Andrew B. Morgan runs for Chris Newton's seat

I received during my recovery, a note letting me know that a man named Andrew (Drew) Morgan has announced that he's running for State Rep. Chris Newton's seat after Rep. Newton resigned as a result of the Tennessee Waltz investigations.

J. M. Leonard at http://hometowncleveland.com has an extensive first interview and photos of the candidate.

I've asked Mr. Morgan for a position statement regarding education, but I'm already thankful he seems to agree with me about the way those running the lottery are being compensated.

Q: Q: I spoke with Governor Bredesen in June of last year and asked how Rebecca Paul and her staff were able to pull down over a million dollars in bonuses within the lottery's first year. That's over and beyond their salaries, and in addition to the $300,000 in unused vacation and sick leave they brought with them from Georgia. Is it just me, or is that a lot of money?
A: The governor has said that to get a good lottery in Tennessee, we needed to get the best people - and to do that, we had to pay them.

Q: Yeah, that's what he told me.
A: And that's fine and dandy. But we're paying these people far beyond the level of rational thought. And like you said, she brought her people in and fixed their salaries. A reasonable person would not be paying these people that much money. If it was up to me, that money would be going toward pre-k education and scholarships, not to some executive's pocketbook. The problem is we've given Rebecca Paul complete control. We need to get some oversight there, as well. I'm very much a hands-off person, but when it comes to government programs, we need oversight. We need control over how we're spending our money.

Mr. Morgan's website: www.andrewbmorgan.com is just a placeholder for now. Check it in a few days. There is an e-mail link so you can contact the candidate.

J. M. Leonard's article includes the information that Elizabeth Kalabas and Eric Watson are also running for the seat. I'm not able to pull up anything from the 'net at this moment about them. I'll be glad to read their education platforms also.