6,250 subscribers www.TML1.org Volume 68, Number 19 Dec. 11, 2017 Lawmakers leaving state house, senate seats ahead of 2018 member of the Tennessee Advisory Rep. Shelia Butt, R-Columbia, D-Nashville. Harper has held the seat Commission on Intergovernmental will not be seeking re-election in for 28 years but has not said whether Relations (TACIR). 2018 after seven years representing or not she plans to seek re-election District 64. in 2018. HOUSE Rep. JoAnne Favors, D-Chat- Rep. Marc Gravitt, R-East Rep. David Alexander, R-Win- tanooga, will be leaving her position Ridge, will be leaving the District chester, has represented House as the District 28 representative after 30 seat after three years. Gravitt District 39 for seven years. He also 13 years in the General Assembly. A announced he intends to run for serves as the House Majority Secre- retired registered nurse, Favors said Hamilton County Register of Deeds. tary and vice chairman of the House she decided to leave the legislature in Incumbent Register of Deeds Pam Finance Committee. Alexander order to spend time with her family Hurst decided not to seek re-election. announced he will be leaving the and care for her aging mother. House Speaker Beth Harwell, House to run as mayor of Franklin Rep. Craig Fitzhugh, D-Rip- R-Nashville, also announced her County. ley, announced he will be leaving his decision to leave the House to run for Rep. Harry Brooks, R-Knox- District 82 seat after 23 years. The governor. The first female Speaker ville, announced he will retire House Democratic Caucus Leader of the House for Tennessee, Harwell from the legislature after 15 years has thrown his hat in the ring for has represented District 56 for 28 representing District 19. Brooks is the 2018 gubernatorial election, years. the chair of the House Education announcing his candidacy in June. Rep. Sherry Jones, D-Nash- Instruction and Programs Commit- Rep. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nash- ville, will not be seeking re-election tee. In June, Brooks donated excess ville, will be leaving her House Dis- to her District 59 seat after 23 years campaign funds he had raised for the trict 54 seat after 11 years to run for in the House. Jones announced her 2018 race to the four high schools in the Senate District 19 seat currently intention to run for Davidson County his district. held by State Sen. Thelma Harper, See LAWMAKERS on Page 4 BY KATE COIL cus Leader has served for three years TML Communications Specialist in the Senate, but decided to leave Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge officials discuss the legislature to run for the Shelby A total of 27 Tennessee legis- County mayor’s seat in 2018. road to recovery one year after wildfires lators have announced they will not Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfrees- seek re-election in November 2018, boro, is leaving his District 13 seat BY KATE COIL making the upcoming legislative after 14 years in the legislature. session the last for seven senators Ketron, who currently serves as the One year after devastating and 19 state representatives. Senate Republican Caucus Chair- wildfires ravaged Gatlinburg, The Senate will be losing its man, announced his intention to Pigeon Forge, and much of East Senate Majority Leader, and Senate run for Rutherford County mayor in Tennessee, cities in the region are Speaker Pro Tempore, Republican 2018. Ketron has run for the Ruther- well on the road to recovery and Caucus chairman, and Democratic ford County mayor seat three times eager for visitors answer the call of Caucus Leader. The House will be previously in 1990, 1994, and 1998. the mountains. losing its House Speaker, House Senate Majority Leader Mark Pigeon Forge City Manager Deputy Speaker, Democratic Cau- Norris, R-Collierville, will be leav- Earlene Teaster said wildfires had cus Leader, and Republican Caucus ing his District 32 seat after 16 years. always been a fact of life for area Secretary/Treasurer. Norris has been nominated to serve residents, but no one had expected Together, the 27 lawmakers as the U.S. District Court judge for a fire of the scope and magnitude who will be leaving their posts have the Western District of Tennessee, experienced in November 2016. served a collective 340 years in the which includes Memphis and the “The fire could have been General Assembly – 72 years in the surrounding counties. Norris will controlled had it not been for the Senate and 268 cumulative years in have to be confirmed by the U.S. near hurricane-force winds that the House. Senate and leave the legislature to happened, which we had never seen take the position. before,” Teaster said. “At the base SENATE Sen. Doug Overbey, of the Smoky Mountains, we are Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mt. R-Maryville, will be leaving his used to wildfires but they’ve always Juliet, represented Senate District District 2 seat after eight years in been easily maintained. It was the 17 for 14 years before announcing the Senate. Overbey previously addition of the wind that changed her resignation from the Senate on served for eight years in the House things, and they said we had winds Sept. 1, 2017, to devote herself to representing District 20 and repre- up to 80 or 85-miles-per-hour. It a gubernatorial bid. Before joining sented Senate District 8 from 2008 came together and created a perfect the Senate, Beavers served in the to 2012. He has been nominated storm. I would have never dreamed Pigeon Forge recently unveiled this memorial to first responders at House for eight years from 1994 to and confirmed by the U.S. Senate that morning that by the evening I the town’s Patriot Park following a luncheon to honor the more than 2002 representing District 57. to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the would be sleeping in our fire hall. 200 first responders who came to fight the wildfires. Sen. Mark Green, R-Clarks- Eastern District of Tennessee. To take It happened so quickly.” Gatlinburg City Manager Cin- of the rebuilding ville, represents District 22 and the position as a U.S. attorney he is process for the announced he will not seek re-elec- required to leave both his law firm dy Cameron Ogle said she was awake for 36 straight hours at the past six months tion to run for the Congressional and the state legislature. Overbey with 300 structures seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Marsha is the chair of the Tennessee Senate city’s command center the day of the fires. currently being Blackburn. Green had been nomi- Ethics Committee. worked on within nated by President Donald Trump Senate Speaker Pro Tem- “My hope and prayer for every community is that they never have the city limits of to serve as Secretary of the Army pore Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, Gatlinburg and an- in 2017, but withdrew himself from announced he will be leaving his to experience something like what happened here,” Ogle said. “It other 300 in Sevier consideration a month later after District 14 seat to serve as the state County. opposition to his nomination. Green director for the U.S. Department of was a historic and unprecedented event not just in Sevier County but “A little more serves as the vice-chair of the Senate Agriculture’s Rural Development than 1,000 struc- Commerce and Labor Committee office. Tracy was appointed to the po- also the state of Tennessee and the Southeast as it relates to wildfires. tures were de- and has served for five years in the sition by Trump, but unlike judicial stroyed,” Ogle senate. positions, the state director position It was just a highly unprecedented set of circumstances that led to this said. “Of the struc- Sen. Lee Harris, D-Memphis, does not require federal confirmation tures destroyed, will not seek the District 29 seat by the Senate. Tracy has served horrific happening.” The area has been in the midst only about 60 were again. The Senate Democratic Cau- for 12 years in the Senate and is a commercial. By and large, the struc- tures destroyed were residential. Tax reform continues to move forward Of those residen- BY BRIAN EGAN Below are some important There are a number of interests at tial structures, we National League of Cities differences for city leaders between play, but NLC will work through- estimate at least the versions of the bills passed by out the reconciliation process to 50 percent were The city of Gatlinburg recently unveiled plans A lot has happened in the past both chambers: preserve the progress we’ve made, second homes or for a memorial to both first responders and fire month on tax reform. On Nov.16, Exemption for interest earned on and to push for greater progress. overnight rental fa- victims to be located on the city’s parkway. the House passed its version of a publicly issued municipal bonds NLC will pay special attention to cilities. There was tax bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act House: Preserved preserving the tax exemption for all definitely a misconception that Gat- I think our visitation was affected (H.R.1), just under a week after the Senate: Preserved bonds, including Private Activity linburg had burned down or that we the most. Pigeon Forge’s only in- Senate released its own version of Exemption for interest earned on Bonds, which are only saved under lost the downtown. Our downtown dustry is tourism. We have bounced the bill. qualified private activity bonds the Senate version. Preserving the has remained pretty much intact.