Backroads and Backstories with Paul Bailey

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Dr. Manny Sethi’s parents grew up in India in the 1940s. They moved to Cleaveland, Ohio in the 1970s after waiting seven years to come to America. @2:52
• Dr. Sethi’s family moved to Hillsboro, TN in the 80s. His father was a doctor to many farmers there. @4:26
• Becoming a trauma surgeon was not easy, but Dr. Sethi felt like it was what he was called to do. @7:23
• For his trauma fellowship, Dr. Manny Sethi went to Vanderbilt Medical Center. He has been on staff there for 10 years now. @9:27
• Dr. Sethi met his wife Maya when they were 16. They are now married with two children. @10:17
• “I just believe that our faith as Christians is to just reach out in times of need and help people.” -Dr. Manny Sethi @12:00
• 10 years ago, Dr. Sethi and his wife started Healthy Tennessee, a preventative health organization that focuses on the health of rural Tennesseans. @13:33
•  “I just deeply in my heart feel it's an opportunity to ensure that the American dream in Tennessee stays alive for the next generation.” -Dr. Sethi on why he is running for Senate @17:54
• Dr. Sethi believes opening up TN and America is the best decision because the mortality rate would be less than 2 percent, but our economic gains would be so much higher. @20:16
• Dr. Sethi advises everyone to wash their hands and to wear a mask at the grocery store if it is crowded. He also says to try and keep high risk family members away from stores and crowded areas. @24:54
• Vanderbilt Medical Center had some COVID patients. It was an anxiety-inducing environment for Dr. Seth, but overall, it made him closer with his co-workers there. @28:16
• “We've got to cut our spending; our discretionary spending continues to be out of control.” -Dr. Sethi @36:24
• As a US Senator, Dr. Sethi wants to repeal and replace Obamacare. He also wants to tackle the opioid crisis. @
• “I'm asking you to take a chance on me and send me to the United States Senate and let's fight together to solve some of the greatest issues of our time.” - Dr. Sethi @44:49

Transcript

Announcer: For the politics of Nashville, to the history of the Upper Cumberland, this is the Backroads and Backstories podcast, with Senator Paul Bailey.

Senator Bailey: Welcome back to the podcast. I'm your host, Senator Paul Bailey. In today's episode, we have Dr. Manny Sethi, a trauma surgeon here in Nashville that works at Vanderbilt Medical Center. We're going to talk to him today about why he's running for the US Senate and to give his take on the current events in Washington DC. But before we get started, I would like to invite Manny to tell us a little bit about himself and what it was like growing up in Tennessee. Welcome to the program. Dr. Sethi.

Dr. Sethi: Well, Senator Bailey, it's an honor to have you, thanks for having me on. And before I go forward, I just want to say, you get to know people in different walks of life, in different ways and one of the substantial conversations I will always remember about you is when the tornadoes Cookeville, and you just we're all-in, helping folks, and were so selfless. And that is what I aspire to be as someone who wants to pursue public service. So, thank you for that.

Senator Bailey: Well, thank you for those kind words. And, as you know, as someone that serves the public as well, that when you are a public servant, and you have a true servant's heart, the main mission is always about the people and meeting their needs. But again, thank you for those kind comments. And so, tell me a little bit about your backstory. I'd like to know about where you grew up here in Tennessee, and tell us a little bit about why you became a trauma surgeon. 

So, tell us a little bit about your family. The thing of it is the podcasts can go anywhere because, certainly, everyone has access to it, but a lot of people in the Upper Cumberland area in the 15th Senate District that I represent, listen to these podcasts. And this is an opportunity for you to really introduce yourself because we're in unprecedented times as far as campaigning right now. It's very tough. Obviously, we can't have Reagan day dinners, and it's hard to be at those Farm Bureau breakfasts, and so we're having to redo our campaigns basically, to reach people. So, I felt like this would be another way for you to reach the people of the Upper Cumberland, and tell them about Manny Sethi. 

Dr. Sethi: Sure. Well, thanks. Well, my story, Senator, all starts with my parents, as for all of us, and my parents grew up in India in the 1940s. And they had nothing when they were little children. Their homes were burned to the ground by Muslim radicals. And they both, by the grace of God, pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps to become doctors. My mother would be a nanny, and she'd go to these villages in India without electricity, without running water, see patients. My father would sleep in the back of his car at night, and do odd jobs, and see patients during the day. 

But they both get through medical school, they both become physicians and they look around. And they realize that India is not going to be the place for their unborn kids. And they're looking at what's happening with their nephews and nieces, and so they go to the US Embassy, they stand in line and wait their turn, and it took about seven years. And in the 1970s, they came to Cleveland, Ohio—and that's where I was born—and retrained in the medical system, here in America. 

And then, at the age of four years old, I can still remember it, I got on this semi-truck, and we rolled on down to Coffee County, Tennessee; Hillsboro, Tennessee. And for those of you who don't know in the Upper Cumberland, Coffee County, Hillsboro, Tennessee is mostly a farming town. Back then, there were absolutely no doctors there. And so, my parents were among the first physicians, and they were doctors to farmers. And Hillsboro, Tennessee, people didn't have a lot, but they sure had each other, and they invested in me and my brother—go ahead.

Senator Bailey: My question is, in what year was that? 

Dr. Sethi: That was 1982 

Senator Bailey: 1982. So, the early 80s?

Dr. Sethi: Yeah.

Senator Bailey: Okay.

Dr. Sethi: So, in the early 80s, they were here in a farming town, and folks really poured their love into me and my brother, and I went to this school, which was a really, really small school, Hillsboro Elementary School, and really went to the school with the kids of all these farmers. And I just remember, they really struggled, but you just never known it. And I'd make all these house calls with my dad. We only had one ambulance in our town, so we had this blue Delta 88 Oldsmobile, and we'd make these house calls on the backroads, and I very specifically remember this one night, we picked up this farmer in Altamont in Grundy County. And he was having chest pain and shortness of breath, and I'm in the backseat of this car, and my dad's rushing to the hospital, this rural hospital he helped develop, and my dad runs him inside and comes out, and he's comforting the family. 

And I watch his family tries to give my dad money, but he wouldn't take it. So, he gets back in the car, I get in the front seat. And we're riding home and I said,...

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Governor Bill Lee announced that restaurants can begin opening on April 27 with 50% capacity, and then on April 29, retail businesses will be able to begin opening.
• TN unemployment benefits are being processed for sole proprietors and 1099 workers. 
• The state is working on guidelines to give to salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors, etc. so they can safely reopen. 
• The federal government deferred student loan payments until September. 
•  If someone is making more, even working part-time, than they’re set up to draw for unemployment, then they wouldn't be eligible for the benefits.
• Businesses should continue to follow CDC guidelines including having employees wash their hands and sanitize all surfaces.
• Graduation for White County schools is postponed and might be held at a later date in the summer. 
• The schools are working with the Tennessee Department of Education and local LEAs to set up a plan to help catch students up when school starts back.
• School sports activities might not open back up until the middle of July. 
• The reopening of elective surgeries across the state is going to depend upon what part of the state that you live in, and the PPE equipment that's available to those various surgery centers.
• Use the Upper Cumberland Development District as a resource to ensure that you're not being scammed by loan programs that aren’t federally funded and mandated. 
• “A lot of Tennesseans are hurting out there. We hear you. We know that you're in need. We're working just as hard and as fast as we can.” -Senator Paul Bailey

Links:

• Upper Cumberland Development: http://ucdd.org/
• Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency: https://www.uchra.com/ 
• SBA: https://www.sba.gov/
• Tennessee Small Business Development Center: https://www.tsbdc.org/
• TSBDC Twitter: https://twitter.com/tsbdc
• TSBDC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tsbdc
• TSBDC LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tsbdc/
• Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance: https://www.tn.gov/commerce.html
• White House: whitehouse.gov
• CDC: cdc.org
• Tenn Higher Education Commission: https://www.tn.gov/thec.html
• Tenn Dept. of Education: https://www.tn.gov/education.html

Paul Bailey’s email: mailto:[email protected] 

Transcript

Announcer: On this special episode of Backroads and Backstories, we invite you to listen to a recording of a recent telephone town hall hosted by Senator Paul Bailey. During the town hall, Senator Bailey, along with special guests: Commissioner Jeff McCord and Assistant Commissioner Rusty Felts of the TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development; Mark Farley, Executive Director of the Upper Cumberland Development District; Tyler Asher: Director of Small Business Development Center; And Kurt Dronebarger, Director White County Schools, discuss important current issues for the Upper Cumberland, including unemployment, help for small businesses, and public education. The town hall was moderated by Ryan Burrell of Spry Strategies.

Host Ryan: We got a poll question tonight friends, and we just simply want to know whether you are more concerned with the economic impact of COVID-19 or the health impact of COVID-19. But first, we got a question from Donnie in Putnam County. And Donnie's got a question we all have on our hearts. And that's the governor had said to reopen the state, and just what is the latest information concerning that, guys?

Senator Bailey: Well, thank you, again, this is Senator Bailey, Ryan for that question. So, the governor announced late this afternoon that restaurants can begin opening on April the 27th with 50 percent capacity, and then on April 29, retail businesses will be able to begin opening their businesses. Tomorrow he will be announcing further guidelines relative to other businesses and how they will be able to open safely.

Host Ryan: Excellent. Just want to throw out another question from Tina in Monterey. And Tina wants to know how long it's going to take to get the latest SBA loans from the federal government.

Senator Bailey: I'm going to throw that question over to Tyler Asher. Tyler, if you don't mind, you can jump in and answer that question.

Dir. Asher: Thank you. Senator Bailey, I’d be happy to answer that. We are fully expecting—the House did pass the bill this afternoon—they fully expect the president to sign off on it tomorrow. We were told to be expecting funding the first part of next week, that they would start allowing the Payroll Protection Loans to start being processed again. And then, of course, the Economic Injury Disaster Loans would begin to get processed again.

Host Ryan: Okay, we've got another question from Danny, and Danny would like to know where the best local state resources are concerning all of the topics tonight, SBA loans and Paycheck Protection Program.

Senator Bailey: Mark, you or Tyler could jump in again and answer that question.

Exec. Dir. Farley: I'm going to jump in first and then I'll turn it over to Tyler. Obviously, there is a lot of programs being pushed down from the federal level that'll be flowing through state government. Some of those have already hit and come on board. But we still expect many, many more programs to be established over the next coming weeks. So, obviously, your regional agencies, the Upper Cumberland Development District, the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency will have access to a lot of that information. We may or may not actually administer those, but we can certainly point you in the direction of where the newest and latest programs are at. As far as SBA, you're probably going to see just a continuation of the two main programs. Tyler, do you have anything to add on that?

Dir. Asher: You will find a lot of information on the SBA's main webpage, also the Tennessee Small Business Development Center webpage or any of their social media outlets. And then, if you have really specialized questions, feel free to reach out to me directly and we will get you an answer.

Host Ryan: Okay, great, we’ve got—

Senator Bailey: [00:03:22 crosstalk]

Host Ryan: —questions lining up here. Sorry, Senator?

Senator Bailey: No, I'm just saying I just want to make sure that everyone unde...

Guests

• Sheriff Eddie Farris of Putnam County
• Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter
• EMT Worker, Darrell Jennings

Show Notes

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Sheriff Farris of Putnam County has been in law enforcement for over 32 years. @1:35
• Putnam County Mayor Porter was EMS director for many years before becoming County Mayor. @3:28
• “There’s a time and a season that we live in, and God prepares us for those times.” - Senator Paul Bailey @6:08
• Darrell Jennings grew up in Putnam County his whole life. He has experience as a firefighter and an EMT. @11:26
• Jennings and his wife turned their home into a triage shelter during the Cookeville tornado before help arrived. He became the Emergency Operations Command Center on scene. @12:25
• “For full disclosure, I think the reason that Putnam County experienced the most loss of life was because a lot of people were like me. They had watched it until Smith County and they assumed that it was going to just be a storm.” - Senator Bailey @16:24
• After the storm hit, Highway 70 was impassable. The telephones lines and electrical lines were down. Debris was on the roads. @23:58
• 19 people died and 92 were injured because of the tornado. @25:22
• After the tornado hit, the community came together to rebuild and recover. @30:21
• Jennings saw the storm rip the roof off of a building near him, so told his family to get in the hallway and brace for the tornado. Shards of glass burst through his daughter’s room. @36:09
• As soon as the tornado passed, Jennings went outside to help his neighbors. @44:06
• The Jennings home became a triage shelter for those injured. People were going there seeking help. They had to move it to a church because so many people came for help. @48:10
• “All over the region all over the Upper Cumberland, volunteer firemen, you had EMS workers. I mean, it was just unbelievable, the response that we witnessed here in the Upper Cumberland and here in Putnam County.” @50:27
• As of today, 1.5 million has been donated to the Cookeville Putnam County Tornado Relief Fund. 100% of the funds go to survivors. @51:06

Transcript

Announcer: For the politics of Nashville, to the history of the Upper Cumberland, this is the Backroads and Backstories podcast, with Senator Paul Bailey.

Senator Bailey: Welcome back to the podcast. I’m your host, Senator Paul Bailey. In today’s episode, we have invited Sheriff Eddie Farris of Putnam County, Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter, Darrell Jennings, an EMT worker as well as a firefighter who, along with his wife, turned his home into a triage shelter during the Cookeville tornado before help arrived. These men are here today to talk about the effects of the tornado, and how they were able to help people in the wake of the disaster. But before we get into our major topic today, I’d like for Sheriff Eddie Ferris to tell us a little bit about his backstory. Welcome, Sheriff.

Sheriff Farris: Yeah, welcome, Senator, always glad to be with you.

Senator Bailey: Well, great. So, you’re a native Putnam Countyean?

Sheriff Farris: Yes, long, lifetime native here of Putnam County. Glad to be able to say that. It’s been great to live here all my years. I did go away for college for a short time but back here working. 

Senator Bailey: That was at ETSU?

Sheriff Farris: I went to ETSU, yep.

Senator Bailey: And played baseball.

Sheriff Farris: And played baseball.

Senator Bailey: And, see, I think of you as being more of a football player than I do a—

Sheriff Farris: Well, I’ve gained a little weight out since I got out of college [laughing], so please don’t hold that against me. Yeah, no, actually, I played center field and could actually run a little bit, back in the day. But yes, always glad to be here. I’m working on 32 years of law enforcement and—

Senator Bailey: Well thank you.

Sheriff Farris: Started the latter part of 1989 as a deputy here at Putnam County Sheriff with Sheriff Jerry Abston, and then in 1995, I moved to the Tennessee highway patrol, in the Criminal Investigation Division and in 2000, was assigned over to the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force out of the Memphis division, and spent some time there. And 2004 was promoted to the Assistant Special Agent In Charge there at Tennessee Highway Patrol. And 2006 Governor Bredesen transferred us over to the TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. So spent, from 2006 until 2014, there, and as you know, in September ’14, I was elected and became Sheriff of Putnam County and glad to be here.

Senator Bailey: Yeah, I think your victory in 2014 was, pretty much, overwhelming, wasn’t it? 

Mayor Porter: What victory? He didn’t have an opponent.

[laughing] 

Sheriff Farris: Yeah.

Senator Bailey: Well, I said it was overwhelming.

Sheriff Farris: I think we’ve been blessed at this table right here. No, I appreciate the citizens greatly, they’ve shown huge support, not just to me, but all the men and women at the sheriff’s office since I’ve been there. So, very grateful.

Senator Bailey: Well, and we appreciate your service. And one thing that I can say about the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, it sure has a professionalism about it. And we appreciate your leadership there—

Sheriff Farris: Thank you.

Senator Bailey: —and so, I know that you love this area, this is home to you and after attending college and then, of course, going through your law enforcement career, you’ve spent most of your time here raising your family in the Putnam County area. We’re going to turn down to County Mayor Randy Porter.

Mayor Porter: Good morning.

Senator Bailey: Randy, welcome. Thank you for being with us. 

Mayor Porter: Thank you for having us, Paul. 

Senator Bailey: And so, just tell us a little bit about yourself, about your background and coming to Putnam County and your years of service with EMS. 

Mayor Porter: Right.

Senator Bailey: And I think you were the EMS director for many years before becoming County Mayor—

Mayor Porter: Correct.

Senator Bailey: —in  Putnam County. So, I think as we end up talking about our topic today, in regards to the tornado that came through, those years of service in the EMS prepared you for the days that came after the tornado. But if yo...

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Jake Hoot’s parents are missionaries. The family lived in the Dominican Republic for over 10 years.Hoot left the Dominican Republic to play football at Tennessee Tech. @1:25
• Hoot’s dad wanted him to lead praise and worship for the church, so he taught himself guitar. @4:22
• He plays guitar by ear. His music is inspired by Southern gospel hymns and the music in the Dominican Republic he heard growing up. @5:24
• “Cookeville’s just been incredible, and I can’t thank everybody enough for all the love and support they’ve given me throughout the years” -Jake Hoot @7:27
• The Voice producers reached out to Jake Hoot to audition for the show. @10:00
• Over 40,000 people auditioned for Season 17 of the Voice. @13:07
• For the blind auditions, Hoot sang “When it Rains, it Pours,” by Luke Combs. Kelly Clarkson turned her chair and became his coach for the season. @19:02
• Hoot says that he learned a lot from the Voice experience and it helped him gain more confidence in himself. @24:57
• When the tornado hit Cookeville, a lot of people from the Voice reached out to Hoot to check on him and his family. @28:08
• “I think I had just gotten in a space in my head to where I was just like God's been good to me, too, at this point. I can’t complain, I’ve gone way further than I ever thought, and so I’m just going to go out there and enjoy it.” - Jake Hoot @33:52
• Winning season 17 of the Voice was a surreal and amazing experience for Hoot. @36:57
• Hoot left his job at Zimmer Broadcasting to focus on independently working on his record. @41:29
• Hoot is releasing a song he wrote with Jimmy Fortune called, “Tennessee Strong.” All proceeds will go to the Tornado Relief Fund. @44:27

Transcript

Announcer: For the politics of Nashville, to the history of the Upper Cumberland, this is the Backroads and Backstories podcast, with Senator Paul Bailey.

Senator Bailey: Welcome back to the podcast. I’m your host, Senator Paul Bailey. In today’s episode, we have invited the winner of season 17 of The Voice, Cookeville resident Jake Hoot to talk about his experience on the show and to get to know him a little better. Welcome, Jake.

Jake Hoot: Hey, thank you for having me.

Senator Bailey: Glad that you’re here. And we’re just so excited that you’re part of our podcast, and our podcast is called Backroads and Backstories, and most of the time folks want to hear the backstory to exactly how you got to be on The Voice, telling us a little bit about yourself and your history because folks always want to be able to relate to someone that’s a big superstar like you are today.

Jake Hoot: [laughing].

Senator Bailey: So, we’re going to jump right in. And Jake, just tell us a little bit about yourself and where you’re originally from, and I think your family, basically were missionaries—

Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.

Senator Bailey: —and you guys lived in the Dominican Republic. So, I’m just going to step back for just a moment and let you tell us a little bit about yourself.

Jake Hoot: Yes, sir. No, yeah. So, I’m one of nine kids, I’m the second oldest of nine.

Senator Bailey: Nine kids. Oh wow.

Jake Hoot: Nine kids, six boys, three girls. And Mom and Dad, I think it was shortly after I was born, Mom and Dad got really involved in church, and Dad felt called to be a pastor, and then he felt called to be a missionary. And so, we moved all over the place when we were kids. And then we ended up, we’re originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, so way down south, and then we ended up moving to Haiti, when—I think it was back in ’97 or something like that—and lived there about a month or two, and my sister is a type one diabetic and so couldn’t get her medical help, and so we moved over to the Dominican side, right across the border for a short while.

And Dad just felt like that’s where God was calling us. And so we ended up living there, well my parents lived there 14 years, I lived there about 11 years before I moved back to the US and came to Tennessee Tech to play football, and—

Senator Bailey: Okay, so you came from the Dominican Republic to Tennessee Tech?

Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.

Senator Bailey: So, did you play football in the Dominican Republic?

Jake Hoot: I did not. I did not. I always wanted to play—of course, we played backyard football, you know us boys, there was enough of us to play, and we’d get kids from down there to play but I’d always wanted to play and I was bound and determined to play somewhere. And so, I think my size helped, being 6’6”. You walk in, say you want to play, Coach Brown and Coach Sam over there were very patient with me and gave me a shot.

Senator Bailey: So you were a walk-on?

Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.

Senator Bailey: Okay, so you’re a walk-on at Tennessee Tech?

Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.

Senator Bailey: And I’m assuming they were able to offer you a scholarship then to be able to play or did you—

Jake Hoot: I had to earn it. Yes, sir. It took me a little while, but I ended up earning a partial scholarship, and that was incredible, the fact that they let me play, much less, were essentially paying me to play. But—not pay me to play, but giving me money for school and whatnot. But no, it was an incredible experience. I loved every second of it. Love everybody from that organization. You’re still a family. I saw Coach Brown a couple months back at the welcome home concert, and I love that man and respect him.

Senator Bailey: Yeah, well cool. Well, so you basically came to Tennessee Tech and your family still lives in Texas? Or they’re in Dominican Republic, or—

Jake Hoot: Well, they moved up here.

Senator Bailey: Oh, so your entire family’s here now.

Jake Hoot: Yes, sir,  they live down the road in Smith County in the Carthage area. Yeah, we had moved up here before we moved to Haiti, and joined Cornerstone Baptist Church right out in Carthage. And that was our sending church the entire time, and then when they all moved back, they just they moved out there, so they live about 45 minutes away.

Senator Bailey: So tell me just a little bit, were you inspired by living there in the Dominican Republic to lead praise and worship? Is that where your musical inspiration began?

Jake Hoot: And, in certain essence, yeah. I think rather than being inspired, I think Dad kind of forced me to get into it. And I’m glad he did, it kind of made me get out of my shell. And I liked—

Senator Bailey: You’re not saying that you ...

Guests

• Senator Briggs
• Senator Hensley

Show Notes

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• The first infections of the coronavirus were linked back to a live animal market that was selling meat in Wuhan, China. 
• The coronavirus is spread by person-to-person contact.
• The virus is contagious and the symptoms are flu-like. 
• It seems like those that have become the most ill from the virus are the elderly or those that have some pre-existing medical conditions, such as, maybe, COPD or heart trouble or diabetes.
• An outer coat is around the coronavirus. It is an enveloped virus making it sensitive to alcohol, lysol, and most sanitizers.
• There was a fourth case of coronavirus diagnosed in the state of Tennessee. 
• “Governor Lee has been very proactive, just in my opinion, same as President Trump and the CDC and going ahead and starting to educate the public.” - Senator Bailey
• If you think that you have flu-like symptoms, stay at home, and then contact your physician and establish an appointment that you can go into where they can see you at that time.
• The coronavirus has a long incubation period, 10 to 14 days, so people can spread the virus even if they’re not sick.
• With the flu, somebody has to have symptoms within a day or two, certainly not 14 days. So usually if people don’t have symptoms, then they’re not contagious with the flu.
• Even if a vaccine is created, it still may take a year for it to be released to the public. It has to be tested first.

Transcript

Announcer: For the politics of Nashville, to the history of the Upper Cumberland, this is the Backroads and Backstories podcast, with Senator Paul Bailey.

Senator Bailey: Hello, this is State Senator Paul Bailey, with your podcast, Backroads and Backstories. Today we’re joined by State Senator Richard Briggs from Knoxville, who is a cardiac surgeon, as well as State Senator and Doctor, Joey Hensley of Hohenwald, Tennessee. 

Senator Bailey: In today’s podcast, we’re going to be discussing the Coronavirus and the effect that it’s having, not only here in Tennessee, but around the world. But before we began talking about the Coronavirus, Dr. Briggs, I’d like for you to introduce yourself to the audience and tell a little bit about your military service and also about the fact that you are a cardiac surgeon and you’re still practicing today. 

Senator Bailey: And I know that you go to some Indian reservations, if I’m not mistaken, and you do some, is it... charity work there?

Senator Briggs: No, they pay me for it. 

Senator Bailey: Oh, well, of course, I forgot you’re a doctor. [laughing]. So Dr. Briggs, sometimes you have many titles. I don’t know whether to call you Doctor, Senator, Colonel, or friend, but for the most part, thank you and welcome to today’s show. And so, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Senator Briggs: Well, first of all, thank you for having us on here. And I’m State Senator Richard Briggs from Knoxville, Tennessee. I have a, really, a very long career doing a lot of different things. My actual profession when I’m not in Nashville being a State Senator is that I do heart surgery and some lung surgery in Knoxville, Tennessee. I also was in the army for 38 years, I retired as a full Colonel. I did two tours in Iraq during the most recent war. 

I was in Somalia back in 1993. I was in Afghanistan in 2004. And even in Korea, back in the 1980s. I know I had a lady asked me one time was I in Korea during the war? And I wasn’t even born when the war started, and that would make me close to 90 years old. I know I haven’t weathered too well, but I wasn’t there during the war.

Senator Bailey: Well, I understand, and so how many tours did you do during the Gulf War era?

Senator Briggs: Well, if you go back to Desert Storm, I was in a MASH hospital, and that was actually my first trip to Iraq. And then I was in Afghanistan. By this time, I was the senior trauma surgeon at a combat support hospital. And then about a year and a half after that, I was in Baghdad, Iraq, where I was the senior officer at the, actually, the busiest and the largest hospital in Baghdad.

Senator Bailey: And although your cardiac surgeon I think you told me at one point in time when you were there running the MASH hospital, that you did multiple surgeries. It just wasn’t limited to cardiac surgery.

Senator Briggs: No, actually, the training for a cardiac surgeon means that you have to have at least five years in board certification in general surgery, and your general surgeons are the ones that are going to be doing gall bladders, appendixes, they’re going to be doing the general trauma surgery, including some orthopedics and some neurosurgery, whatever comes along, but when I was in Afghanistan, we were still in tents. And we had just two orthopedic surgeons and two general surgeons, so whatever came through the door, we either did it or it didn’t get done.

Senator Bailey: Oh, wow, that’s awesome. Now your public service as far as on the political side, you served as a county commissioner in Knox County, and now serving on your second term as a state senator. You and I came in as freshmen together in 2014, and developed a friendship and certainly appreciate you, Dr. Briggs, and so, tell us just a brief summary of your political career.

Senator Briggs: Well, it really goes back to 2007 and 2008 in Knox County. I ran for the county commission and was sworn in as a county commissioner in February of 2008. And I served on the county commission for seven years until I was elected to the state Senate. And I think you were probably sworn in just a couple of minutes before I was because your name was B-A and mine is B-R. [laughing] 

Senator Bailey: That’s right I—

Senator Briggs: And so you got a little bit of seniority with me there. But I’ve been in the state Senate now, just as you have, since November of 2014. And we’ve served together since then.

Senator Bailey: Yes. And Senator Briggs, you, certainly because of your medical background, I know that you carry a lot of bills relative to health care in the Senate, which, chairing the Commerce Committee, from time to time there are health-related bills that move through that committee and so we have the opportunity to work with you on those bills, and then you serve on finance as well as the Health Committee?

Senator Briggs: No, actually, I went off the Health Committee two years ago and I’m on the Finance Committee, and also the Transportation Committee, and I was—

Senator Bailey: That’s right, you and I served together there.

Senator Briggs: Yes. And then I am the chairman of the Ethics Committee, and we don’t hav...

Guests

• Senator Frank Niceley of District 8
• Senator Rusty Crowe of District 3
• Senator Shane Reeves of District 14

Show Notes

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• “I enjoy politics, I enjoy helping people, and we’ve got a great state. And I’d like to think that in some small way, I was part of that.” - Senator Frank Nicely
• Farming today is harder than ever before because of regulations on farmers. 
• We are way ahead on revenue collections based on what our projections were last year.
• Rural counties face different issues. 
• “If you want to know how to vote on things, look around, find senators in the room that you respect, and follow their lead.” -Senator Reeves
• The Governor is putting money into fiber optics which is a big deal for rural areas. 
• An important issue for the state is trying to figure out how to save our farms. 
• Although the governor proposes a 4 percent pay increase for teachers, some of those school districts are not able to fully pass that increase to teachers. 
• Senator Nicely says you can cut taxes and still have more money and the proof is in the state of Tennessee. 

Transcript

Announcer: From the politics of Nashville, to the history of the Upper Cumberland, this is the Backroads and Backstories podcast, with Senator Paul Bailey.

Senator Bailey: Welcome to the podcast. I’m your host, Senator Paul Bailey. In today’s episode, we have invited state Senator Frank Niceley of District 8, and Senator Rusty Crowe of District 3, and my good friend, Senator Shane Reeves of District 14. The focus of our discussion today will be on our reactions to Governor Bill Lee’s recent State of the State Address, and other legislative priorities this session. Before we get started, I would like to invite each guest to us a little about themselves and give us their backstory. Senator Niceley?

Senator Niceley: Yes sir.

Senator Bailey: Tell us just a little bit about yourself and the good folks up in your district.

Senator Niceley: Well, I was born and raised in East Tennessee in 1988, I’d been farming for a long time and I needed to get off the farm and do something different, so I ran for office. And I served four years, and I wasn’t very popular with the Democrats back then, and I got beat and was out 12 years. Came back in ‘04 and I’ve spent 12 years in the state House, and eight years now in the state Senate, and I’m about as East Tennessee as you can get. I’ve got eight great-granddaddies that’s fought in the American Revolution, buried in East Tennessee, most of them in my district. My wife says that this proves that my family hasn’t gone very far.

[laughing] 

But I enjoy politics, I enjoy helping people, and we’ve got a great state. And I’d like to think that in some small way, I was part of that. 

Senator Bailey: I think you have been. So, tell us just a little bit about the difference between the House and the Senate.

Senator Niceley: Well, I said one time that when you go to the House, it’s like going back to high school. But when you get in the Senate, it’s like going to an old folks’ home.

[laughing] 

I have to wake them up and tell them a joke [inaudible 00:02:11]. The House was a lot more fun, but I’m getting a little bit more done in the Senate. You call a Commissioner; they call you back a little quicker. 

Senator Bailey: So, you think you have more respect being a Senator?

Senator Niceley: A little.

Senator Bailey: A little more respect?

Senator Niceley: A little more respect.

Senator Bailey: We also call you the Senate historian. 

Senator Niceley: I am. I call myself the unofficial historian. McNally calls me the official historian, but I have not seen that on paper anywhere.

Senator Bailey: Maybe we need to do a resolution calling for you to be named the official Senate historian.

Senator Bailey: Well I ran into Sergeant At Arms the other morning, he said, “Senator Niceley, can I just say good morning and shake your hand without getting a history lesson?”

[laughing] 

So, I thought maybe I’d better ease on the history a little bit. I do enjoy history though.

Senator Bailey: So, Senator Niceley, you basically farm for a living, is that correct?

Senator Niceley: Right. I do. Farming is kind of rough right now. They always said farmers go into a depression first and come out last, so I don’t know what’s—farming right now—is farm dead, farm suicides, commodity prices down. It’s hard right now. And that’s why I try to help the farmers down here, and I try to take off regulations, I try to open doors, let them do more things. Just like this year, one of my main bills this year will be letting the state take back over state meat inspection, take it away from the Feds. We gave it to the Feds back in the seventies. I don’t know why we gave it to the Feds, but Commissioner Hatcher agrees with me, it’s time to take it back. Every state to the south of us, they inspect their own produce and their own meat. So, that’s going to be one of my major pushes this year.

Senator Bailey: Prior to me coming to the legislature—and of course I remember reading articles about Frank Niceley from many years ago—you’ve always been fighting for the farmer and basically fighting to roll back regulations on farmers. And so, before I ever had the opportunity to meet you, I already had formed an opinion about you. And it was a good one, so—

Senator Niceley: And it changed, didn’t it?

[laughing]

Well a good example of what you just talked about was billboards. You can put billboards on land that’s zoned commercial or industrial, but you can’t put it on lands zoned agricultural. Why is that? I think if someone took that to the Supreme Court, I’d say that’s discrimination. You got one businessman who happens to be working on land that’s zoned commercial or industrial, that’s fine, but you got another businessman, he happens to be working on land that’s zoned agriculture, why can’t he put a billboard on his side? These billboards are big business. They can pay off the mortgage, keep a kid in school, helps in retirement. Billboards are big business, but farmers can’t—and they own all the land along the interstate. But you can’t put a billboard on lands zoned agriculture. So, that’s another push. I’ve got a lot of pushes.

Senator Bailey: You do push, and especially always looking out for the farmers, so we appreciate—

Senator Niceley: I’m looking out for people that don’t donate to me, and don’t know who I am, and can’t help me in any way.

Senator Bailey: Well, that’s the way we all should be. Senator Crowe—

Senator Crowe: Yeah.

Senator Bailey: Welcome.

Senator Crowe: Thank you. Proud to be here with one of the world champion equestrian people.

Senator Bailey: Well, thank you. I appreciate that.

Senator Crowe: My daughter is a brand-new veterinarian in Knoxville, and a horse lady...