Political Portraits

     President McPhee gave our class some very important advice- vote.  So often younger constituents do not vote or even recognize the importance of local elections.  Someone once said that all politics are local and as we came to find out in our pursuit to join the Presidents Climate Commitment, politics are fundamental to achieving our goal.
      In light of this discovery I would like to present a short biographyof our local representatives, shared areas of environmental concern, and possible angles in which to approach them in order to gain their support for our cause.
     We shall begin with our State Representative Joe Carr representing District 48.  Joe Carr is a Republican and a graduate of our great school Middle Tennessee State University with a BS in Behavior Psychology.  His previous experience includes much work in sales and sales management, and a venture in entrepreneurship successfully building and selling his own company.  He is from a farming background and grew up in Lascasses.
     Representative Carr currently sits on the following committees; the Commerce Committee, Small business sub-committee, State & Local Committee, and the state sub-committee.
     I did not find many environmental concerns in Rep. Carr's current favorite issues.  His big issue is illegal immigration which is difficult to parlay with the environment.  However I believe his connections in the small business community could be exploited for our purposes.  One of our classroom favorite corporations, General Mills, has a Yoplait Yougart Plant located here in Murfreesboro.  A possible corporate sponsorship with General Mills could be mutually beneficial and could appeal to Rep. Carr's interests.  I would suggest seeking a contact from their local public relations office and building a relationship there.
     A much more hopeful connection could be made with our local State Senator Bill Ketron representing District 13.  He too is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University receiving a BS in Political Science and History.  In 1991 he was given the distinguished alumnus award and he was a founder of and still is actively involved with the Blue Raider Athletic Association.  His daughter is also a student at MTSU.  All of this involvement with the University can be built into a positive relationship with the environmental movement on campus and maybe even an ally for those solar panels on the football stadium Julianne has been advocating!  His previous experience was in the insurance industry.  Sen. Ketron sits on several very important committees such as the Finance, Ways and Means Committee, State & Local Committee, Transportation Committee, Ethics Committee, and is Chairman of the Fiscal Review Committee.  As President McPhee reminded us budgets are important.  Sen Ketron sits on the Committee responsible for taxes, revenue and appropriations.  He could be a powerful alley indeed.
     While politics can be a bitter pill to swallow for the environmentally minded, the reality remains that it is necessary to start somewhere and that somewhere is within the current political structure.  By making friends with and reaching out to our current representatives we can build powerful relationships and build bridges to a brighter future for all of us.  This sounds like a win-win to me.