Sullivan County Democrat ready to challenge Haslam

Piney Flats resident John McKamey thinks he might have a few things to teach Republican Gov. Bill Haslam.When the filing deadline passes at noon today, McKamey, a Democrat, educator, baseball and basketball coach, and former Sullivan County mayor and commissioner, will be running against the incumbent.His platform, he said, is one with a direct focus on public education, which he said has been under attack throughout Tennessee in recent years. A push for charter and privatized schools, an emphasis on standardized tests and taking away the resources of teachers is greatly affecting the way students receive education, he said.Every few weeks, McKamey said, people will turn on their televisions and see legislators in Nashville, including Haslam, governing like “clowns,” and there needs to be a public outcry and push back against recent policies. Recent news, like that which came out this week that Haslam’s plan to give raises to teachers and other state workers fell through, as reported in The Tennessean, gives a perfect example of the serious attack the state is seeing on public education, something McKamey holds dearly.“Every time you take money away from the schools you’re hurting public education,” McKamey said, though admitting that his time as a county commissioner showed him you have to work with the money you have.McKamey, who boasts over five decades of experience in public education with his own schooling, says he’s noticed that schools are being looked at more like a business and wants teachers to make decisions about public education, not someone who’s never stepped foot in a classroom.Other priorities he holds involve changing the disparity between the wages women make versus those of men, as well as bringing jobs to the state by having real estate brokers recruit people to Tennessee, especially in rural areas.McKamey said he’s a member of Piney Flats United Methodist Church and enjoys going to the earlier services. His wife died in 2001 because of a heart condition that kept the couple from having children. Before becoming a teacher, he graduated from Milligan College and later earned his master’s degree from East Tennessee State University.McKamey served on the Sullivan County Commission from 1975 to 1990, when he was elected to the role of mayor, which he served as for four years. In 2000, he was re-elected to a spot on the County Commission, which he held until 2010.His biography says he taught within the Sullivan County School System for several decades.Rick Herron, with the Tennessee Democratic Party, said the organization was not prepared to make a comment on McKamey before today’s filing deadline.Another stance upon which McKamey prides himself is being the only county commissioner to have voted to have open meetings several years ago, and he said he understands the importance of having open meetings for the public because “it’s their money.”For more information, visit http://bit.ly/1dT0Usi.



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