Tag: Governor-Elect Bill Lee

Governor-Elect Bill Lee Appoints Commissioners of Transportation, Environment, Human Resources

Jason M. Reynolds
Bill Lee

Tennessee Gov.-elect Bill Lee on Tuesday announced three appointments to his Cabinet: for the Department of Transportation, the Department of Environment and Conservation and the Department of Human Resources. The new commissioners are: • Clay Bright – Department of Transportation • David Salyers – Department of Environment and Conservation • Juan Williams– Department of Human Resources “I am pleased to announce three additions to our cabinet who bring a high level of expertise and deep knowledge of our state,” Lee said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with these appointments as we build forward-thinking solutions for Tennessee.” Lee has been busy filling Cabinet positions in the days leading up to his inauguration, which is Saturday. Last week he appointed Court of Appeals, Western Section Judge Brandon Gibson to serve as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Governor. One Middle Tennessee business owner vouched for Salyers, saying, “He’s an excellent engineer who’s had mud on his boots and understands how things have to operate in the real world.” Salyers, of Madison County, serves as the executive director of the West Tennessee River Basin Authority, a division of the Department of Environment and Conservation, according to Lee’s website. Salyers…

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All-Star Christian Music Lineup to Lead Worship Service for Bill Lee’s Gubernatorial Inauguration Saturday

Jason M. Reynolds

Bill Lee’s gubernatorial inauguration Saturday will include some leading Contemporary Christian musicians, including his old friend Michael W. Smith. The 2019 Inaugural Worship Service will feature Michael W. Smith, CeCe Winans, Steven Curtis Chapman, Nicole C. Mullen, Matthew West and others, the governor-elect’s team said on his transition website. The service will be held at Ryman Auditorium Saturday at 8:30 a.m. CST. Tickets for the worship service are required and free to the public here based on seating availability. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early and be seated for the start of the worship service. Smith, who has won more than 45 Dove awards and three Grammy awards, said in a statement, “Bill and I have been friends for decades. His dedication to his Creator, his family, our community and now our state is unmatched. Starting the day of his inauguration in prayer and worship is a sincere and honest reflection of the type people Bill and Maria are. They will be outstanding servant-leaders for the great State of Tennessee.” Following the worship service, Lee will take the oath of office to become the 50th Tennessee governor at a ceremony convening on Legislative Plaza at 11 a.m. CST. The oath will…

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State Sen. Ken Yager Pledges Opposition to School Vouchers

Jason M. Reynolds

State Senator Ken Yager (R-TN-12) said he will not support school vouchers if they come up for a vote in the Tennessee Legislature in 2019, the Independent Herald of Oneida said. “I am opposed to vouchers,” Yager said. “I will not support any proposal that will cause a hemorrhage of needed funds to our schools.” “One of the arguments on behalf of vouchers is freedom of choice,” Yager said. “I happen to believe we already have that choice. It’s called parental choice. You can send your kids to charter school if you want to, or to a private school, or you can home-school them or send them to a public school. The choice is already there. Gov.-elect Bill Lee campaigned on school choice. Yager’s statement would appear to go against what Lee has said is a priority, but will Lee follow through on his campaign promise? On the Dec. 11 Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. – the men analyzed Lee’s cabinet picks and the absence of any conservatives. They also discussed whether Lee would honor his “school choice” campaign pledge.…

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Gov.-Elect Lee Names Former State Rep. Courtney Rogers to Head Department of Veterans Services

Jason M. Reynolds

Governor-elect Bill Lee on Thursday announced that former State Rep. Courtney Rogers will head up the Department of Veterans Services for when his new administration begins next month. Rogers was one of two appointments Lee announced to his cabinet on Thursday- one for the Department of Veterans Services and one for  the Department of Military. The appointments are: – Lt. Col. (Ret.) Courtney Rogers, former State Rep. (R-TN-45) – head of the Department of Veterans Services  – Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes – adjutant general of the Department of Military “We are pleased to add two experienced military leaders to our cabinet today,” Lee said in a statement. “Our veterans and active duty personnel will be in good hands with these appointments and I look forward to working with them.” Rogers, of Sumner County, serves as the Director of Recruiting and Retention for the Tennessee State Guard, the all-volunteer arm of the Tennessee Military Department, Lee said in a statement. Rogers served 28 years in the Air Force and Tennessee Air National Guard. She also was a Tennessee State Representative for the 45th District for three terms from 2012 to 2018 until deciding not to run for re-election, Ballotpedia said. Rogers received a…

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Gov.-Elect Lee to Hold Inauguration Jan. 19 at Legislative Plaza

Jason M. Reynolds

Governor-elect Bill Lee has announced his inauguration schedule. “We have announced the details for the events leading up to the inauguration on January 19th,” Lee’s team said on Facebook. The list of events and other information is available here on a website titled “Believe in Tennessee.” The celebration starts at 8 p.m. CST Friday, Jan. 18 with “Boots on Broadway: Music & More” at Acme Feed & Seed. Tickets are required for some events and may be purchased from a page here that lists the events. Some events do not require tickets but organizers suggest an RSVP for them. “Maria and I are honored to serve Tennessee and we are excited to gather with folks from across the state for the inaugural,” Lee said in a statement. “We’ve visited all 95 counties twice, and we know that Tennesseans care deeply about our state. We live in a remarkable state, with remarkable people, and I believe that as good a place as Tennessee is, we can be even better, and we can lead the nation.” The Inaugural Ceremony will be at 11 a.m. CST Saturday, Jan. 19 at Legislative Plaza. No tickets are required. Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey S.…

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Governor-Elect Bill Lee Joins Christmas Celebrations of Middle Tennessee Grassroots Conservatives

Laura Baigert

MURFREESBORO and NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Governor-Elect Bill Lee joined middle Tennessee grassroots conservatives, his base, at Christmas celebrations of groups with their hubs in Murfreesboro and Nashville. The two groups called “Sentinels,” originally organized around the Heritage Action for America (HAFA) model of activism. Personal relationships with federal legislators are leveraged with tools like calls to Congress, Twitter and letters to the editor, using data and solutions from Heritage Foundation, so that Sentinels can hold their representatives accountable. “Action” being an integral part of the groups’ very existence, Sentinel activities extend deeper into state and local arenas as well. With 2018 being an election year, for one, and a number of other issues arising, it was a particularly busy year for Sentinels. While the Murfreesboro and Nashville Sentinel groups are separate, they are not so much distinct as there is a fair amount of overlap, and the Nashville group could be considered a more recent extension of the more established and longstanding Murfreesboro group. As independent thinkers and activists, it was not a group decision to endorse a particular candidate for governor in the August 2018 Republican primary. Without any obvious exceptions, however, Sentinels were behind Bill Lee and demonstrated…

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Bill Lee Discusses School Choice But Will Not Commit to Placing it on His Agenda During First Year as Governor

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Governor-elect Bill Lee sat down for a twenty minute interview with Tennessean reporters Joel Ebert and Natalie Allison in that publication’s Grand Divisions podcast, which was also included in a story published at the Tennessean on Tuesday. Ebert pressed Lee on his commitment to supporting school choice in Tennessee, a central theme of the campaign. Lee said he was committed to school choice, but refused to promise that vouchers or school choice would be part of his first year agenda as governor. Sources tell The Tennessee Star that, at the moment, the Lee administration remains committed to school choice, but does not plan to make school choice an agenda item in his first year. This interview appears to confirm those sources. Here is the transcript of that portion of the interview: Ebert: Let’s go to the next subject.  While you’ve been campaigning you’ve talked about giving parents choices you know and you’ve mentioned that includes charters schools, school vouchers, um, and saying how those things will improve the state’s education system.  Of the handful of people you’ve added to your administration or announced that will join your administration, two are pro-voucher advocates, do you see in your first year vouchers…

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Jack Johnson Elected State Senate Majority Leader by GOP Caucus

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – At the State Senate Republican Caucus meeting held Monday afternoon in an eighth floor conference room of the Cordell Hull Building, there was no obvious drama in the selection of its six leaders for the upcoming 111th General Assembly. The elections held off until Governor-Elect Bill Lee, after making his rounds greeting each of the Senators individually, made scheduled opening remarks that lasted about five minutes. He was introduced by Lt. Governor Randy McNally, who said Lee, elected by an overwhelming majority in both the primary and general is a man of faith and a conservative, concluding “I think we’re going to get along just fine.” Lee said it was an honor and humbling to be there with a remarkable group of public servants, many of whom he has built relationships with. Lee was complimentary of the leadership by those in the room, as well as the state House and the Governor, which has made Tennessee a remarkably good place to be by creating and laying a foundation that can be built upon so that all Tennesseans can enjoy a good job, good school for their kids and a safe neighborhood. From there, Senate Speaker Pro Tempore…

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