GOP legislators grill constitutional applicants

By: Ken Whitehouse, NashvillePost.com
December 16, 2008

A select group of Republican legislators began interviewing on Monday applicants for the positions of State Treasurer, State Comptroller, and Secretary of State. Collectively, the jobs are known as the constitutional officer positions as defined by the Constitution for the State of Tennessee.

Chaired by State Sen. Mark Norris, other members of the panel include State Sens. Paul Stanley, Randy McNally, and Diane Black, and State Reps. Jason Mumpower, Glen Casada, Matthew Hill, and Gerald McCormick.

“I am excited about the process and look forward to learning more about the candidates and their qualifications,” Stanley told NashvillePost.com.

Applicants for the positions ranged from former gubernatorial candidates, like former State Sen. Jim Bryson, to the owner of auto collision repair shop, James M. Rollins of Clarksville.

Questions asked of the applicants would generally be considered “softballs” like, “Do you understand this is a 60-plus hour a week job?,” but occasionally a more pointed response was desired by McNally.

Nashville attorney Justin P. Wilson, the only candidate for Comptroller, was asked by McNally if he benefited financially from legislation passed in 2000, during his service to then Gov. Don Sundquist, concerning FONCEs. “FONCE” stands for “family owned, noncorporate entities” and was the topic of much debate this past legislative session. Wilson responded that neither he nor his family benefited from the legislation and also stated when asked by McNally that he “saw no need for a state income tax.”

Among the candidates for State Treasurer, Vance Cheek of Johnson City said that he would have an open door policy if appointed to the job and would even “take the door off the hinges.” Murfreesboro’s Ira Brody said that with the state of the economy there are trying times ahead. In order to keep the state’s pension fund sound, if he were state treasurer, he said he would be “creative but prudent.”

Candidates for the Secretary of State of position included Tennessee Regulatory Authority chairman Tre Hargett and Bryson. Applicants for this position were asked more pointedly political positions like, “Would you change the makeup of county election commissions?” The question points to assuring that Republicans will have a majority on the election commissions of all 95 counties. All candidates for the job said they would make the change.