State Rep. Mike Bell (R-Riceville) announced on Monday that he will be a candidate for the State Senate. He will be seeking to represent District 9 in the Tennessee State Senate which is made up of Bradley, McMinn, Meigs and Polk Counties.
Rep. Bell said, “Three years ago, the people of McMinn and Monroe County elected me and gave me the privilege of serving them in the State House of Representatives. Now I am asking the people of Bradley, McMinn, Meigs and Polk Counties to give me the opportunity to represent them in the State Senate.”
Mr. Bell currently lives on a farm in Southern McMinn County with his wife and five children, Michaela (11), Rachael (15), Zack (17), Laura (20), and Nathan (22). Nathan, who is in the United States Marine Corps, is currently stationed at Camp LeJuene in North Carolina.
A small business man, farmer and volunteer firefighter, Mr. Bell was elected to the Tennessee State House of Representatives in 2006. In his first term, his peers elected him to be Freshman Leader and Assistant Floor Leader of the Republican Caucus. He is currently the Republican Caucus Secretary.
While in the House of Representatives, Mr. Bell has served on the Agriculture Committee, Children and Family Committee, Conservation and Environment Committee, Consumer and Employee Affairs Committee, and Government Operations Committee.
Mr. Bell is the current chairman of the House Family Justice Subcommittee of the Children and Family Committee.
"I am looking forward to seeing the faces and hearing the voices of this district. I want to continue the tradition of having a principled, conservative voice in the state Senate,” he said.
Current State Senator Dewayne Bunch has decided not to seek re-election.