Tag Archives: Bill Haslam

Got cases? Objections? Statom.

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Governor Bill Haslam has appointed a replacement for former Hamilton County Sessions Court Judge Ron Durby. From the inbox:

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed Lila Statom of Chattanooga as General Sessions Court Judge in Hamilton County.

Statom replaces Ronald W. Durby, who stepped down from the bench October 1, 2012 due to a disability. Durby requested a temporary replacement in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann.§ 17-2-116(a)(1).

“I am pleased to name Lila Statom to this position. She brings a wealth of experience to the bench, and Hamilton County will benefit,” Haslam said. “She has served Hamilton County ably since 1998, and we are fortunate to have someone in this role with her qualifications.”

Statom has been Assistant District Attorney General in Hamilton County for 14 years, after serving as Assistant District Attorney General in Davidson County from 1989-1998. Prior to her work in Davidson County, she worked as a law clerk for Rieves & Mayton in West Memphis, Ark.

“I am honored by this appointment, and I am eager to serve the people of Hamilton County in this capacity,” Statom said.

Statom has supervised assistant district attorneys in General Sessions Court in Hamilton County for the last seven years. She has prosecuted a wide spectrum of criminal cases in General Sessions and Criminal Courts and performed numerous other duties in the Hamilton County office.

Statom holds a master of laws degree from Emory University in Atlanta and a juris doctorate from Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis). She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Statom is active in the community in Hamilton County, including membership in the Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute. She is on the Board of Directors of the Mary Ellen Locher Foundation, a national college scholarship program for children who have either lost a parent to breast cancer or have a parent who is a breast cancer survivor.

Pols react to Supreme Court ruling on healthcare law

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Gov. Bill Haslam:

We will review the entire Supreme Court’s opinion to fully understand its impact on the State of Tennessee. From initial reports, it appears the individual mandate has been ruled Constitutional and has been upheld. My primary issues with ObamaCare are that it takes away the flexibility for states to encourage healthy behavior, will cost Tennessee hundreds of millions of dollars, and does nothing to solve the crisis of the cost of health care in America. What was unanticipated is the section of the opinion that says states cannot be forced to expand their Medicaid program. This particular portion of the ruling is significant, but it is premature to know the exact ramifications. Now it is up to Tennesseans and Americans to turn their attention to the November election. By electing Mitt Romney, we can be sure that the entire law will be repealed.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey:

It is intensely disappointing that this court failed to recognize what constitutionalists and conservatives know deep in their hearts: A federal government which can coerce its people to buy a product is a government unrestrained and out of control. Democrat Governor Phil Bredesen called Obamacare the ‘mother of all unfunded mandates’ and stated it will cost Tennesseans 1.1 billion dollars in the next few years. However, the fight does not end here. The court may have made its decision today but the people have yet to speak. When they do, Mitt Romney will be elected president and I will do all I can to aid him as he fulfills his solemn promise to repeal this insidious law.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann:

The Supreme Court made the wrong decision today. The Constitution places specific limits on the government, and the court unfortunately did not recognize those limits in allowing Obamacare to stand. While the Supreme Court may consider the individual mandate a tax, the Obama administration repeatedly claimed that this was not a tax when they tried to pass Obamacare. Like many conservatives, I believe the individual mandate cannot be justified as a tax. Not only does Obamacare force Americans to buy insurance whether they want it or not, but it also forces Americans to subsidize birth control even if it violates their faith. Additionally, the law creates IPAB, the Independent Payment Advisory Board. This board is anything but advisory. It has the power to control Medicare payments, and its decisions carry the full force of law. The results of Obamacare are clear: Higher healthcare costs, hundreds of billions in tax increases, top down government control of healthcare, and a continuation of our massive deficits. Now, it is time for Congressional Republicans to demonstrate our commitment to smaller government, and continue the fight to repeal Obamacare. Our healthcare, our nation’s finances, and our national character demand nothing less.

U.S. House 3rd District candidate Bill Taylor (D):

That the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act this morning is “a victory for the common man,” said Bill Taylor, Democratic candidate for Congress in the 3rd District. “The ACA was created to stop the unfair advantage that insurance companies have gained over people’s ability to afford healthcare. “Our country currently ranks 37th in the world in terms of quality of healthcare. This decision will help us move forward in creating a system of affordable, quality care that is available to everyone.” Taylor noted that there is “still work to be done to make the healthcare system more efficient and workable. As an expert in healthcare, I can help to move this process forward in Congress in a leadership way.”

U.S. House 3rd District candidate Weston Wamp (R):

More will be posted as they become available.

More at Post Politics. Still more at Chattanoogan.com.

Highlight reel for Friday, Feb. 17

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Here is your week in Tennessee and Chattanooga politics, going back to last Friday.

Weston Wamp unveiled his campaign slogan and a seven-point policy platform at Monday’s Pachyderm Club meeting. Coach Zach was on-hand.

Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield won a decisive victory against those who seek to recall him. Circuit Court Judge Jeff Hollingsworth ordered the cancellation of the election that had been set by the Hamilton County Election Commission. But the recall group has 30 days to appeal, so unless you hear a curvy mezzo-soprano warbling off in the distance, don’t call this “over.”

The Hamilton County Commission reversed an earlier decision and decided to hand control of PILOT funds back to the Board of Education. That didn’t sit too well with Commissioner Fred Skillern.

In the Legislature, the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill advanced in the Senate, while the House voted to evict Occupy Nashville from the Capitol grounds. Meanwhile, Governor Bill Haslam postponed his proposal to rescind average class size limits in Tennessee schools.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann introduced a bill that would freeze federal discretionary spending until 2021.

I was browsing the Scottie Mayfield campaign’s Facebook page and came across a logo whose color scheme elicited a two-word response: “Holy cow.” Take a wild guess as to the two colors.

Metro Nashville Council member Brady Banks was among those eyeing an open 20th District Senate seat. Then he went and got arrested as part of a prostitution sting.

Sen. Andy Berke held a town hall on Thursday in Chattanooga, and kept everyone wondering, still, about his electoral plans. The redrawn Senate district he serves has already attracted a GOP challenger in Rep. Vince Dean. Berke is “seriously considering” running for mayor of Chattanooga next year. Some were wondering if his would be the third announcement of a Democrat bowing out of the General Assembly this week, following Reps. Janis Sontany of Nashville and Bill Harmon of Dunlap.

The Chattanooga Tea Party announced that presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum will headline their Liberty Forum on Saturday, February 25. A location has yet to be announced, as Santorum’s recent rise in statewide and national polls has many potentially interested in checking him out.

Another prominent national figure in town soon is civil rights legend and U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta. Lewis will speak at a Hamilton County Democratic Party fundraiser on Saturday, February 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Olivet Baptist Church, 740 E. Martin Luther King Boulevard, Chattanooga. Registration for the event begins at 5:30.

Early voting for the March 6 elections began on Wednesday, and continues through the 28th. Hamilton County readers, don’t forget that there are primary elections for three local offices. Likewise, there’s a county mayor primary election in Anderson County, and in other locales. The point is, don’t just go into the voting booth to pick your presidential preference without doing some homework about other races that will be on the same ballot—such as, if you’re a Republican, the convention delegates.

Who will evaluate the evaluations?

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As announced by Gov. Bill Haslam today, SCORE, the organization founded by former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, and headed by former state Sen. Jamie Woodson, has been asked to conduct a formal assessment of the teacher evaluation process that was put into place as part of an education reform package that landed Tennessee a prize package of federal dollars in 2010.

An accompanying legislative resolution is sponsored by Rep. John Forgety (R-Athens) and Sen. Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville).

Here are video snippets of Wednesday’s announcement:

Here is the press release provided by the governor’s office.

Updated 27-Feb-2012 to correct a spelling error.