I ran into my friend Greg Martin this afternoon and enjoyed a friendly chat for several minutes. That meeting prompted me to submit a brief encouragement to the voters of the greater Chattanooga area to make the effort to get to their polling center and vote for this outstanding public servant. Greg is running for the State House of Representatives, District 26.
In this time of stressful, divided politics and harsh rhetoric, Dr. Martin is most a refreshing oasis of civility, kindness, professionalism, community involvement, public service and is truly everything a citizen would ever desire in a political representative. His wide and successful experience in the business community serves him well in understanding the needs of hard-working Tennesseans.
I know he has served our community with the very highest level of moral integrity, honest business ethics, tireless energy, exemplary family leadership, and intelligence all governed by his deeply held Christian convictions. Because I know his motivation and upright character and abilities, I completely trust his service to our community, our state and (I hope) eventually to the nation.
It is an honor to recommend this remarkable man for your consideration.
Dr. Tom Hammett
Retired Hamilton County Educator
Church Music Director
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There are five State House races in Hamilton County, and the race for State House District 26 is the only competitive one. Unlike people in the rest of the county, folks in D26 have a true choice of who represents them in Nashville.
I’m running to represent D26, but I'm not running against a person. I’m running against bad policies. We've had one political party in power in Nashville for more than a decade, and they tend to vote in lockstep. So we don't have to guess what any Republican elected to the Tennessee legislature would do in office; their colleagues are doing it now. And we're living with the results.
Judging from where Tennessee sits compared to other states, our government is failing us. Wealthy corporations might be thriving here, thanks to big tax breaks, but most Tennesseans are not.
Tennessee’s biggest investors are everyday Tennesseans. We pay the country’s highest sales tax every time we go to the store. Sales tax accounts for most of the state funding for public ed and other services. (Meanwhile 25 percent of Tennessee's wealthiest corporations pay no state taxes.)
What are Tennessee taxpayers getting in return? We have among the worst rates for incarceration, school funding, violent crime, life expectancy, teen births, poverty, bankruptcy, and chronic disease. We deserve a better return on our investment.
Here’s a great example. We could get 400,000 more Tennesseans health insurance if we’d simply accept the federal funds to expand Medicaid. These are our own tax dollars being offered back to us, yet our state government won’t accept them. Every economic analysis has shown that we would benefit by expanding Medicaid—and that we’ve lost a lot of money by not doing it.
Concerned about crime? Here’s a big part of the solution. The majority of incarcerated people have a substance-abuse problem, a mental health problem, or both. Research has shown that expanding Medicaid—giving people access to addiction treatment and mental health care—reduces both violent crime and property crime.
Then there’s the moral argument. Think about what it would mean to give 400,000 more Tennesseans access to health care. I’ve had loved ones without health insurance. I’ve been that person on the phone trying desperately to get addiction treatment or mental health care for someone in crisis. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
These aren't R problems or D problems. They're Tennessee problems. And nothing is going to change until we get more people in Tennessee government who care about the humans at the other end of their policies.
I am an advocate. I don’t care about power. I don’t care about playing politics. I care about people. That’s why I’m running for State House.
If you live in D26 and you want to learn more about me, please visit my website.
Allison Reilly Gorman
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Ms. Gorman,
Your enthusiasm as a candidate is appreciated, and noticed. I care more about the person than the political party or ideology when evaluating who to vote for on election day. I will vote Republican or Democrat, as it doesn’t matter to me. There is no elected official in Hamilton County with more public service experience than candidate Greg Martin. It is just a fact.
No other candidate is as proficient in public education. Mr. Martin served on HCDE board for what a decade? It was a long time. Then, Mr. Martin was the well-versed Hamilton County commissioner. Honestly, you don’t have a fraction of his knowledge on county government operations. The decisions made in Nashville always trickle down to local government.
The fact is there is no candidate running for office in Hamilton County with more local government knowledge and experience than Greg Martin. I also like his, just the facts, analytical view of problems. Mr. Martin is a cool headed, factual leader. Mr. Martin is not hanging his hat on ideology, but rather service to community.
I have read your background, and don’t see any a public service history, voluntary or otherwise. I could have missed something. Thing is, Martin is just so darn trustworthy.
Best wishes to you, but Greg Martin has more experience, government knowledge, and proven leadership.
April Eidson
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In reading Ms. Gorman's response to the letter supporting Greg Martin, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Mary Wallstonecraft. "What a weak barrier is truth when it stands in the way of a hypothesis."
Let's start with education. Tennessee is ranked #28 in education by US News, ahead of both North Carolina and Georgia. That is considerably higher than any time Democrats ruled the state until 15 years ago.
You want to put Democrats in charge of education? There are three counties that have trended Democrat in recent elections. Here is the state educational ranking of each; Metro Nashville (127), Haywood County (138) and the Democrat paradise that is Memphis (136). Yeah, let's put Democrats in charge of education.
I'm amazed that Democrats want a state income tax. Who pays a state income tax? Well the people who live in the state! Who pays a sales tax, the people who buy things in the state. I would suggest Ms. Gorman go out on one of our Interstates and count the number of out of state cars who pay our gasoline tax. Or go to Gatlinburg this weekend and see how many out of staters are staying in hotels and eating in the restaurants. I would imagine the only people who support a state
income tax are those who don't work and would not be affected by it.
And of course the Democrats always bring up crime. Once again I would point to the Democrat paradise of Memphis which was recently named the most dangerous city in the country by 24/7. Yeah, lets put Democrats in charge of crime.
Greg Martin is the clear choice for state representative.
Douglas Jones