He will face off with current Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, who is seeking re-election. Both men are Republicans.
BodyShop Business reached out to Mosley to find out his motives for throwing his hat in the political arena.
BodyShop Business: Why did you decide to run for insurance commissioner of Mississippi?
Mosley: I’m running for insurance commissioner for the state of Mississippi because I want to work for the consumers. I want to work for the hard-working, tax-paying citizens who I feel are not getting treated fairly by the insurance industry. At the same time, I want to work for the insurance agents who try to do the right thing but are having a hard time because the very companies they work for have their hands tied in a lot of business decisions.
BSB: Tell me about the lawsuit that you’re currently involved with against the auto insurers.
Mosley: The reason we [500 shop owners in more than 41 states] had to file this lawsuit is because shop owners all over the country are concerned about the cost-cutting tactics of the insurance companies when the repairs need to be made. We’re worried about the safety of the people in these vehicles when they go to a shop that is willing to cut corners to be in a DRP or even some shop owners not on a DRP but just willing to give in to the insurance industry when they say, ‘We don’t pay for that’ or ‘We use these parts.’ We’re part of that 500 that want to do a proper repair, and when the insurance companies just flatly refuse to recognize and pay for procedures that are set forth by the manufacturer as being required to do a proper repair, then we have no choice except to hire an attorney and fight it in court.
BSB: What are your goals leading up to the Aug. 4 primary?
Mosley: My goal right now is to try and shake the hand of every citizen in this city, if that’s possible. Of course, I can’t do that, but I am going everywhere we get invited to go talk. Even though we kicked off our campaign this morning, we’ve actually been speaking to groups already. I’ve been overwhelmed with the positive response we’re getting.
BSB: How did the press conference on March 4 go?
Mosley: The press conference went great! We had a big turnout for it, and I thought it turned out really well – a grassroots start to a sure-enough grassroots campaign. It’s going to be another one of those David and Goliath stories for sure, but sometimes David wins.
