On Wednesday, July 10, 2019, Governor Bill Lee, accompanied by the first lady Maria Lee, made a visit to Union County Courthouse. Less than a year from his last appearance in Maynardville, he arrived with a smile and was greeted by a large crowd of community members, officials, parents, and citizens.

Kicking off the Meet and Greet, Mayor Jason Bailey introduced the guests and presented the Governor some Union County gifts of appreciation including a mug for his desk and a Union County tee “to wear at his next state of the state address,” as Dr. Bailey said with a grin. Miss Union County was introduced and recognized as the very first person from Union County to ever compete in the Miss Tennessee competition. Mrs. Julia Richardson Gibbs is much to thank for this accomplishment in the county as she coordinated the pageant and supported the program whole-heartedly.

Representative Dennis Powers introduced elected officials attending the meet and greet event. He recognized that the governor is highly focused on education and that Tennessee is the second lowest tax state in the country, following Alaska.

Representative Jerry Sexton spoke and acknowledged a special person who he and his wife chauffeured to the event, lifetime community member Jean Skeen. Sexton said that Bill Lee is a man of his word who knows the citizens and knows Tennessee.

As Governor Lee began his address to the fine folks of Union County, he boasted that Union County should be honored to have such caring and hard working representatives at the Capitol. He shared the honor he felt for writing the first executive order for the Bill Lee administration, calling into account the impact that the state government has on, particularly the fifteen most, distressed counties in Tennessee. He is most proud of this due to his deep roots in rural Tennessee and knowing the vision he has always had that Tennessee needs more focus on rural communities and technical, vocational, and agricultural education pathways.

Tennessee Serves is the initiative that the first lady, Maria, has taken on as a project during their time in administration. This initiative is her way of traveling the state while they travel together. The purpose is to inspire people and communities across the state to serve their neighbor. Serving as in, however they are led to do so, whether through church, nonprofit, visiting elderly, or serving veterans. Serving a neighbor as you are led to do is what the Tennessee Serves Initiative is all about.

The Governor paused and extended his sincerest thanks to men and women of service and law enforcement. He is openly thankful that they put their lives on the line for us every day so that we can all live free and safe.

During the Q and A session led by Lee, VFW Commander Arnold Smallin brought to attention that nearly twenty Union County graduates joined the service this year. He voiced his hopes of a much needed ROTC program in the county that would open up countless more opportunities for youth. Director of Schools, Dr. Jimmy Carter, stood to announce that this program has been applied for and approved by the board in hopes of being implemented as an elective in the upcoming school year.

As always, the governor’s focuses steer towards agriculture fields. He speaks of some specific funds that have been put in place recently for 4-H and FFA to make certain that youth ag programs are sustained. These are dedicated funds different than that has ever been in the budget for youth development programs. Lee said, “If Tennessee is going to continue to be a leader in ag, then we have to have the next generation of farmers. And not just traditional farmers, but future farmers that understand ag technology and what the future of agriculture looks like.”