New names looming for Treasury and Secretary of State

New names surface, others fade in speculation over key positions in state government

Email | Print By Ken Whitehouse

As the dust has settled since last week's GOP takeover of the Tennessee House of Representatives, more names are beginning to surface as possibilities for the offices of State Treasurer and Secretary of State, while some names have dropped off.

When Republicans took control of the Tennessee House of Representatives last week, it gave them the numerical majority they needed to gain control over appointing the constitutional offices for Tennessee which include, State Treasurer, State Comptroller, and Secretary of State.

Added to the list of possible candidates include current members of the Federal Communications Commission and the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, while a former State Revenue Commissioner is being held up as an example of the type of person being sought. Apparently out of the running is a former congressman and the odds for a soon-to-be former state senator look increasingly slim.

Getting some consideration now for a constitutional office is current FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate. A member of the FCC since 2005 – when she was nominated by President George W. Bush and then confirmed to that post by a unanimous vote of the U.S. Senate – Tate was renominated this past June for the post by Bush for a full five-year term.

But that appointment will not take effect since Democrats in the U.S. Senate never held a hearing on her nomination to confirm her. What that means is that when Congress adjourns and Bush leaves office, so does Tate.

Prior to joining the FCC, Tate served as director of the TRA, director of the State and Local Policy Center at Vanderbilt University and as an assistant to Sundquist and a member of his senior staff serving as his designee to the Juvenile Justice Commission and the TennCare Partners Advisory Committee from 1996 to 2000.

Tate's service in state government predates the Sundquist administration, as she was a senior member of then-Gov. Lamar Alexander's staff in the '80s. She holds a law degree from the University of Tennessee.

Tre Hargett, the current chair of the TRA, is also getting some looks for a constitutional position. Hargett served as the Republican leader of the state house before stepping down four years ago, when he decided against seeking re-election. He was appointed to the TRA by Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey in 2007.

A native of Memphis, Hargett's last job before joining the TRA was as vice president of Rural/Metro Corp., a private ambulance and emergency response service that has contracts with local governments.

Ruth Johnson, who served as commissioner for the Department of Revenue under Sundquist, is being held up by some legislative members as the type of person they should be looking to hire. Johnson, whose husband is prominent Nashville attorney Richard Manson, is being lauded within the GOP caucus for her transparency and accountability when she was working for Sundquist.

Dropping out of contention is former Congressman Van Hilleary. Hilleary told other media outlets earlier this week that he had considered vying for a job, but was now "focused on his private sector career."

The odds also seem to be getting longer for soon-to-be-former State Sen. Rosalind Kurita. Every Republican's favorite Democrat, Kurita was stripped of her party label by Democrats when she barely won a primary race earlier this year.

Democrats found enough procedural questions to void the win and gave Clarksville businessman Tim Barnes the nod over Kurita, who had bucked the party two years earlier by voting for Republican Ramsey as lieutenant governor.

Senate Republicans are still holding out the possibility that they won't seat Barnes, which would give Kurita new life in challenging him again if she chose to. Meanwhile, many Republicans are grumbling that giving a plum constitutional job to her would be unfair to other qualified and life long Republicans.

So far, the only job that has received very little talk is the position of State Comptroller. The chatter in political circles has been very favorable to former deputy governor Justin Wilson, also formerly of the Sundquist administration, who has been rumored to be the front runner for the job.

To find out who is qualified for the positions, multiple sources familiar with the GOP selection process tell NashvillePost.com that a "job application" form is being designed and considered by the Republican leadership.

According to sources, the thought being put forward is that such a form would be posted online and anyone who would like to apply for a constitutional position would be free to submit their resume. Sources say a committee appointed by leaders of both the House and Senate would then review the applications in a public hearing and make recommendations to the combined GOP caucus.