Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tennessee's best mayor
Tennessee has two solid conservatives lined up to run for governor next year: U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam.
I like 'em both; however, the more I hear about Haslam, the more I like him, well, more.
Given today's tough economic times, and Tennessee's constitutional requirement that each state budget be balanced, the next governor of Tennessee will have to be an expert on squeezing maximum services from a minimal revenue base. Haslam, as mayor of Tennessee's third-largest city, knows all about doing just that. From a recent Knoxville News Sentinel editorial:
"Haslam’s conservative budget not only keeps the city active and involved; it moves Knoxville carefully through some sluggish waters. Haslam’s new budget includes no tax increase, no planned layoffs and an average raise of about 3 percent for city employees, all while leaving savings and federal economic stimulus money untouched.
Wow. If only Barry Obama could boast of balanced budgets and raises for gov'ment workers and repudiations of Keynesian stimuli.
NOTE: Lest anyone think that my above comments are an endorsement of Mayor Haslam's candidacy, they ain't. I'm gonna listen to what Rep. Wamp and Mayor Haslam have to say over the next, oh, 13 months ... and I'll make my pick soon thereafter.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, May 28, 2009 
