Four candidates vying for the Governor’s seat in the State of Tennessee participated in the first ever Rural Tennessee Gubernatorial Forum at Lane College, Tuesday.

Republicans Randy Boyd, a former commissioner of economic and development and businessman Bill Lee, joined Democratic candidates Karl Dean, a former Mayor of Nashville, and Craig Fitzhugh, minority leader in the state of Tennessee’s House of Representatives, were given the opportunity to spell out their agenda during a question and answer session in the one-and-one-half-hour non-debate forum.

Topics dominating the discussion were education, jobs, healthcare, infrastructure, the Memphis Regional Megasite and the tariffs placed on goods the nation imports from China.

Dean said public education would be a “priority,” but added the biggest issue facing Tennessee is “keeping our youth in rural areas.”

Fitzhugh stayed on subject on the topics that matter most, but the Ripley native added a rural flavor when discussing the growth in the state’s major cities.

“Those in the skyscrapers are going to do just fine,” Fitzhugh said. “I’m worried about those in the shadows.”

Bill Lee, who farms, said he is concerned about the tariffs.

“I’m very concerned,” Lee said. “There are 67,000 farmers in the state – 13 percent of our workforce.”
Following the event, Randy Boyd said he was satisfied with the format – and the evening.

“The conversation around rural development was spot on,” Boyd said. “It was great to have so much emphasis on such an important area of our state … making sure our rural communities have the same opportunities as some of the people in our more urban areas do.”

(PHOTO: From left, Craig Fitzhugh, Randy Boyd, Bill Lee and Karl Dean at the Rural Tennessee Gubernatorial Forum at Lane College, Tuesday)
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
https://www.facebook.com/NewsTalk1015/ at Lane College, Tuesday.