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MURFREESBORO WEATHER

Burgess, White tout records in GOP primary race




Vying to fill an open 13th District state Senate seat, Rep. Dawn White is calling herself an “extreme conservative” while Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess is campaigning as a “servant leader.”

White, a three-term House member, and Burgess, with 12 years as county mayor, are squaring off in the Aug. 2 Republican primary with clear differences about governing. Early voting begins July 13. Democrat Kelly Northcutt and independent Ginger Smith are on the ballot for the November general election, facing the winner of the Burgess-White race.

Both lent their campaigns $50,000 and started running TV ads recently touting their records – White focusing primarily on her stance against illegal immigration and Burgess noting his work in guiding the county through tough economic times to a period of prosperity while undertaking numerous public building projects.

They are trying to replace Sen. Bill Ketron, a Murfreesboro Republican seeking the county mayor’s post. Ketron, chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus, projects the two will spend $600,000 combined in the primary.

“I don’t think they’ll attack each other, because both of them have records” to run on, Ketron says.

A former NHC executive, Burgess could have remained retired 12 years ago when he ran for mayor. He could leave public office now, he says, satisfied with putting Rutherford County in a strong economic position.

“But Rutherford County’s too important, it’s growing too much, it’s a major, major influence in Middle Tennessee, and really Middle Tennessee is the economic engine for all of Tennessee in many respects,” Burgess says. “I still feel a need, an urgency and a duty to really use this experience we’ve got here.”

Burgess points toward the 100,000 people who have moved here since he took office, boosting the county’s population to about 330,000, as proof of his administration’s good work in developing an attractive school system and other county services such as the county’s first full-time fire department.

He says he wants to be “proactive” in making sure state tax dollars reach Rutherford County to meet public needs, mainly for county schools, which have added some 10,000 students since he took office in 2006.

Burgess contends public education is “likely underfunded in some situations,” especially for rapidly-growing school systems where taxpayers have to pour large amounts of money into building construction.

Even though the state funding formula for public schools contains money for capital projects, dollars have to be steered to other components of the education system to pay teachers properly and ensure a strong academic program, forcing Rutherford County to borrow tens of millions for construction projects, he says. During Burgess’ tenure, the county has built 10 schools and undertaken numerous additions and improvements, and is preparing for the new Rockvale High and Rocky Fork Elementary schools in Smyrna.

“We’ve been proactive, and the results speak for themselves,” Burgess says.

Immigration hardball

White, a former Murfreesboro City Schools teacher, differentiates herself from Burgess by pointing toward her voting record in the House, where she is one of the chamber’s most conservative members.

Her television ad makes note of her support for President Donald Trump and a resolution she sponsored calling for support of a wall at the nation’s southern border. She also pushed legislation in 2018 designed to penalize local governments for violating the Heritage Protection Act and rules against sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants. It didn’t pass.

“I consider myself an extreme conservative,” White says. “I have a very conservative voting record. In the past I’ve been recognized as the third most conservative out of the 99 (House members). So we are just highlighting my very extreme and conservative record.”

White cast the deciding vote in 2017 against legislation allowing young people who came here with parents illegally years ago to pay in-state tuition. White, at the time, said such a move would make Tennessee, and Rutherford County specifically, a magnet for illegal immigrants and put a greater burden on taxpayers.

In her door-to-door campaigning, White says, people are talking about illegal immigration.

“It’s a huge concern, of course, how we’re going to pay for everything,” she says, “our country’s debt, how we’re going to pay that off.”

The state Legislature can’t take action to deal with the federal budget. But in listening to constituents, White says she relays their concerns to city and county officials, as well as U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais’ office.

“I’m just excited about my campaign. I have enjoyed meeting so many people at their doors and getting to talk to so many voters to tell them my conservative stance and that I am 100 percent for our president, I’m against sanctuary cities, and I’m against immigration and also my education background, how we have reformed education here in Tennessee,” White says. “And as a former teacher, I feel like I’ve played a role in that.”

White has backed options for public education such as the use of vouchers to send students in struggling schools to private schools, despite opposition from the Tennessee Education Association. The measure has not passed.

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