Dear Friends,

The 106th General Assembly convened on Tuesday, January 13 and got off to an interesting start. In the Senate we elected Ron Ramsey as our Speaker, an office which also holds the designation of Lt. Governor of our state. Lt. Governor Ramsey has served with distinction the past two years and we will all benefit from his leadership during this current session. One of the first responsibilities of the Lt. Governor is to appoint the Chairmen, officers and members of each standing committee in the Senate. I am honored to have been named Chairman of the Commerce, Labor and Agriculture committee and look forward to the challenge of continuing the tradition of making Tennessee one of the most pro-business states in the country.

On Thursday we also elected three outstanding individuals to our constitutional offices. These offices are elected by the combined members of the House and Senate and are an important component of state government. Former House member Tre Hargett was elected Secretary of State. For those of you who have known me for some time, you know I served six years in the House of Representatives with Tre and have the honor of considering him a dear friend. Tre's background gives him a unique perspective for this position and I have no doubt he will be considered one of the best Secretary of State's in the coming years. For State Treasurer we elected David Lillard of Shelby County. Most recently David has served as a County Commissioner in Shelby County and is also a former Republican Election Commissioner. David has an extensive financial background and is one of the most competent and qualified individuals we could have selected. He was elected from a pool of outstanding candidates and will serve with distinction in this capacity. Finally, we elected Justin Wilson of Davidson County as our Comptroller. Justin is an attorney by training and has served in both the public and private sector during his long and distinguished career. Justin's background will be very beneficial in these challenging economic times and we are fortunate to have a man of this charter and quality.

For those of you who are interested in my take on what happened in the House, I will provide brief comments on the unusual proceedings in that chamber on Tuesday. After obtaining a 50-49 majority in November, the Republicans were primed to take control of the lower chamber but did not expect one of their own to side with the Democrats and vote for himself as Speaker. Space and time will not allow me to describe this debacle in detail, but a debt of gratitude should be given to Jason Mumpower, Glen Casada, Brian Kelsey and others for their role in helping to elect a majority of Republicans statewide.

When it is all said and done, men and women who are fortunate enough to serve in this body have little to offer other than their word and honor. When a member, lobbyist or staff chooses to dishonor themselves and others by violating that vow, there is little left to offer in life. From the numerous conversations I've had with members of the House and House leadership, Rep. Kent Williams of Carter County gave his word and commitment to vote with his fellow Republican and neighbor Rep. Jason Mumpower for Speaker of the House. In fact, he admitted just such in his comments this week to a reporter for the "Tennessee Journal", a weekly insiders newsletter and on a local radio show just days prior to this vote. (This link shows Rep. Williams telling the former Speaker of the House, Jimmy Naifeh, that he could not vote for a Republican. Two days later he voted for three Republicans in the constitutional officer elections. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zadLE-tH-gU

Instead, and along with 49 other Democrats, he voted to elect himself as Speaker. This chain of events was masterminded by Minority Leader Gary Odom and was a ploy to derail the incumbent Speaker Jimmy Naifeh so that Rep. Odom could climb the power ladder in the House. It is unclear at this time who is actually in charge of the House. While honorary titles such as "Speaker Emeritus" are being bestowed on Jimmy Naifeh, he has clearly been sent out to pasture by his own caucus leader, Gary Odom. Rep. Williams, who has only two years of experience under his belt, is clearly in over his head and doesn't know who to turn to. He has lost credibility with his Republican colleagues and knowing many of the House Democrats as well as I do, I can assure you they don't trust him either. Rep. Williams appears to be a man who is clearly operating outside of his level of competency and is smitten with power and attention. My prediction is he will soon come to realize that he doesn't need or want Rep. Odom's advice or direction since Rep. Odom is counting the days he can throw Rep. Williams to the wayside in order to satisfy his own ambitions. The next 726 days will be interesting and I look forward to the current House Speaker and I having a reunion at that time.

On a final note, some have tried to compare Rep. Williams vote with the democrats to Sen. Rosalind Kurita and her vote for Ron Ramsey in the Senate two years ago. There are two very distinct differences; first, Sen. Kurita did not vote for herself. Second, she voted with the majority, and did not side with the minority. Third, never did she say she was going to vote for the Lt. Governor Wilder and then change with no notice.

It has always been an honor to serve you in the General Assembly and while 2009 is set to be a challenging year, I am confident we can rise to the occasion to serve and protect the welfare of our great state. I look forward to communicating with you this session and please let me know how I can assist you.


Blessings,

Senator Paul Stanley