The Tennessee House of Representatives got its first Republican speaker since 1969 — but it’s not the man Republicans wanted in the position.
In a surprise move today Kent Williams, an East Tennessee Republican, got all 49 votes from Democrats and his own vote to win the speaker’s chair. He upset the plans of Representative Jason Mumpower to take over the reins of the lower house, and his election was met with boos by Republicans.
Williams, a 59-year-old Carter County farmer who’s starting just his second term in the legislature, pleaded for calm after being elected speaker
“But if both parties will just bear with me, and see what my ideas are, and give it some time, I think we can be an example for the rest of the United States, on how to govern.”
Democrat Gary Odom, the House Minority Leader, shocked Republicans and onlookers when he nominated Williams. They had expected some sort of last-ditch effort to keep Democrat Jimmy Naifeh as speaker. Instead, Democrats voted for a Republican who had previously voted for Naifeh.
Williams says he will continue to caucus with Republicans unless the GOP throws him out. But he promised to appointed committee officers from both parties, based on merit first, then seniority.
Williams says his first priority will be getting Senate Joint Resolution 127, the abortion amendment, passed in the House, a move Mumpower had also said would be his first.
WEB EXTRA
Williams’ House biography is here.
House Republican Caucus Chair Glen Casada of Franklin accuses Kent Williams of lying to the GOP.
“He deceived us, and made us think one thing, and did the other, that is untenable. And for good government – you cannot have good government when the top guy deceives. And intentionally misleads.”
“All I know is, is that he signed a pledge, saying that he would vote for the Republican nominee, and when Jason became that nominee we went back and Kent said, ‘Yes, I’m for Jason,’ and then, when was this plan hatched? For all we know, it could have been hatched back on November fifth…”
Minority Leader Gary Odom of Nashville says he talked to Kent Williams about some version of the plan over the Thanksgiving weekend, when Odom was visiting his mother in Carter County. But Odom says the negotiations never got involved in deal-making.
“You don’t make agreements on important things, like electing a speaker, based on individual issues. You look at the person, you look at their integrity, you look at their effort to be bipartisan, to be fair, to run a good meeting, and mostly, they’re there for one reason, and that’s to serve the people of Tennessee. And not a political party on either side of the aisle. And I believe, I believe Speaker Kent Williams will be that kind of person, and I look forward to working with him.”
While Odom and Representative John Litz say they had talked to Williams about taking the post, they say that Naifeh had continued to try to line up a 50th vote for himself until 5 p.m. on Monday, the day before the speaker was to be chosen.
Williams himself would say only that the opportunity had come to him “recently.”
In a move that recalls the action of another coalition speaker, former lieutenant governor John Wilder, Williams says he will appoint both Republicans and Democrats to head the House’s standing committees.
“Let’s utilize both parties. Let’s utilize the members that have the ability to lead. That’s only fair to the people of the State of Tennessee. And I believe that with all my heart, and I have always been a leader, all my life been a leader, not a follower, and I can lead this General Assembly, I can assure you of that.”
Williams says among the issues he will favor will be “gun bills.” He favors “about 90 percent” of those he has seen, and he points out that conservative Democrats typically vote for those bills also.
After Williams’ surprise election as speaker, former Speaker pro tem Lois DeBerry, a Democrat, was once again elected to the “vice-speaker” post. And House Clerk Burney Durham retained that position
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