Where it comes to his family and a professional job offer, the lure of becoming the most powerful person in Tennessee's state House did not tempt state Rep. Gerald McCormick.
The seven-term Hixson Republican, once the majority leader in the House, said over the weekend he would not stand for re-election to his District 26 post and would resign from his legislative position on Oct. 1.
McCormick, who had no primary opposition in August, would have been favored to win re-election in November and had expressed interest in replacing Beth Harwell as speaker of the House. Harwell is giving up her post to run for governor in the Republican primary.
Instead, he said he is taking a position in Nashville with Chattanooga-based Asa Engineering and Consulting. The office, he said, is expanding to the state capital, and he has been hired to grow the company there.
Candidates for his position now have seven days to qualify for the Aug. 2 Republican primary. David Jones and Jean-Marie Lawrence have qualified to run as Democrats in the district, but Lawrence told the Times Free Press she has or will be moving out of the district.
McCormick, 56, who spent six years as majority leader, was instrumental in steering some of Gov. Bill Haslam's legislation through the House. He said he is proudest of Tennessee Promise, the first-in-the-nation program that assures most high school graduates can get a two-year degree with last-dollar scholarships paid for by the state.
He also pointed to substance abuse treatment appropriations for youth, a law that helped protect state-based songwriters' intellectual property rights and a telecommunications market regulations law that led to more than a $1 billion investment in the state by AT&T and thousands of new jobs.
The timing is perfect for McCormick because his wife and his two grown daughters - and an expected grandchild - also are in Nashville. His wife, Dr. Kim McCormick, had moved there last year when Dr. Flora Tydings, then president of Chattanooga State Community College, was selected as the chancellor of the state Board of Regents. Kim McCormick, who had been provost and vice president for academic affairs at CSCC, joined Tydings and is now the vice chancellor of external affairs.
In recent weeks, McCormick's standing in the district was questioned because he and his wife had bought a house in Nashville and had their home in Chattanooga on the market. But he said at the time his real estate broker/developer business was here, and it was ruled as his legal residence by State Election Coordinator Mark Goins. And, at the time, he said he planned to buy a condo or a smaller home in the district once their home here sold.
We appreciate the Hixson Republican's principled, outspoken and loyal leadership and wish him well in Nashville.