Briggs, Campfield to appear on Inside TN; third candidate Alford weighs in

Mike Alford

So, this Sunday's edition of Inside Tennessee will feature incumbent 7th District state Senator and his Republican challenger Richard Briggs. (Tune in at 9:30 a.m. on WBIR-TV 10News!)

Good stuff.

In the meantime, the third "candidate" - Mike Alford - was not able to appear, since, he told us, he would be out of town.

He did, however, submit the following statement:

I would like to express my sincere apologies to you and your viewers for not being able to appear on your program. It is important that voters get to see all the candidates and hear their views. I hope to get the opportunity again before this election.

Tenova CEO’s went directly to the state of Tennessee evading our local laws, bypassing MPC, our local government, and with no notice to the public; had a zoned scenic section of Middlebrook Pike re-zoned in order to build a hospital.

Senator Campfield sponsored a bill(SB0655) allowing them to proceed with their plan. Dr. Briggs is an employee of Tenova and if I’m not mistaken served on their board in some capacity.

I am certainly for progress and creating jobs in Tennessee but when the proper process is completely bypassed, it gives the public the impression there was more to gain than jobs for someone.

This very incident is a prime example of the importance of Public Notice. I will work hard to preserve citizen’s access to public information, abide by our Sunshine Laws, and will protect the integrity of public notices by keeping them in print.

My vast experience in the transportation industry has given me the knowledge to provide traffic calming initiatives. I will do my due diligence to help resolve the congestion providing a smoother passageway through Knoxville in the I40 – I75 corridor while reducing the negative environmental impact.

I am the only Republican candidate in the 7th district that is a true Tennessean. I grew up; worked, lived, and raised a family in this great state and my wish is to keep it great. I will not accept any PAC money for my campaign. My promise is to represent the constituents with honesty and integrity. My goal is to limit the intrusion of government on our day to day lives.

Looks, let's face it, Alford is on the ballot to take votes away from Briggs. Campfield's own guy - sporting a "Campfield" T-shirt - picked up the guy's nominating petition and Alford even signed Campfield's own petition. (It also hurts Campfield more than Briggs that Alford appears first on the ballot.)
Anyhoo,  since we'll be featuring the others, I felt it fair to at least give Alford a mention.

It also should be noted that the winner of the Aug. 7 primary will face Democrat Cheri Siler in the November general election, although, let's face it: She has about as much of a shot of winning as Alford does - no matter how the local bloggers and alt-weekly writers attempt to justify a way for her to win.

I'm out.