NASHVILLE - More than half of Republican Gov. Bill Lee's newly appointed cabinet members, including his education czar and Tennessee's Medicaid chief, didn't submit applications or provide any documents outlining why they deserved the jobs he gave them.
The Associated Press reviewed all applications submitted to Lee's office during his transition. This included submissions for both cabinet spots and lower level jobs.
More than 1,400 applicants, mostly based in Tennessee, reached out to Lee's office seeking employment.
However, only a handful of names from the pile were selected. Meanwhile, most of those chosen for Lee's cabinet and other key leadership roles didn't submit any paperwork before getting their jobs.
The top two paid cabinet members, Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn and TennCare Director Gabe Roberts, provided no application materials.