Tag Archives: Bill Haslam

There it is, then. Too many bills.

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“Hey, can I, can I tell you one thing? That’s three holding penalties on one football team in a quarter and a half. (Pauses) That ain’t funny.” — Bum Phillips, to a football official.

Jeff Woods reports that Gov. Bill Haslam thinks 2,200 bills in one legislative session is a tad too many.

To reporters after his speech, Haslam said he planned to “have a conversation” with legislative leaders about redundancy and wasting time.

“A lot of times there’s three or four bills filed about the same thing by the same party members. … As Republicans, we’re the party of smaller government. Let’s see if we can do that in terms of bill proposals.”

Brooks and Dunn among potential Woodson replacement contenders

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No, this is not the same as Tim McGraw making noises about running for governor, or Hank Williams Jr. threatening to challenge U.S. Sen. Bob Corker. We’re talking about Reps. Harry Brooks and Bill Dunn, whose names appear among several others listed by KnoxNews columnist Georgiana Vines as potential candidates to fill the vacancy left by outgoing Senate Speaker Pro Tem Jamie Woodson. Woodson is resigning to become CEO of the education nonprofit State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), a think tank founded and chaired by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

One candidate has already stepped forward. Marilyn Roddy, a two-term Knoxville City Council member, had been running for the city mayor post vacated by Gov. Bill Haslam, but explained her decision to switch directions in a statement emailed to the press.

Roddy’s decision to seek the Senate Seat and forgo her Mayoral bid was based on her belief that she could make greater impact on education reform in the State Senate, ”As a former educator, I am deeply committed to improving education. The State Senate offers the best platform to achieve the education reform necessary to attract 21st century jobs to Tennessee and Knox County,” said Roddy. “I believe that at this point in time I can best serve the citizens of Knox County in the legislature.

While additional political figures sort out whether they want to invest in running for this seat, a question on another front is when the election would actually take place. Woodson announced that she will resign on the last day of the General Assembly session or July 1st, whichever comes first. It is likely that the Legislature will adjourn before then, so the moving target presents a statutory challenge in terms of when the governor must issue a writ of election versus how many days are required before an election can be held.

Arguably, it would be ideal for this election to coincide with the Knoxville municipal elections, but it is likely that a couple of legal hurdles would have to be jumped in order to arrive at that common-sense solution. When asked for comment on how this uncertainty affects organizing a campaign, Roddy spokesperson Chris Connolly said that he is sure that Gov. Haslam and state officials will do what is best for the voters in the 6th Senate District.

(Note: Rep. Dunn has told Michael Silence that he is ruling out a run for the seat, but that’s not enough evidence to keep his name out of a cheesy title.)

Remembering Ned Ray McWherter

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Many across the state today are mourning former Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter, who passed away at the age of 80. The current governor, Bill Haslam, issued this statement:

This is a sad day for Tennessee. Governor McWherter was a true statesman who cared about this state and its citizens. He had a long and distinguished career in the legislative and executive branches as well as in business. I will always be grateful for his personal kindness to me and the wise advice he gave me during my first months in office. Crissy’s and my thoughts and prayers go out to Mike and the entire McWherter family during this difficult time.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey released the following:

Few men have meant as much to as many Tennesseans as Gov. Ned Ray McWherter. This state has lost a true statesman and a true original. My heart and the hearts of all Tennesseans go out to the McWherter family today.

Here’s a partial statement from Sen. Roy Herron, who is regarded by some as McWherter’s political heir. (Herron was first elected to the Legislature in the House seat held by McWherter before the latter became governor.)

Governor McWherter was our greatest governor during my lifetime, and I believe he was our greatest governor during Tennessee’s lifetime.

Governor McWherter led Tennessee to set records in the economy, job growth, education, building roads, criminal justice, healthcare, lowering taxes and debt.

While I certainly remember McWherter being in office during my first years in Tennessee, I was not a student of state government at the time. It’s too bad, because I likely could have learned a lot about the state’s politics from studying this apparent master.

Much more recently I met Mike McWherter, and the admiration he holds for his father was immediately recognizable.

My thoughts are with the McWherter family and with all Tennesseans as we celebrate the life of the departed.

More remembrances can be found at WBIR’s website.

Chattanoogans organize for action against Canada?

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According to a Facebook post, a coalition of Democratic Party and progressive groups is hosting a “State of Education Forum” today at The Camp House in downtown Chattanooga. The event is titled “NOT Waiting for Superman,” evidently in reference to the (mostly) popular and award-winning Davis Guggenheim documentary Waiting for “Superman” which describes a successful charter school program in New York. Continue reading →