Haslam Wins in Landslide Victory of Slow Improvement Republicans Make Major Gains in State, National Elections by CAROLE GRAVES Plained Murray
6,250 subscribers www.TML1.org Volume 61, Number 17 November 8, 2010 Economy showing signs Haslam wins in landslide victory of slow improvement Republicans make major gains in state, national elections BY CAROLE GRAVES plained Murray. “State revenue TML Communications Director collections reached their pre-re- BY CAROLE GRAVES cession peak in the 2007 / 2008 Reporting that the “worst is fiscal year. Since that time, sales In a landslide victory, Knox- over” and the economy is showing tax collections have eroded ville Mayor Bill Haslam was elected some signs of improvement, one sharply, though the rate of decline the 49th governor of Tennessee, of UT’s top economists is predict- is showing signs of easing.” winning more than 65 percent of the ing that it will take well over two For the year as a whole, he votes over Democratic challenger years before the state of Tennes- predicted that taxable sales should Mike McWherter. see fully rebounds from the reces- advance 2.1 percent in 2010, sub- In his victory speech, Haslam sion. stantial improvement over the 7.6 said he will focus on job creation “After an 18-month recession percent loss last year. On a fiscal and improving education as some of that officially ended in June 2009, year basis, taxable sales are ex- his top priorities. Short-term, he ac- the recovery has begun, but it is pected to fall 2.5 percent in the knowledged he will face a $1.5 bud- moving forward slowly," wrote current fiscal year before record- get deficit that will require some Matt Murray, associate director of ing a 3.3 percent gain in the 2010 tough decisions.
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