8 Of 9 Tennessee Lawmakers Say Watson Lobbyist Wife Conflict Of Interest

According to Tennessee’s Guiding Principles of Ethical Conduct For Public Officials, “Public officials should be independent and impartial, and should avoid conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest when performing their duties.”

The same document states that a public official “should not act in conflict with the proper discharge of his or her duties in the public interest” by:

(a) failing to disclose any financial or other interest

(b) engaging in any business or transaction or professional activity that would create a conflict of interest

(c) incurring any obligation of any nature which would create a conflict of interest

This week, The Tennessee Conservative reached out to every single Tennessee Representative and Senator on behalf of our readers, to get some answers.

We asked: “What do our state lawmakers think about immediate family members of General Assembly representatives and senators being allowed to become paid lobbyists?”

“I do think it’s a conflict of interest to have a lobbyist family member,” said one Senate member who preferred to remain anonymous.

Another anonymous Senate member pointed out the fact that General Assembly members themselves are not supposed to lobby for one year after leaving office, saying that “The appearance of impropriety should not exist.”

Rep. Clay Doggett (R-Pulaski-District 70) noted that when General Assembly members do their disclosures, they are supposed to put down any family members who are lobbyists.

“I don’t think that’s probably a good look, if you have a family member that’s a lobbyist,” Rep. Doggett said. “That’s where people get mistrust in government and the legislature, not only here but in D.C. as well. You need to be as transparent as possible, because if you’re not it looks like you’re hiding something.”

In the spirit of full disclosure, Rep. Doggett mentioned that his wife advocates as a volunteer lobbyist for the Alzheimer’s Association of Tennessee once a year. However, she and her family receive no compensation for that work.

“There’s definitely a difference,” Rep. Doggett said in regards to family members being paid lobbyists in comparison to volunteer lobbyists. 

“If it’s something that will affect my income or a vote that would do that,” Rep. Doggett continued, “I think that it should be disclosed or made public that ‘this passage of this could have a direct impact on my financial situation’ or something of that nature, and it could if you had a spouse or a child that was a lobbyist. It could have some type of financial benefit to you.” 

Only nine Tennessee lawmakers in total responded to The Tennessee Conservative’s request for comment.

These are the remaining answers that we received:

“No I don’t think they should! Definitely a conflict of interest! Just as the taxpayer funded lobbyists that work for the administration!! At the least, the taxpayer lobbyist should have to file a disclosure!” – Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill-District 92)

“It’s unethical, it’s similar to insider trading. It’s an obvious conflict of interest and bias. Even if they aren’t doing anything corrupt, it looks corrupt to taxpayers. Even the appearance of corruption should be enough to ban immediate family members from lobbying. Or alternatively, the lawmaker could resign.” – Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville-District 90)

“I advocate for less government restriction and more transparency.  As long as the family relationships of members are openly disclosed to the public, the people can decide what is appropriate. We live in a cancel culture and restrictions on who can run for office only seek to cancel candidates before the people can choose.  The only exception I make to this is in term limits for full time political office.  Even in supporting that, I still have reservations about limiting the choice for people.”  – Sen. Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun-District 1)

“I don’t believe immediate family members of General Assembly representatives should be allowed to become paid lobbyists. That setup creates glaring conflicts of interest and undermines the trust Tennesseans deserve to have in their government. Lawmakers should be making decisions based on what’s best for the people, not worrying about a spouse’s or sibling’s paycheck hinging on some special interest group’s demands. We need to keep our political system fair, transparent, and focused on everyday folks—not stacked in favor of insiders who share a last name with someone in power. Making sure close relatives aren’t getting paid to influence policy is a straightforward step towards a more honest, accountable government. The people of Tennessee deserve nothing less.” – Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville-District 51)

“While I respect the professionalism of lobbyists and the rights of individuals to pursue their careers, it’s important for lawmakers to be mindful of how their personal relationships might appear to the public or influence their decision making. The key is to ensure that any potential conflicts of interest are addressed transparently and that steps are taken to avoid even the appearance of favoritism or influence. Protecting public trust in our government should always be the priority.” – Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville-District 19)

Rep. Monty Fritts (R-Kingston-District 32) replied:

“I am fine with the family member becoming a lobbyist, just not in Tennessee. I do not think the immediate family of TGA [Tennessee General Assembly] members or family of US congressional members should be allowed to lobby the TGA while the member serves in elected office in Tennessee or DC. I might even offer the immediate family members of current Tennessee county commissioners, county executives, city council members, or city mayors be excluded from being paid lobbyists to the TGA. If politics ever becomes a family business, then the citizen will lose their standing and rights. The Biden family, Clinton family, and our own Ray Blanton might be examples of why we would avoid familial ties that overly influence policy decisions if a family profit can be achieved.

Professional politicians were not favored by the Founders and Framers. While we need informed subject matter experts to advise office holders and better equip policy formulation, caution should be exercised. Ideally the office holder brings some subject matter expertise with them. And if that office holder serves their few terms and returns to their career field, perhaps later seeking another office, a harmony of balance in subject matter expertise could be generally maintained. One might also presume that the Founders and Framers would not have ideally envisioned full-time career fields of political advisors who hold no anchored accountability to the people nor their Constitution.

I am of the opinion that dollars from out-of-state or even in-state special interest groups holding positions counter to the Constitution and best interests of the citizen should be limited further. Many groups lobby on behalf of positions counter to that primary responsibility of government: to secure the rights of the people. Much like the pharmacy benefits manager of today’s insurer-pharmacy-consumer relationships, an environment is created that may not best serve the Constitution nor citizen at-large.

Many honorable advocates for liberty and the best interests of those they represent also serve as lobbyists or advisors. Maintaining a healthy balance requires clear lines that are not crossed. Clearly defined Constitutional requirements and avoidance of paid familial influence are two of those common-sense boundaries in my opinion.”

***Reader’s Note: As of the writing of this article, Sen. Bo Watson is the only TTC-confirmed member of the General Assembly to have an immediate family member, his wife, as a highly-paid corporate lobbyist. If you are aware of others with a similar conflict of interest, please contact our publication.

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About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.