Two Williamson County commissioners have announced their choice to replace Brad Fiscus on the Williamson County School Board, and that person is Franklin resident Josh Brown, who also does top-level work for Pfizer.
Williamson County District Four Commissioners Chad Story and Gregg Lawrence selected Brown against nine other candidates, according to The Tennessean. The remaining commissioners are scheduled to vote on whether to formally appoint Brown to the position at their October 11 meeting.
Brown’s nomination does not come without controversy.
Brown, according to his biography on the California Life Sciences’ website, is a lobbyist. Brown, the website went on to say, currently serves as a national vice president of Pfizer, where he performs state government-relations work.
Gary Humble of the Williamson County-based Tennessee Stands told his supporters in a new column that Brown’s political ties and his lobbying work concern him. Humble said “the process of vetting Brown and the nine other candidates has not been very forthcoming” and that’s a problem, especially during a time of contentious school board politics.
“The process of vetting candidates for the nomination by the committee members has not been very forthcoming. Firstly, the timeline was rushed as the commissioners were uncertain as to exactly when Brad Fiscus would be stepping down from his post,” Humble wrote.
“While the process was in limbo, names of possible replacements were trickling in, but an ongoing list was never presented to the public as to who these candidates might be. It was clear from the beginning that public input was not a primary motivator in making this decision.”
Tennessee Stands, according to its website, calls on state and local officials “to restore our constitutional republic.”
None of the 24 Williamson County Board of Commissioners returned The Tennessee Star’s requests for comment before Friday’s stated deadline. Brown also did not return a request for comment.
Brown was one of five candidates seeking to replace Fiscus who did not return The Star’s requests for comment this week to share their views on COVID-19 mask mandates in schools. Brown also declined to say whether K-12 public schools should teach Critical Race Theory (CRT).
Executives with BioNTech, the vaccine maker collaborating with Pfizer, announced last month they would seek worldwide approval for its COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Josh Brown” by California Life Sciences. Photo “Brad Fiscus” by Brad Fiscus.
