January 9, 2013 Tilman Goins Sworn In As State Representative

Tilman Goins was sworn in as State Representative for District 10 (Hamblen County) yesterday at the State Capitol. 

Goins defeated former Rep. Don Miller in the Republican primary on August 2, 2012, was then elected without opposition in the November General Election.

Goins resigned his seat on the Hamblen County Commission in December in order to devote himself to his job as state representative.

At yesterday's swearing-in ceremony, Beth Harwell of Davidson County was elected to a second term as House Speaker.

Goins' wife and son were present as were his mother, father, and younger brother. Trustee John Baskette, City Councilman Gene Brooks, Taylor Ward, and Jim Stepp were present as Goins and the other 98 representatives were sworn in by Chief Justice Gary Wade.

See previous posts on Goins and former Representative Don Miller by clicking here and here and here.

September 21, 2012 Donation of $125,000 in Public Funds to MHHS Foundation Fails in Hamblen County Commission

On September 10, the Hamblen County Budget Committee voted 8-4 to recommend that the full commission give $125,000 of public funds to the MHHS Foundation for use in a building project and reserve all remaining funds in the former Hamblen County endowment fund for future jail capital projects. Click here.  [Paul LeBel and Herbert Harville were not present at the Budget Committee.]

When that recommendation went to the full commission yesterday, it failed to get the 2/3 majority vote (10 YES) that was required for approval. 

Yesterday's vote was 8 YES and 6 NO, two short of the ten required for approval under the special act.

Doe Jarvis voted for the recommendation in Committee but voted NO yesterday. He was joined with a NO vote from his very good friend Paul LeBel.

Although it's hard to resist pressure from powerful people who come to commission asking for public money for their projects, it appears that there is---at least for now---a significant group of commissioners who feel that public money should go for county government projects first and foremost.

Helen Ross McNabb Center Foundation and MHHS Foundation have raised huge amounts of money already, plans are drawn, and both will more than likely proceed with their planned construction with or without a donation of public money from the Hamblen County Commission. 

But they go to public bodies (MUC and County Commission), ask for a public donation, and are often able to get support from commissioners who have no trouble in spending other people's money even while major county needs for roads and jails are present.

The eight YES votes were Stancil Ford, Larry Baker, Howard Shipley, Nancy Phillips, Dana Wampler, Rick Eldridge, Tilman Goins, and Herbert Harville.

The six NO votes Doyle Fullington, Larry Carter, Tim Dennison, Tim Goins, Paul LeBel, and Doe Jarvis.

That Hamblen County endowment money is burning a hole in commissioner's pockets. If it is not clearly set aside for county government capital projects soon, foundations and other non-profits will continue to come and ask for 14 people to take public dollars and donate them for foundation and non-profit capital projects.

September 17, 2012 Hamblen Budget Committee Votes to Send $125,000 Donation to MHHS Foundation to Full Commission

Stancil Ford made the motion to give $125,000 to the MHHS Hospital Foundation for a building project to add beds in a cancer wing.  Doe Jarvis seconded the motion. [MHHS was sold to Covenant Health several years ago.]

Tilman Goins who opposed the earlier donation of $100,000 to Helen Ross McNabb for its building project agreed to support the MHHS Foundation donation if Ford would amend his motion to include earmarking all remaining Hamblen County endowment funds for the jail. Ford agreed to the amendment.

Doe Jarvis took exception to the use of the word "conservative" by Commissioner Goins. Jarvis commented that this was a lot of "horse whatever" and added "I frankly don't believe you know what you are talking about...."

The vote was 8 YES and 4 NO with Commissioners Paul LeBel and Herbert Harville absent.

Voting for the donation and earmarking all remaining funds for the jail were Stancil Ford, Larry Baker, Doe Jarvis, Tilman Goins, Howard Shipley, Nancy Phillips, Rick Eldridge, and Dana Wampler.

Voting NO were Tim Goins, Tim Dennison, Larry Carter, and Doyle Fullington.

It appeared that the four NO votes were based on the belief that all Hamblen County endowment  public money should be reserved entirely for county government capital needs. 

Fullington had stated earlier in the meeting that he would be voting against the donation of money to both the non-profit Helen Ross McNabb Foundation and the non-profit MHHS Foundation.

Fullington had also pointed out what everyone knew---the hospital and/or the hospital foundation could and would build the new wing with or without the county's donation. Click here for the earlier McNabb vote and discussion.

Dennison and Carter had also voted earlier in the meeting against donating public money to the Helen Ross McNabb Foundation. Tim Goins had abstained from the McNabb vote due to a conflict of interest.

Those who voted against the donation to McNabb but then voted for the donation to MHHS Foundation were Tilman Goins, Rick Eldridge, and Nancy Phillips.

September 16, 2012 Hamblen Budget Committee Votes Against Donating $100,000 to Helen Ross McNabb Building

On September 10, the Hamblen County Budget Committee--which is composed of all 14 commissioners---voted against recommending that the full commission donate $100,000 of public money to the Helen Ross McNabb Foundation to use in a McNabb construction project.

The vote was 5 YES, 6 NO, and 1 ABSTENTION.  [Commissioners Paul LeBel and Herbert Harville were not present. Commissioner Tim Goins abstained]

The vote came after spirited discussion about the very nature of non-profits and donating public money to non-profits.

Commissioner Doyle Fullington commented that he wanted to hold on to the money for county needs--particularly with the economy in the shape it is. He said he would be voting against the donation of $100,000 to the Helen Ross McNabb Foundation for a McNabb building project and the donation of $125,000 to the MH Hospital Foundation for a Foundation building project.

Commissioner Tim Dennison reminded everyone that the county already has specific needs on its plate with a decertified jail and road maintenance and repairs. He wanted everyone to look at using this money wisely.

Commissioner Doe Jarvis led the push to donate public money to the McNabb Center for a McNabb construction project. He thinks there are "answers" for the jail.

Commissioner Fullington made it clear that it was never his intention that money from the Hamblen County endowment would be donated to non-profits. In referring to the request for $125,000 from the Morristown-Hamblen Hospital Foundation, Fullington noted that the hospital directors sold MHHS hospital to Covenant precisely because of Covenant's ability to fund improvements and operate the hospital.  He added that the term non-profit can be misleading since non-profits may make a profit--they just don't give it to shareholders. 

Voting against donating public money to McNabb for the McNabb building project were Doyle Fullington, Tilman Goins, Tim Dennison, Larry Carter, Rick Eldridge, and Nancy Phillips.

Voting to donate public money to McNabb for the McNabb building project were Doe Jarvis, Stancil Ford, Larry Baker, Howard Shipley, and Dana Wampler.

[Previously, Helen Ross McNabb obtained a donation of up to $51,000 of "round-up" funds from the Morristown Utilities Commission for the proposed McNabb building project. Click here for video of the MUC vote, and click here for video of the initial McNabb request for $148,000 from MUC.]

August 27, 2012 Carl Murphy Speaks To City Council on the Tilman GOINS-Don MILLER race

Carl Murphy spoke to City Council at its August 7 meeting about Tilman Goins'  recent victory over State Rep. Don Miller.

Murphy went to Nashville this past spring with Councilman Gene Brooks to ask local Rep. Don Miller to allow a local referendum on proposed changes to the MUC Private Act involving the appointment process for MUC Commissioners.

I went to Nashville a couple of times as well. I also called several times to ask both Don and Sen. Steve Southerland and other legislators to let the people vote on the proposed changes to the MUC appointment process.

That's all we asked---let the people vote! I explained to Steve, Don, and other legislators that the MUC appointment process then in place had been adopted BY THE PEOPLE in a 2001 referendum election along with a set of MUC changes and, therefore, any change to the appointment process should be placed on the ballot for a vote BY THE PEOPLE in 2012. 

As Carl notes, Don refused to let the people vote. Several other legislators privately (and some publicly) encouraged Don to let the people vote. Don refused every request to let the people vote.

Shortly after Don and Steve pushed their new MUC appointment process through the state legislature, Tilman Goins came forward to challenge Don.  And on August 2, 2012, Don lost his seat in the State House of Representatives after one term. Click here.

Don had the money and the political machine behind him.

Goins joined the race to stand up for the people and the principle that a local law passed by the people should not be overturned by one, two, or 132 legislators in Nashville or by five Morristown City Councilmembers.

Goins brought out several other issues and endured vicious attacks by Don and his followers.

Don ran ads about Goins' two "government checks" without ever explaining that one of those "government checks" was a small Veterans Administration (VA) check for a service-connected disability related to Goins  years of military service in the Marine Corps  and the US Army.

[The other government check is, of course, Goins' salary as an elected county commissioner which is just like Don's "government check" as a state representative--only much smaller]

The attack on Goins' VA disability pension was gutter campaigning at its worst. Miller's implcation  that a VA service-connected disability pension is like a free-loading "government check"
was an affront to all who have served in the US Armed Forces.

The rest, as they say, is history.

August 3, 2012 Tilman GOINS Defeats Don MILLER

March 13, 2012: Rep. Don Miller sponsored a bill in the state legislature to change the Morristown Utilities Commission (MUC) appointment procedure that had been approved and put in place in 2001 by a vote of the people.

During discussion of his bill, Don was asked if he would let the people of Morristown vote on his change to what the people had already approved. Don said "No."

August 2, 2012: The PEOPLE finally had their referendum.

Tilman GOINS defeated Don Miller.