Democrat Ben West To Retire From State House

After 26 years in the Tennessee House of Representatives, Ben West says he’ll step down in November.

West represents the Donelson and Hermitage area and comes from an old-line Nashville political family. His father, the late Ben West Sr., was the last mayor of Nashville before Metro government was enacted in the 1960s.

Ben West Jr. will turn 69 in March. Last year he missed several weeks of the legislative session due to heart problems.

“My widely publicized heart attack and double-bypass surgery have left me in great shape, health-wise, and a lot of years. So I’m gonna use it to be with my family and retire after a quarter of a century.”

West’s retirement leaves an open seat in a conservative district, which might shift into the Republican column. He says it’s going to be a competitive race and he doesn’t plan on any endorsements.

“When a state senator or a state rep leaves a seat for any reason, normally four to five Democrats, four to five Republicans, get in on the act. So I expect a vigorous campaign, by a lot of people, and I’m gonna sit on the sideline, with my popcorn, and watch ’em.”

West was among the vocal Democrats against a state income tax, but he is best known for his support of laws to allow handgun carry permits and on where those guns could be taken.

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“I voted against a state income tax, because my survey said that’s what they [constituents] wanted. I’ve been involved for sixteen years with guns bills, in some form or fashion. Started out as it relates to handgun permits, and then improved it over the years.”

In his own district, covering Donelson, Hermitage and part of Antioch, West helped found the Donelson-Hermitage Senior Citizens Center (“50 Forward”), the largest suburban senior citizens center in the state.

And his name is on the Ben West Jr. Youth Sports Complex, an 18-acre playfield rented from the state which is used by 500 to 600 children in elementary-age football teams.

When Democrats were in a majority in the House, West served as chairman of the House Consumer and Employee Affairs Committee