Bill Haslam for GOP ticket

While Mike McWherter seems to have the Democrats’ gubernatorial primary virtually wrapped up, the outcome is less certain in the Republican primary. A recent independent poll showed Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam holding a significant lead, but it also found that a third of voters were undecided.

Our own assessment provides a more definitive view. Based on his experience in government, temperament and thoughtfulness, outlook on crucial issues and business expertise, Bill Haslam seems the most well-rounded and best prepared candidate for his party’s gubernatorial nomination.

Mr. Haslam, to be sure, is indistinguishable from other major Republican contenders on conservatives’ hot-button issues (gun rights, abortion, marriage, family values and illegal immigration) and his equally emphatic stand against new taxes, whether a state income tax or an increase in sales taxes.

He exhibits none of the harsh partisanship, inflammatory rhetoric and plastic posturing commonly displayed by his opponents in the primary, however. In that and other ways, he stands apart and above his main opponents, 3rd District congressman Zach Wamp and state senate majority leader Ron Ramsey.

Most appealing its his ability to think on his feet, his willingness to engage rationally and reasonably in meaningful debate, and his overview of the issues confronting the state and his strategies for addressing them. Given the vexing fiscal and educational issues and unexpected crises that our next governor is sure to confront, his skills, background and advance planning would empower his governance and benefit the state.

Mr. Haslam offers essential experience for the governor’s office. His stint as mayor of Knoxville the past six-plus years has given him valuable on-the-job knowledge about both the operational needs of Tennessee’s cities, and close insight into the intricacies of Nashville’s legislative sausage-making.

As mayor of the city that hosts and co-exists with the University of Tennessee’s main campus, moreover, he’s become intimately familiar with needs and demands of higher education. And as a principle partner in his family’s national chain of Pilot gasoline mega-stations, he is schooled in the vagaries of running a national business that dispatches an 8,000-gallon tanker every 20 seconds, oversees scores of restaurants and retail stores, and hires, trains and manages personnel, payrolls, resources and tax issues on a national scale.

Mr. Haslam correctly foresees the major gubernatorial challenges. He knows the next governor will walk into a budget dilemma that cannot be dodged. Due to the expiration of federal stimulus funds and the ongoing drop in state tax revenue, the next governor will have to cut the state budget by roughly $1 billion, on top of the deep cuts made by outgoing Gov. Phil Bredesen the past two years. He promises not to raise taxes. He promises, instead, to assemble a good team early and apply his business acumen to poring over the detailed budgets of state departments to squeeze efficiency gains.

He promises, as well, to focus on lifting Tennessee’s educational standards and achievement levels from kindergarten through university ranks. A standing of 42nd in the nation for K-12 public schools, with a subpar graduation rate, can not longer be tolerated, he rightly says.

And he promises to implement a jobs and economic development plan that he has formulated over the past year through a tour of every county in the state, and a review of its needs and job base. His regionally based economic development strategy and agendas for improving quality of life and public safety may be viewed online at www.billhaslam.com and www.jobs4tn.com.

Mr. Haslam’s opponents have attacked him for his family’s personal wealth and criticized his refusal to fully disclose tax records that would reveal his family’s personal circumstances. The flip side of his wealth, however, is that he clearly his not running for office for the money. His annual income is above $6 million, he has returned to Knoxville his salary has mayor, and he contributes generously to hundreds of charities and to his church.

His wealth should not be a disqualifying factor. His interest in providing further service to Tennessee, ability to do so, and his leadership style and views on the future of Tennessee merit strong support for his party’s nomination for governor.