South Doyle Area Home Owners Association Hear From the State Senate Candidates

Mark Mugford, President of the South Doyle Area Home Owners Association leads the organization in it's monthly business. County Commissioner Mike Brown was in attendance, he is in the light blue shirt, to the left of the picture.

State Senate Candidate Becky Massey was the first candidate to address the crowd in attendance. She emphasised her business experience in running the Sertoma Center. She also discussed her involvement in Nashville on behalf of other organizations across the state.  

State Senate Candidate Victoria DeFreese was the next up. She emphasized that she has been in Knoxville for 18 years. She and her husband both work, they have four children (ages 10-16) She discussed that she is not from a well known political family. She is a public educator and she does not intend to be a career politician. She really wants to be a librarian, "when she grows up" This is the area where DeFreese is from, she was warmly received.

Democrat State Senate Candidate Gloria Johnson was the next to speak. She talked of how she is from Farragut, she then went to the University of Tennessee and earned a degree in education. She then began working in Knox County Schools (except for a brief stint in Colorado) She has recently worked at Central High School. This year she requested to be transferred to Richard Yoakley Alternative School. She discussed how she would like legislation written in TN. She was discussing the tenure law change.

After Johnson talked, I went up and introduced myself to her. We had a good conversation. I also had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Mark Harmon. We had a pleasant conversation as well. That surely breaks the hearts of the liberals on knoxviews and knoxblab.

Chris Connolly, Campaign Manager for State Senate Candidate Marilyn Roddy spoke on behalf of State Senate Candidate Marilyn Roddy. Mrs. Roddy was performing her City Council Member duties at tonight's Knoxville City Council Meeting. He started out by jokingly saying to me that everything he was going to say was off the record. I said uh, no. Everyone laughed. Nothing like being the only "media" there and one of the speakers pointing you out.

He did as good a job representing his candidate as he could, (a. because he is a guy, his candidate is a woman b. because he is not the candidate and c. I just wanted to poke fun at the guy in this post) He highlighted that the city has doubled the rainy day fund and worked closely with Mayor Haslam in revitalizing downtown and south Knox County.

All three candidates appeared together for a joint photograph. Chris Connolly respectfully declined to be photographed.