Image Credit: Torrey Harris / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By David Seal]-
Representative Torrey C. Harris (D-Memphis) has filed legislation that may appeal to both sides of the political aisle. His proposed legislation would “give voters the ability to recall local elected officials—including mayors, county commissioners, and school board members—through a clearly defined and transparent process.”
The effect of the bill is limited to local offices.
In a statement released by Harris’ media contact Ken Jobe, “House Bill 1448 seeks to give citizens a stronger voice in holding local leadership accountable while ensuring fair and responsible governance. Current Tennessee law limits the ability of local governments to create recall provisions for specific elected offices, leaving voters without a direct mechanism to address misconduct or loss of confidence in local officials.”
The full text of the bill is linked here, HB1448. With the recent filing, a senate sponsor has not yet signed on.
Representative Harris released the following letter to further explain his legislative intent for the bill.
Jefferson County Commissioner Rob Blevins (R-Strawberry Plains) commented on the merits of the bill. “If we [elected officials] fail to show up for work or refuse to do our jobs, we violate public trust. In those cases, the public should have the ability to recall officials.”
One of Blevins’ fellow commissioners concur that recall may be a necessary tool for voters in extreme cases.
“As a county commissioner, I enthusiastically support a bill allowing local government elected officials to be held accountable by the citizens they represent! This proposed bill has stringent requirements for recalling local officials for failure to perform their duties with ethical, transparent, and moral standards. There are way too many elected officials who forget to listen to and respect their constituents as they have promised to do.” – said Marcus Reed (R-Jefferson City)
About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and past Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level. David is also a 2024 winner of The Tennessee Conservative Flame Award & has received an accolade from the Institute For Justice for successfully lobbing the TN legislature to protect property rights. David can be reached at david@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
