Tag: State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh

State Employees Association Endorses Harwell, Fitzhugh In Gubernatorial Primaries

Jason M. Reynolds

The Tennessee State Employees Association’s PAC has endorsed Beth Harwell and Craig Fitzhugh in their parties’ gubernatorial primary races, the Times Free Press reported. Harwell is the state House Speaker. Fitzhugh is the state House Minority Leader. “This was a lengthy endorsement process, including written and in-person interviews,” said Pat Bowman, chair of the Tennessee Employees Action Movement PAC, in a statement. “In the end, I am pleased with the candidates we’ve endorsed.” The PAC tried to interview all major candidates in both parties. They heard back from Harwell, Fitzhugh and Republicans Randy Boyd and Bill Lee, and Democrat Karl Dean. The only candidate who didn’t respond to the questionnaire or agree to an interview was U.S. Rep. Diane Black, a Republican. Lee filled out the questionnaire but was not interviewed. State employees wanted to learn candidates’ views on issues including the outsourcing of government services to for-profit companies and whether candidates would commit to “insourcing” using state workers. Other issues included “failures” of TNReady tests and raises for state workers. Fitzhugh’s and Harwell’s campaigns provided statements expressing their gratitude, The Tennessee Journal’s Humphrey on the Hill reported. Fitzhugh’s campaign said, in part, “It’s a true honor to receive the…

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On the Question of TennCare Expansion, Answers Fall Along Party Lines for Gubernatorial Candidates

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Healthy Tennessee, a Nashville-based 501(c)(3), hosted a healthcare symposium Friday featuring several of the gubernatorial candidates from both parties with moderators Lipscomb President Randy Lowry and Healthy Tennessee Founder President Dr. Manny Sethi. Although the event was slated to have the candidates “share their vision and plans for a healthier Tennessee,” the discussion largely centered around the question of whether and how much should Tennessee’s Medicaid program, TennCare be expanded. “Our forum is designed to provide a meaningful opportunity for each candidate to speak directly to the voters of Tennessee and provide a unique perspective on potential solutions to the health care problems facing our state today,” said Lipscomb University President Randy Lowry in a statement about the gathering. In all, six out of the seven candidates vying for their parties’ nominations were on hand, with each individual taking the stage to share their thoughts with the moderators and audience one at a time. Both Democrat candidates, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and state House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh, joined Republicans House Speaker Beth Harwell, Franklin-area businessman Bill Lee, Knoxville-area businessman Randy Boyd, and former State Senator Mae Beavers. The only top-tier candidate not attending was Representative Diane Black, who opted to stay in Washington D.C. amid the looming…

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Victor Ashe Commentary: Butch Jones, John Currie, and The University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s $18 Million Dollar Misadventure

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by Victor Ashe   It is never fun to voice concern about the University of Tennessee and its spending practices. As a graduate of the UT College of Law, I am proud of my Tennessee law degree. Having attended graduate school there, I wish the following was fiction instead of fact. However, when we learned over the past few weeks that donors to the UT athletic program are having over $18 million diverted from other purposes to fund payouts for three persons who were terminated, one has to wonder: Who is minding the store from a financial standpoint? With the forced departure of Butch Jones as football coach by AD John Currie and now Currie’s departure, preceded by payouts for former AD Dave Hart and Mike Hamilton the total cost potentially exceeds $18 million. That is not pocket change. When UT Chancellor Beverly Davenport fired (suspended) Currie, did she consider the cost involved to the Athletic Department as only 8 months earlier she had signed a contract with Currie on top of his actual salary which would guarantee him $100,000 a month until June, 2022 if fired without cause. Davenport and Currie worked well together until she suddenly removed him…

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Top Democratic Candidate for Governor of Tennessee Earned $19 Million Over 4-Year Stretch, Tax Documents Show

Tim Dukeman
Karl Dean Tax Summary

Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, a Democratic candidate for governor, had $19.2 million in taxable income from 2013 to 2016, according to documents reviewed by The Tennessean, which reported: Last year alone, Dean and his wife, Delta Anne Davis, who used to work for the Southern Environmental Law Center, earned nearly $2.7 million. The release from the former Nashville mayor — after declining to do so during an initial request of all seven gubernatorial candidates — provides additional insight into the wealth of the numerous candidates in the 2018 Tennessee governor’s race. This puts Dean far ahead his leading challenger for the Democratic nomination in terms of income. He made almost 9 times as much as House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh — the only other Democrat in the race ($2.7 vs. $313,000 in 2016).  This is significant because Dean has already demonstrated a commitment to funding his own campaign, when necessary: “During his first run for Nashville mayor in 2007, Dean pumped around $1.5 million in personal dollars toward his run,” reports The Tennessean.  However, Dean was less forthcoming with financial information than other candidates: While Black and Fitzhugh provided copies of their 1040s from 2016, Dean did not. Instead, like Harwell, he provided an income tax summary…

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House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh Announces Candidacy For Tennessee Governor

Wendy Wilson

  State House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) has officially thrown his hat in the ring in the race for Tennessee governor. He will face former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean in the August 2018 Democratic primary. Fitzhugh, who announced his candidacy over the weekend, had been expected to join the race. A native of rural West Tennessee, where he still makes his home, Fitzhugh has represented Lauderdale, Crockett and Haywood counties in the state legislature for more than two decades. He was first elected to the District 82 seat in 1994. Fitzhugh is a graduate of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and the University of Tennessee College of Law. He served four years in the Air Force as a captain in the Judge’s Advocate General (JAG) Corps, and then returned to Ripley to practice law. He joined the Bank of Ripley in 1992 and today is its chairman and CEO. While Dean is considered the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, Fitzhugh offers a contrast with his emphasis on rural communities and his support for public schools. He has been cautious about charter schools, while Dean has been a strong supporter. “Memo to Tennessee Democrats: Craig Fitzhugh supports public schools, students and…

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Multi-Million Dollar Education Bill Still in Play, Critics Claim in Return for Democrat Support of IMPROVE Act

Laura Baigert

While last week’s two-day House floor showdown over Governor Haslam’s 2017-18 budget never did take up an amendment for a $55 million education appropriation, HB 841, known as the K-12 Block Grant Act, was approved in a new form in the House Finance, Ways & Means Subcommittee and Committee on Monday.  That approval advances the bill to the Calendar & Rules Committee meeting, which was later scheduled to Tuesday. In full Committee, House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) before moving for adoption spoke very briefly on his new and only amendment to the bill, which, he stated, “takes out the funding for the bill in the way it was originally funded.” The bill in its original form called for a one-time transfer of $250 million from a variety of revenue sources within the General Fund to the Education Fund, as The Tennessee Star reported previously. Fitzhugh referred to the arrangement as an Education Investment Endowment Act for which a Fund (EIEF) would be created, and said “It’s much on the same premise as the Tennessee Promise,” where the reserves from the lottery have been set up as an endowment for the Tennessee Promise.  Fitzhugh continued, We are attempting to do the same thing…

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GOP Speaker Beth Harwell, Democrats Karl Dean and Craig Fitzhugh Called ‘Gubernatorial Candidates’ in Saturday Speeches to Tennessee Education Associaton

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

  Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, and House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) were all called Gubernatorial candidates by attendees who listened to their speeches to the Tennessee Education Association at its gathering in Murfreesboro on Saturday. “Clearly a campaign speech from Speaker of the House, Beth Harwell …,” Melanie Buchanan tweeted from the event, held at the Murfreesboro Embassy Suites, on Saturday. Clearly a campaign speech from Speaker of the House, Beth Harwell…. — Melanie Buchanan (@memebuch) May 6, 2017 Joe Crabtree with Public School Advocates, posted this image of Harwell speaking at the event, who he called the “third gubernatorial candidate” to address the gathering, along with this accompanying post: Crabtree also recognized Dean as the “second gubernatorial candidate.” He called Fitzhugh “the first gubernatorial candidate.” Crabtree appears to be a force within the Tennessee Education Association. Shortly after he posted the information about the addresses delivered by what he referred to as the three gubernatorial candidates, he announced his own campaign to become a Vice President of the TEA. The Tennessee Education Association, is the state affiliate of the National Education Association. The NEA endorsed Hillary Clinton…

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The $250 Million Education Bill the Democrats Reportedly Want in Return for IMPROVE Act Support is Still Alive

Laura Baigert

  Twenty-three of the 25 Democrats in the House voted for Gov. Haslam’s gas tax increasing IMPROVE Act last Wednesday,  amid rumors of a $250 million deal made between Governor Haslam and House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) in a quid pro quo tradeoff: Democrats vote for the governor’s bill, the governor backs House Bill 841, sponsored by Fitzhugh, which appropriates $250 million from excess state tax revenue over-collected in fiscal years 2015-16 and 2016-17 to spend on education in the K-12 Block Grant Act. Democrats would have been expected to oppose the gas tax increase, given the many arguments that the IMPROVE Act’s tax cuts went largely to a handful of businesses, not middle class and working class voters who comprise the traditional Democratic constituency. The higher cost of living for middle class and working class voters resulting from the increased prices for food and other staples of life resulting from higher diesel taxes paid by trucking companies will likely not be offset by the small reductions in the sales tax on food. HB 841 was on the agenda for the House Finance Ways & Means Subcommittee meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 26, but Leader Fitzhugh said the plan is…

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On Morning of Gas Tax Increase Vote, Haslam Jokes About Using ‘Standard’ Wattage of Lamps to Hot Box Legislators: ‘It Involves the Chains’

Tennessee Star Staff

  Hours before the Tennessee House of Representatives was scheduled to begin floor debate on his controversial bill to increase gas taxes on Wednesday, Governor Haslam joked in an interview with Ralph Bristol, host of Nashville’s Morning News on 99.7 FM WWTN, that he used ‘standard’ wattage lamps in his recent private meetings to pressure or “hot box” 15 targeted on the fence legislators. “I read a report anyway that you recently set aside some time to meet with specific House members to discuss this issue and it was described in that report as ‘hot box, meetings,” Bristol told the governor. “Now what wattage of lamp do you use for these hot box meetings, because I might need to borrow that some day,” Bristol asked. “It’s the standard. It involves the chains,” Haslam responded, attempting to make light of his pressure tactics. “I think anybody who knows me knows I’m not the hard pressure type,” he added. But conservative legislators and activists have a different view of Haslam’s efforts to pass the gas tax increase. “Governor Haslam is holding private meetings with legislators he has barely spoken to over the last several years. So this is a new level of…

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