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« Water War Update | Main | Democracy is Bad For The Collective » February 8, 2008Dems Split on Making State Government More Accountable to the People
"This benefits the political landscape," said Gray Sasser, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party. "When you elect someone rather than appoint someone, they are more accountable to voters and citizens."Sasser was talking specifically about a proposal to let voters elect the Lt. Governor, but the Sasser Principle - elected officials are more accountable than appointed officials - would seem to be a broad principle applicable to other positions. Such as the Secretary of State, for example. The Lt. Governor currently isn't an appointed official, he's a state senator elected people the people who is then elected to lead the senate by his also-elected peers. The Secretary of State is currently appointed by whichever party controls the majority of seats in the state legislature. The Sasser Principle says electing the Secretary of State would make the Secretary of State "more accountable" to the people. But the House Democratic Caucus isn't on board with that sentiment, judging from this story in today's City Paper over a proposal to let voters elect the state's Lt. Governor and Secretary of State. Democratic leaders in the state House, who are in the majority, are not convinced an elected lieutenant governor is needed and are outright opposed to an elected secretary of state.Chairman Sasser, you might want to call Speaker Naifeh and tell him to get on board with the idea of making state government more accountable to the people. Posted in Tennessee Government News
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Are Tennessee state House Democrat leaders at odds with their party's state chairman? In a Tennessean 