Tennessee: Speaker hopes to change business as usual

NASHVILLE — Moments after being elected House speaker in a Democrat-engineered coup last Tuesday, Republican Kent Williams told a largely shocked chamber that he intends to turn business as usual on its ear even more than his surprise assumption of power did.

“Let’s utilize both parties. Let’s utilize the members that have the ability to lead,” the 59-year-old Elizabethton lawmaker said as he promised to try to usher in a new era of bipartisanship

“If both parties will just bear with me, and see what my ideas are, and give it some time, I think we can be an example for the rest of the United States on how to govern,” Rep. Williams said.

Fellow Republicans, who earlier hissed and booed, had expected that with their newly won 50-49 majority, they would elect House Majority Leader Jason Mumpower, R-Bristol, speaker over Democratic incumbent Jimmy Naifeh.

They accused Rep. Williams of violating promises to back Rep. Mumpower when he secretly agreed to add his vote to those of the 49 Democrats and become speaker. Several called him a “Judas.”

In the days following his tumultuous election, Rep. Williams said he envisions a new House in which committee chairmanships would be split evenly between Democrats and Republicans. Committee membership composition would be divided up as well.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, who is Senate speaker and a longtime friend of Rep. Mumpower, questioned how things will work under Rep. Williams’ leadership.

“Let me assure you that if the Republicans end up chairing six of the 12 standing committees, in my opinion that’s six of them they were cheated out of,” Lt. Gov. Ramsey said. “We won the majority. ... To the victor goes the spoils, so to speak, and that’s the way this needs to be going right now.”

Rep. Williams promised that legislation will come to the House floor that had been blocked for years under the 18-year leadership of Rep. Naifeh.

PARTY OUSTER CONSIDERED

The new speaker, who said he still considers himself a Republican, faces irate party colleagues who say he broke his word.

Tennessee Republican Party officials are weighing expelling Rep. Williams from the GOP.

State GOP Chairwoman Robin Smith, of Hixson, said bylaws permit the party to strip lawmakers of their party status if they do not vote for leadership. She said 30 of the 66 Republican Executive Committee members already have filed complaints calling for action against Rep. Williams.

Executive committee members probably will convene by telephone before month’s end and recommend what action to take, said Mrs. Smith, who added that she plans to consult with Rep. Mumpower and Lt. Gov. Ramsey.

But, she noted, “the ultimate decision lies with me.”

“This is not about partisanship,” she said. “This is about the character that is in the marrow of your bones.”

She acknowledged that angering Rep. Williams “harms us for power purposes.”

But if “the purpose of politics is to put good people forward, to elect good people ... then we are almost mandated to expel him,” she said.

The speaker said he will leave the party if asked.

TRUST ERODED

Rep. Mumpower accused Rep. Williams of having misled him about supporting him.

“The biggest tragedy of this week is that simple trust has not been eroded, it has been dissolved,” he said.

Lt. Gov. Ramsey said repairing trust among Republicans will be “hard.”

Despite hard feelings, however, Rep. Mumpower said he was talking to the new speaker about Republicans’ share of committee chairmanships.

Local GOP lawmakers were furious at Rep. Williams. Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, called him a “disgrace” to his face.

Republicans likely will have to work with him whether they want to or not, Rep. McCormick said.

“It would be easy just to remain angry and not work with him, but that wouldn’t be good for the people of Tennessee who sent us up here,” he said.

House Minority Leader Gary Odom, D-Nashville, who knew Rep. Williams when growing up in Carter County, said he spoke to him over the Thanksgiving holiday and broached the idea of Democrats backing him.

Rep. Odom dismissed any idea of a deal or that Democrats are taking a gamble that could turn against them.

“Are you kidding me? How much of a gamble?” Rep. Odom said, noting that Democrats faced what they believed would be a far more partisan House under Rep. Mumpower.