Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is pictured in this file photo. (Photo by Wade Payne, Special to the News Sentinel)NASHVILLE — Tennessee government services have not suffered even though there are fewer full-time state workers on the job today than before the 2008 recession, Gov. Bill Haslam says.
Following a speech to the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, the governor said Monday that “our focus is on producing results. And one of the things you have to look is what’s the best way to do that. So I actually think that the state services in Tennessee have not fallen off.”
Haslam, who took office in January, was responding to a Times Free Press report about the 9 percent decline in full-time employees over the past four budgets. Tennessee State Employees Association officials said fewer workers are creating problems in state services.
Tennessee State Employees Association Executive Director Robert O’Connell said he has concerns about the impact of cuts both on state workers and ordinary Tennesseans because “the services that these people provide are not going to be available.”
Haslam disagreed.