Doing Dunn

By Kleinheider Posted on June 26, 2009 at 8:02 am

Yesterday, it was reported that Rep. Bill Dunn of Knoxville when he was the state House Minority Leader in 2006, received $15,000 in political contributions from Bill Haslam and his family. The money was given to a leadership PAC, GET R DUNN, which is now closed.

This little tidbit comes up because Bill Dunn was the lone Republican to vote against a bill in committee during the last day of the legislative session which would have lifted the ban on raising political contributions during session.

This, of course, was a devastating blow to the gubernatorial campaign of Lt. Ron Ramsey who desperately needs to raise funds during session next year to be able to compete with Bill Haslam, whose ability to self-finance is well known and well-established.

So, is this a big deal that Dunn received this money three years ago? Does it mean that Dunn is in the pocket of Haslam, that he was returning a favor for the Haslam family support back then?

I mean that’s the implication here, right? What other reason is there to report such a thing unless one thinks that it is a reasonable conclusion to draw from the facts?

The interesting thing is that another reporter who picked up the story clearly doesn’t think so. Tom Humphrey at the end of his blog post on the story, a blog post that could lead the reader to believe Dunn was in Haslam’s pocket, adds a disclaimer.

“Note: Dunn has had an impeccable reputation for honesty that, so far as an old reporter can recall, has not been subject to challenge,” Humphrey wrote.

A bit of a mixed message there it would seem. After all, the Haslam family is very generous to Republican causes and candidates. Ron Ramsey himself has received money from Haslam. Many many Republicans have.

If I were looking for motive, I wouldn’t be looking at the money per se. I would look at the reason why that Dunn PAC got the money from is now closed. The reason, of course, is that a representative who has been ousted from leadership has little need for a PAC.

Leadership PACs are for raising money for political friends in order to get and keep their votes when you run for leadership. Bill Dunn is no longer in leadership.

Why is that? Well, he was replaced by Jason Mumpower, a protege of Ron Ramsey. Ramsey back when House Republicans were choosing their leadership in 2006 was the Senate Minority Leader and likely had already made his deal with Senator Rosalind Kurita and knew he was on the cusp of being Lt. Governor.

Building a Republican majority in the house to compliment what was to become his Senate Majority was likely very important to Ramsey, still is. Even more important than building a Republican Majority was building a Republican majority which had loyalty to him. A Bill Dunn-led House Republican Caucus would have been an ally for Ron Ramsey. A Jason Mumpower-led Majority was a better one.

Now, like Tom Humphrey says, Bill Dunn has an impeccable reputation for honesty and the like, and would not put petty grievances above his unvarnished and studious investigation of legislation. However, if one were looking for a ulterior motive for Dunn’s vote, a look at that leadership vote back in the day would seem as good as any.

In the end it doesn’t really matter. A Democrat, Rep. Mike Turner, voted for the measure and another Democratic vote, Craig Fitzhugh, changed at the last moment from yes to no. Bill Dunn shouldn’t bear the the brunt of the weight for this vote.

Because in the end, while it may be unfair for legislator to be impeded raising money for the a gubernatorial race while the legislature is session, nobody really cared out this rule until 2010 approached.

The passing of this bill, whenever it happens, if it happens, is going to look bad. Ramsey might be able to raise money but he will be seen as having pushed through a piece of legislation which he personally benefits from.

That and the fact daily stories about this Ramsey donor or that one who had business before the legislature will become a frequent occurrence if this bill passes. The money he can raise may be cancelled out by the heat he gets for changing the law and taking the money.

Ramsey has been put in a tight spot here, that much is true. But Bill Dunn’s vote and whatever the reasoning behind it, is the least of Ron Ramsey’s trouble now.

UPDATE: Rep. Mike Turner in the comments:

“I voted for the bill because it would help level the playing field, which is tilted towards money and wealth. As for my friend Bill Dunn done he is one of the most honest thoughtful people i have ever met, his argument against the bill was solid and reasoned. He pointed out that my reason’s for voting for the bill might be correct but he thought it sent the wrong message and might open the system to abuse, which is also a sound reasoning. How ever he made a better case against the bill than I did for it and even convinced Craig Fitzhugh ( another honest and reasoned person ) to change his vote. However we still have system that favors the wealthy when it comes to fundraising and we will look at this bill again in January, when we will not be up against a deadline ( the ending of the session ) and have more time to look at both the pro’s and con’s of the bill.”

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Tags: Bill Dunn, Bill Haslam, fundraising, Mike Turner, Ron Ramsey  

Rep. John Litz Will Not Seek Reelection In ‘10

By Kleinheider Posted on June 20, 2009 at 11:35 pm

Litz was integral in the process that led to the elevation of Rep. Kent Williams to the position of Speaker of the House. Litz, a Democrat, has been consistently elected in a conservative district in East Tennessee:

State Rep. John Litz (D-Morristown) announced Friday that 2010 will be his last year as a state legislator and that he will retire from the Tennessee House of Representatives.

“It has been one of my greatest honors serving the people of Morristown, Hamblen County and the people of Tennessee as a state representative,” said Litz. “I want to thank all of my supporters, especially those that voted for me, and let you know that I look forward to continuing to serve you in new ways.”

Litz says he expects to make a formal announcement about his future plans in the coming days.

UPDATE: In the comments, Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Mike Turner tells Democrats not to worry — he’s got this:

John Litz is a valuable member of our Democratic Leadership Team. He has represented the people of Morristown and Hamblen County with Honor and he will be Missed by me. He has made a personel family decision and will again serve the people of Hamblen County. We have known since January of John’s decision and have found a great candidate for that district and I look forward to the announcement.

SEE ALSO: Tom Humphrey with backstory on the seat.

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Tags: John Litz, Mike Turner, state legislature  

One Day, And This Day May Never Come, We’re Gonna Call On You To Break Some Ties

By Kleinheider Posted on March 2, 2009 at 10:51 am

Rep. Mike Turner on what the House Democratic Caucus expects from the Carter County Republican Speaker:

“Our goal is to have (voting) ties. The only person who can break ties at this time: we put him in the position, My job is to tell (Speaker Kent Williams) who put him there. I’m not his best friend. Gary Odom has a lot of clout with the Speaker (Williams) as does Speaker Jimmy Naifeh. Which is coming from the extremes on our side. One has one ear; the other one’s got the other. My job is to tell the Speaker (Williams) when he has irritated us on something. They kicked him out of the Republican party. They have not kicked him out of the Republican caucus. All that stuff is in a flux. We don’t know if he’ll be real active, going around trying to break ties. if he is that could cause real problems. Hopefully, on the real regressive stuff we can hold ‘em to three-three, five-five, or six-six on the various committees.

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Tags: Carter County Republican, Hermitage, Kent Williams, legislative breakfast, Mike Turner  

Odom In The Wind After Colleagues Question His Role In Williams Coup

By Kleinheider Posted on February 26, 2009 at 12:06 pm

Jeff Woods reports:

House Democratic leader Gary Odom, who would normally break an arm to jump in front of a camera, failed to show today for his party caucus’ weekly news conference. He had an appointment that he just had to keep, his top minion, Skip Cauthorn, told the press.

PREVIOUSLY:
Odom’s role questioned

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Tags: Craig Fitzhugh, Gary Odom, John Litz, Kent Williams, Mike Turner  

Odom’s Role In Williams Speakermaking Questioned

By Kleinheider Posted on February 25, 2009 at 2:33 pm

By his colleagues in the House:

Rep. Mike Turner, the House Democratic Caucus Chairman, and Rep. John Litz of Morristown sat down with reporters to give a new timeline, one that leaves Odom almost completely out of the picture. In this version, Litz begins asking around about a Republican candidate who could play the foil to Rep. Jason Mumpower. By the second week of December, Williams comes to Litz to see if the Democrats can deliver, but Litz only tells “Speaker Naifeh and one other individual that day,” according to a timeline he released.

Odom, who says Naifeh was out of the loop, is mentioned once in Litz’s timeline: The two speak during a caucus meeting, during which Odom “informed me that he had spoken to Rep. Williams and mentioned the Speakership to him around Thanksgiving.” Litz says at that point he and Naifeh decided to keep the Williams Plan quiet until the day of the vote.

Turner said in today’s interview that Litz’s timeline was not meant to contradict Odom, but it’s obvious that House Democrats are quickly coming to the defense of Naifeh, and at the expense of Odom.

Is this the first shot across the bow in that attempted coup we’ve heard about recently?

UPDATE: Much more from Woods.

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Tags: Beth Harwell, Gary Odom, Jason Mumpower, Jimmy Naifeh, John Litz, Kent Williams, Mike Turner  

Armstrong And Turner To Battle For House Caucus Chair

By Kleinheider Posted on September 6, 2008 at 12:38 pm

From Tom Humphrey:

[Rep. Joe] Armstrong said that colleagues had encouraged him to seek the caucus chair, “a frontline position where I can help manage the agenda of the Democratic caucus” and provide a geographic balance to House leadership.

House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh is from West Tennessee, and House Majority Leader Gary Odom is from Middle Tennessee. Armstrong said it would be appropriate for the Democratic chair to come from East Tennessee.

“We would have a balance of leadership across the board,” Armstrong said.

Turner began campaigning among Democratic representatives and candidates in late May, shortly after Rinks announced he would give up his House seat and instead seek to replace Riley Darnell as Tennessee’s secretary of state.

“I think I’ve got the votes (to win),” [Rep. Mike] Turner said. “Joe is my friend, and I think he’d do a good job (as caucus chairman). I just think I’d do better.”

Turner characterized himself as a little more vocal and more willing to stand up and fight than Armstrong, who characterized himself as a leader able to build a consensus.

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Tags: caucus chair, Joe Armstrong, Mike Turner, Randy Rinks