Bredesen Signs Guns In Parks

By Kleinheider Posted on June 12, 2009 at 5:20 pm

As reported by the Lebanon Democrat’s J.R. Lind on Twitter, Gov. Phil Bredesen has signed a bill that many feared he would veto.

Rep. Frank Niceley reported to have had a deal with the Bredesen administration to “clean up some language” in the bill to avoid a veto in exchange for consideration on other gun bills.

That deal fell through when Bredesen stated in a press conference that he had made no deal.

The Senate sponsor, Sen. Mae Beavers, then refused to recall the bill making the Niceley recall essentially null and void.

Bredesen had til midnight tonight to sign the legislation or it would become law without his signature and he did so late today.

However, his message to Speaker Kent Williams reveals he is not completely happy about the legislation.

“I continue to have concerns about the inclusion of local parks in this bill. The suggestion made by the sponsor to remove these local parks was good, and I’m sorry he withdrew it.

I do want to urge local governments to exercise the opt-out provisions of this bill to remove parks from its effect where they are located close to schools and other places where large numbers of children gather,” Bredesen said in the letter.

SEE ALSO:
Richard Locker
Andy Sher
AP

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Tags: Frank Niceley, guns in parks, J.R. Lind, Kent Williams, Mae Beavers, Phil Bredesen  

Mae Beavers For County Mayor: The Full Story

By Kleinheider Posted on June 10, 2009 at 12:11 pm

J.R. Lind’s breaking story about a potential open Republican state Senate seat in ‘10 is now online:

“I have had a lot of people calling and wanting me to run, and we’ll be making a decision next week or the week after,” she said.

The only announced candidate is former Lebanon Mayor Don Fox.

If Beavers does run for county mayor, it could trigger a domino effect, opening up the Senate seat Beavers, a Republican, has held since 2003.

Republican A.J. McCall, a local businessman who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Stratton Bone last November, said if Beavers runs for mayor, he’ll run for Senate. He had said he would be trying for Bone’s seat again in 2010.

Rep. Susan Lynn, also a Republican, said she would wait on Beavers’ decision before making her own.

“We’ve been represented very well and I would want to wait for any announcement by Sen. Beavers before I state my intentions,” Lynn said.

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Tags: A.J. McCall, Don Fox, J.R. Lind, Mae Beavers, Susan Lynn  

Sen. Mae Beavers For Wilson County Mayor?

By Kleinheider Posted on June 9, 2009 at 10:07 pm

Intrepid Lebanon Democrat reporter J.R. Lind is reporting that it’s under consideration:

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Tags: A.J. McCall, Don Fox, J.R. Lind, Mae Beavers, Susan Lynn, Tennessee State Senate, Wilson County