Pictured, left to right: Beth Jones, SETDD executive director; Hon. Hoyt Firestone, Polk County mayor; Hon. D. Gary Davis, Bradley County mayor; Representative Dan Howell, 22nd District; Senator Mike Bell, District 9; Hon. David Jackson, Marion County mayor; Hon. John Gentry, McMinn County mayor
Representative Dan Howell has received the Legislator of the Year Award from the Tennessee Development District Association. The awards were made on March 24 at the TDDA Legislative Awards Breakfast in Nashville.
The TDDA is an association of Tennessee’s nine development districts, which are regional planning and economic development organizations. These policy boards within each District are made up of the state’s 95 Counties and 340 municipalities. Development districts assist with regional issues including planning and economic development coordination, transportation, solid waste, loans and grants for critical infrastructure such as water and sewer systems, housing, tourism, economic development loans, environmental quality and natural resources planning, work force development and services to the elderly.
“The awards are given on the basis of nominations from each of the nine development districts to those legislators who have shown leadership and put forth considerable effort on behalf of their cities and counties,” said Beth Jones, executive director of the Southeast Tennessee Development District. “Representative Howell continues to advocate for the deployment of high speed broadband to all rural communities as the critical infrastructure of the 21st Century. His continuing support of rural community hospitals, parks and recreation facilities and funding for roads and water and sewer infrastructure demonstrates his commitment to helping our small communities sustain a quality of life that appeals to all Tennesseans.”
“We appreciate the support Representative Howell has given our local governments by supporting the efforts of development districts and local governments in the legislature,” said Richard Driver, TDDA president and Lafayette City mayor.